Opening hours: Closed Mondays; open Tuesday, Thursday, 10am-4pm; Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, 10am-7pm; Sunday, 10am-3pm.

Established in 1879, the National Museum in Cracow was first housed in the Sukiennice building, now the seat of one of its divisions. The construction of the Museum's so-called New Building started in 1934, but was interrupted by World War II and did not get completed until 1992. The holdings of several hundred thousand items are preserved not only in the Main Building but also in the divisions, nine of which are in Cracow alone.

The Main Building houses the Gallery of Twentieth Century Polish Art. One of the largest galleries in Poland, it boasts a collection of paintings and sculptures from the late nineteenth century onwards, including canvases by Jacek Malczewski, Leon Wyczolkowski and Wlodzimierz Tetmajer; an extensive collection of works by Stanislaw Wyspianski; works by artists of the inter-war and post-war periods: cubists, expressionists, colourists, the avant-garde of the 1930s, representatives of new directions started in the 1960s, in particular members of the Cracow Groups 1 and 2.

It is also in the Main Building that the militaria ranging in date from the twelfth to the twentieth century are kept. These include Polish armours from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Polish sabres, firearms, saddles and caparisons, Polish uniforms extending from the eighteenth through the twentieth century, as well as military orders, medals and distinctions. The holdings also include a collection of West- and East-European weapons. The militaria are presented at the "Arms and Colours" exhibition.

Decorative arts and crafts are exhibited in the Decorative Arts and Crafts Gallery. The holdings include valuable gold, silver and precious stone items ranging in date from the twelfth to the eighteenth century; copper, pewter and iron objects, such as bowls and wrought iron chests; old furniture, musical instruments, clocks, ceramics and glass, notably stained glass from the churches of Cracow. The Museum has one of Poland's largest collections of Polish and Oriental rugs and carpets, as well as a valuable collection of the sixteenth through twentieth century costumes, including those of the Polish gentry of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.


Muzeum Narodowe w Krakowie
al. 3 Maja 1
30-062 Kraków
Region: małopolskie
Phone: (+48 12) 295 56 00, 295 55 00 (centrala)
Fax: (+48 12) 295 55 55
WWW: www.muzeum.krakow.pl
Email: dyrekcja@muz-nar.Krakow.pl