The best museums Krakow

In the castle's basement kitchens, you'll find an astonishing exhibition that aims to reconstruct what Wawel Hill looked like a thousand years ago. Models and computer representations illustrate parts of buildings that no longer exist, hence the unusual name of this museum. Also on display are the reconstructed foundations of the Rotunda of the Virgin Mary, the oldest stone church built on the hill in the early ^11th century.

This small and unusual museum offers an interesting collection of old objects used by pharmacists, some of which date back to the 16th century. Founded in 1946, it is located in a magnificent 15th century building. Among other things, it houses a reconstruction of a 17th century pharmacy and an apothecary's cellar. It is ideal for pharmacy enthusiasts who wish to discover the history of pharmacy from the Middle Ages to the present day. The others, you can pass your way without regrets, there is nothing here that is absolutely necessary to see.

Built by King Casimir the Great on the model of the Church of Our Lady on the Rynek, this church remains, despite its troubled history, one of the finest examples of Gothic style in Krakow. From the mid-15th to the mid-18th century, earthquakes, floods and fires followed one another until, in the first half of the 19th century, it was converted into an arsenal by the Austrians. This explains its bare interior. It has excellent acoustics and is therefore often used for concerts.

The Cricoteka, one of the city's major cultural centers, occupies the buildings of the former Podgórze power plant. The permanent exhibition presents the work of Tadeusz Kantor (1915-1990), one of the greatest theater artists and reformers of the 20th century. Sets, props, sketches, photographs and recordings of his performances show the successive stages of his theater's development. The café on the top floor offers a superb panoramic view of this stunning post-industrial complex.

This ^17th-century building, once a convent and then a prison, features a presentation of Little Poland from the Paleolithic to the early Middle Ages, as well as archaeological excavations at the Nowa Huta site before the industrial revolution. Another unusual object, and the museum's centerpiece, is the unique statue of a Slavic pagan god known as "Swiatowid Zbruczanski". This four-sided stone sculpture measures 2.50 meters and was found in the river Zbrucz, Ukraine, in 1848. The museum has a beautiful rose garden.

This superb museum, recently opened to the public, offers a very interesting and high quality collection of sacred art with an impressive collection of paintings and objects that belonged to the churches in the region.

However, what attracts the crowds is the pious reconstruction of the rooms in which Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II) lived between 1952 and 1963, with his office, his personal belongings, and even a pair of skis: the man, before being Pontiff, was a great fan of this sport. It is a place of pilgrimage for many believers.

Opened in 1800, this cemetery, much larger than that of Remu'h and ransacked by the Nazis, is completely abandoned. Its overgrown alleys make the visit quite poignant. There are graves dating from the early 19th century, some with epitaphs in Polish or German, a sign of the increasing secularization and cultural assimilation of Krakow's Jews. Among the illustrious graves is that of the photographer Ignacy Krieger (1817-1889), whose photographs are a valuable record of Krakow's past.

The beautiful 17th-century house of the Szołayski family is home to the works of Stanisław Wyspiański (1869-1907), a local and also one of the most original artists of the early 20th century. A true jack-of-all-trades, he was a writer, playwright, painter, photographer and cabinetmaker. Among his drawings, canvases or pastels, are portraits, especially of children or peasant women, landscapes or flowers. A true prodigy, he produced numerous stained glass windows, notably for the Church of Our Lady, the Franciscan Church and the Wawel Cathedral.

Located in the southern part of the Jewish Quarter, in the former town hall of Kazimierz built in the 14th century, this museum is the largest of its kind in Poland. The museum exhibits life in the countryside in the past, pieces of Polish folk art, especially wood carvings, and a collection of traditional crafts and costumes. It also features reconstructions of rustic domestic interiors, especially from the southern regions of Poland. The annex located at ul. Krakowska 46 houses temporary exhibitions.

This museum is a branch of the Historical Museum. It takes its name from the merchant family who lived in this 14th century house from 1599. Often called the "bourgeois house", it presents the reconstruction of the interiors of a typical Krakow bourgeois house, from the 17th to the 19th century. The interior is perfectly reconstructed and is worth a visit: you really feel transported to another universe with logic and rules completely different from our world. A large number of period furnishings surprise and fascinate.

In the basement of the theater, the Interactive Theater Museum allows visitors to experience the main techniques of theatrical production. This is arguably the most technological museum in Krakow, with the tour taking place through interactive apps, touch screens, tablets and other digital exhibits. You can compose your own music for a production, change the lighting, sound and music on a stage, explore a "virtual dressing room" to learn about costumes. Amazing.

Beautiful 19th century building is only temporary exhibitions, engravings, paintings, but also of photos, all eras and all countries.