Muzeum Narodowe w Krakowie
Kraków’s largest museum: the Main Building houses permanent galleries of applied arts and of Polish art of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Muzeum Narodowe w Krakowie (National Museum in Kraków) was founded in 1879 by a resolution of the Kraków City Council. Its first home was the Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) on the Main Market Square, where a gallery of Polish 19th-century painting and sculpture was set up.
The Main Building on Aleja 3 Maja was designed by Bolesław Szmidt, Czesław Boratyński and Edward Kreisler. Construction began in 1934 and continued with interruptions until 1989. Today the building houses the museum’s management and administration, a specialist library in art history and museology, the audiovisual room “U Samurajów” and rooms for temporary exhibitions.
The museum’s collections number more than 900,000 objects, and most of them are Polish art. In 2017 the collections of the Princes Czartoryski also came to the museum, including paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt, which are shown in the Muzeum Czartoryskich (Czartoryski Museum). Apart from the Main Building, the museum runs eleven branches, one of them in Zakopane.
Highlights
- Galeria Sztuki Polskiej XX i XXI Wieku (Gallery of Polish Art of the 20th and 21st Centuries) – an overview of Polish artistic trends of the last 120 years
- Galeria Rzemiosła Artystycznego (Applied Arts Gallery) on the first floor
- Tuesdays with free admission to the permanent exhibitions in all branches
- Café, museum shop and free cloakroom in the building
Permanent exhibitions
- Galeria Sztuki Polskiej XX i XXI wieku – An overview of phenomena and trends in Polish art of the last 120 years, shown on the second floor.
- Galeria Rzemiosła Artystycznego – Exhibition of applied arts on the first floor of the Main Building.
- Founded
- 1879
- Visitors per year
- approx. 679,729
Admission & discounts
| Adults | 45 zł |
|---|---|
| Reduced | 35 złStatutory discounts, including for holders of the Large Family Card (Karta Dużej Rodziny) and the Kraków Family Card (Krakowska Karta Rodzinna); the museum publishes the full list of eligible persons. |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 6 · Children under 7 visit free of charge. |
| Students & apprentices | 1 złPLN 1 ticket for people in education up to the age of 26, on presentation of a valid student card. |
| Groups | –Organised groups must book their visit in advance. |
| Families | 90 złFamily ticket for the permanent exhibitions. |
| 12-month pass (standard) – all branches except the Czartoryski Museum | 300 zł |
| 12-month pass (reduced) | 200 zł |
| Audio guide – rental (standard) | 7 złVersions: Polish, English, Russian, German and French. |
| Audio guide – rental (reduced) | 5 zł |
Free admission: Every Tuesday – free admission to the permanent exhibitions in all branches; individual visitors collect a free pass at the ticket office.
The ticket to the Main Building also gives access to the permanent exhibitions in the branches: Ciołek, Matejko, Mehoffer, Szymanowski, Czapscy, Szołayscy and Arsenał, and is valid for 3 months from the date of purchase. Tickets are bought at the ticket office or online.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description
The building is almost entirely accessible to wheelchair and crutch users thanks to lifts, stair platform lifts and portable rails (exception: the cloakroom and the mezzanine on the second floor). An outdoor lift is at the main entrance, and the heavy entrance doors can make opening difficult. Accessible toilets are on the ground floor and on the second floor. On the ground floor there are wheelchairs for visitors and a tactile, audible information board (in Polish, English and Ukrainian). Sensory baskets, a sensory path and audio description are available. At the entrance there are disabled parking spaces in the city underground car park and two more near the Błonia meadows. Accessibility Section: +48 609 430 129, dostepnosc@mnk.pl.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | 90 zł · Family ticket for the permanent exhibitions. |
- Family tours & workshops
- Baby changing facilities
On weekends family workshops “Sztuka bycia razem” (The Art of Being Together) take place, and on Sundays there are sensory tours for families with children. Changing tables are in the toilet on the ground floor and near the cloakroom on level -1.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Muzeum Narodowe
Bus stops “Muzeum Narodowe” and “Cracovia Błonia”.
By car
Paid parking
At the entrance to the building there is a paid municipal underground car park with spaces for people with disabilities.
- Accessible parking
Amenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant: not available
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Wi-Fi
Café in the building; museum shop at the entrance. The cloakroom is mandatory and free of charge (it does not accept suitcases). There is a defibrillator in the building.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
The museum offers hire and provision of its spaces and objects, as well as commissioned services.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (PL, EN, RU, DE, FR) |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography is allowed without flash; filming an exhibition requires prior permission from the director’s office. |
| Good to know | Guides cannot be hired on site – guided tours must be booked in advance (rezerwacja@mnk.pl or +48 12 433 57 44, Mon–Fri 9:00–16:00). Animals are not allowed in the museum; assistance dogs are the exception. |
