Kraków

"Lord's Ark" Church

The church built during the 1970s. Considered somewhat of a symbol of defiance against communist government.

All Saints' Square

Plac Wszystkich Świętych

The name refers to the Gothic All Saints' Church that stood there until the 19th century. Actress Helena Modrzejewska and writer Joseph Conrad lived in houses at this square. There are two beautiful Gothic churches, the St. Francis and the Dominicanus, at its western and eastern ends.

Archeological Museum

Muzeum Archeologiczne

Pre and protohistoric human activities and artefacts around the region. Takes about an hour to tour the entire museum.

Opening hours vary, closed Sat·12 zł, reduced 8 zł (free on Tu)

Bednarski Park

Park Bednarskiego

Established (by the end of 19th century) around former industrial area (limestone quarry). These days slightly run down but has its own unique atmosphere and is considered the most beautiful park in Krakow.

Bne Emuna Synagogue

The building of Judaica Foundation – Centre For Jewish Culture. Formerly a prayer house, now primarily used by the centre.

Botanic Garden of Jagiellonian University

Extensive peaceful gardens (closed winter), ticket includes a small museum.

April–Oct daily 09:00-21:00·Adult 7 zł, conc 4 zł

Bronisław Chromy Sculpture Gallery

This collection of offbeat modern sculpture is in Decius Park just north of the Villa, both outdoor and within the gallery. Chromy (1925-2017) created many public sculptures around the city, including Smok the dragon at the foot of Wawel.

Mon-Fri 15:00-18:00, Sat Sun 11:00-18:00

Bunker of Art

Bunkier Sztuki

Gallery of contemporary art near Main Square. Also a book shop and nice cafe in the "bunker".

Tue-Sun 11:00-18:00·10 zł, reduced 5 zł; art students can try to get in for free

Centre for Jewish Culture

Judaica Foundation

Exhibitions, concerts, seminars and workshops on Jewish culture. There is also a cafe with a roof terrace and a great antiquarian bookshop in the basement.

Chewra Thilim Synagogue

HEVRE Bar

Historically a prayer house, today an exhibition space and the location of HEVRE Bar. Features rare, well-preserved polychrome.

Church Of Our Lady Of Snows

Constructed in 1632 founded by Anna Lubomirska as a vote to commemorate the victorious battle in 1621 in Chocim against the Osmans. It was destroyed during the Swedish invasion in 1655 and rebuilt in 1671. The main altar has the painting of the "Our Lady of Snows", the gift of Pope Urban VIII. Next to the church stands a cloister with some fragments of the defensive medieval architecture, like a brick tower from the 13th century.

Church of Holy Trinity

Kościół Świętej Trójcy (Bonifratrów)

Constructed in 1741 by the Trinities friars in late baroque style, according to a project of architect Franciszek Placidi. The interior of the church was ornamented with rococo stucco decorations and illusion style polychrome.

Church of St. Anne

Kolegiata św. Anny

This church was built in the 14th century and rebuilt in 1407 in Gothic style. It served as the university church. It was rebuilt in baroque style in 1689 by Tylman from Gameren modeled on S. Andrea della Valle in Rome. The corpus of the church was composed of a wide main nave with three pairs of side chapels. The holy professor of theology Jan Kanty is buried there. His baroque grave is one of the most beautiful in Central Europe.

Cloth Hall

Sukiennice

In the centre of the square, this large trading hall was built in Gothic style in the 14th century and rebuilt in Renaissance style in the 16th. The ground floor is an arcade filled with souvenir shops: this is open 24 hours even when the shops are closed. Upstairs is the Gallery of 19th C Polish Art, a branch of the National Museum. The Enlightenment, Romanticism, early Nationalism, Realism and Impressionism are the main styles of the permanent collection; plus rotating exhibitions. There are also extensive underground galleries with changing exhibitions, enquire at the upstairs gallery.

Gallery Tue-Fri 09:00-17:00, Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-16:00·Gallery adult 25 zł, conc 15 zł, free on Sun

Collegium Juridicum

is Gothic and stands opposite the Peter and Paul Church. It has an attractive Renaissance yard with arcades and sculpture by Igor Mitoraj.

Collegium Maius

This is the oldest part of the university, built 1364-1400 in Gothic style. It has a beautiful courtyard and chambers such as the Assembly Hall and stuba communis - the professors' common room. Niclaus Copernicus, Jan III Sobieski, and John Paul II all studied here. In its museum are the scientific instruments of Copernicus, the first globe to depict America, and many other medieval artefacts. Oxygen was first liquified in a stable condition here in 1883.

Collegium Medicum

is a Renaissance building opposite St Anna Church, the university church since 1409. It has a fine Renaissance yard with arcades.

Collegium Novum

is a beautiful Neogothic buildings It was built in the 19th century and has been the headquarters of the Jagiellonian University since then. The grand stairways inside the building are worth seeing.

Corpus Christi Church

Kościół Bożego Ciała

Gothic Church erected by Kazimierz the Great in 1340. The greatest Italian artist of the Renaissance, Bartholomaeo Berrecci, is buried here. The interior is baroque with a marvelous, high baroque altar and maybe the most beautiful baroque stalls in Central Europe.

Divine Mercy Sanctuary

Sanktuarium Bożego Miłosierdzia

A popular destination for religious pilgrimages to Kraków. The basilica was built between 1999 and 2002. You can climb the tower of the sanctuary and enjoy views over the southern parts of Kraków.

Dominican Monastery

The Dominicans came in 1222 to Kraków. After the Tatars destroyed this monastery, they rebuilt it. Duke Leszek, the Black of Kraków, and Bishop Iwo Odrowaz were buried inside the church in the 13th century. Also the great Italian Humanist Fillipo Callimachus was buried there in the 15th century. His grave was made by Veit Stoss and Peter Vischer. There are 13 chapels inside the church, the Sobieski Chapel with graves of the family of king Jan III Sobieski, the golden Myszkowski Chapel full of pretty baroque and gold, the manierist Dominican Chapel by Santi Gucci are the most beautiful. The Renaissance cross ways are full of epitaphs and baroque paintings by Tomasz Dolabella. A beautiful Romanique Crypta is under the cross ways.

Dragon's Den

Smocza Jama

the limestone hill is riddled with clefts and caverns, and one was said to be the lair of a fearsome dragon. ("Smok" finds echos in Tolkien's Smaug - he himself gave an obscure German derivation, but he had wide knowledge of European legends and languages.) The sons of King Krakus fed the dragon a calf stuffed with smouldering sulphur, and this proto-vindaloo killed it. Enter the cave from Thieves' Bastion on the eastern terrace. It's open April-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, 9 zł, but visit it last as it takes you out of Wawel. You descend 135 steps into the limestone cave, then through a passageway to emerge onto the riverbank promenade.

Fort Benedict

Fort Benedykta

Gun turret built between 1853 and 1856. Unique in terms of European fortress architecture. The building is not accessible and the surrounding area is fenced off.

Franciscans

The Franciscans came in 1237 to Kraków. Their first monastery was destroyed by the Tatars in 1241 and 1259. In 1269, the saint Salomea was buried inside the St. Francis Church. In 1462, 1655 and 1850 parts of the monastery were destroyed by fire. Inside you can find Gothic architecture and some prominent works of Polish Art Nouveau, i.e. the famous stained-glass "Good Father the Creator" by Stanisław Wyspiański. The cross ways are well worth seeing with their Gothic frescoes. It has been a basilica since 1920.

Galicia Jewish Museum

Houses an exhibition of photographs with explanations in Polish and English. These are recent photographs of locations around Poland associated with the Holocaust. Some are places where massacres occurred; most show old synagogues and Jewish cemeteries with comments about how respectfully (or not) these places are now preserved. The museum also has a bookstore and coffee shop and arranges coach trips to Auschwitz.

Daily 10:00-18:00 Closed on Yom Kippur and Christmas Day·Tickets are 15 zł or 8 zł with a student discount

Gallery Starmach

Former Zucker Synagogue built in 1880s. Today a gallery showing well-known Polish artists such as Magdalena Abakanowicz, Tadeusz Kantor or Jerzy Nowosielski.

Mon-Fri 11:00 - 18:00

Garden of Experiences

Ogród Doświadczeń im. Stanisława Lema

Named after the most famous Polish science fiction writer Stanisław Lem, the Garden is a place where kids (but not only them) can learn about optics, physics and astronomy using free standing installations like Newton's cradle, gongs, liquid vortexes, etc. There's also a spherical cinema with educational films.

April - October·8 zł, 5.50 reduced

Great Mikveh

Building from 1567 rebuilt at the beginning of 20th century, today Klezmer Hois restaurant and rooms. Ritual bath in the basement: around 40 steep stairs below ground level can be visited.

High Synagogue

Synagoga Wysoka

Called "high" because the prayer room is on the second floor (this is the only example of that kind in Poland). Third synagogue built in Kazimierz, in Renaissance style. It's in bad condition, but conservators are working on the building. It is open to public and sometimes hosts photo exhibitions.

Holy Cross Church

It was constructed in 1186. The oldest part of the church is a stone presbytery, while a brick part of the construction dates from the 15th century. The interior is very beautifully decorated with wall paintings dating back to 1420, like 'The Agony in the Garden' in the chapel and a wonderful Gothic palm vault which is based on only one very high pillar.