Muzeum w Chrzanowie im. Ireny i Mieczysława Mazarakich

About the museum

The idea of founding a museum in Chrzanów was put forward in 1948 by Mieczysław Mazaraki, a naturalist and teacher, who proposed placing it in the former 16th-century manor granary, rebuilt in the 19th century as the family seat of the Loewenfeld family. The organising committee of the Chrzanów Land Museum (Muzeum Ziemi Chrzanowskiej) was appointed in 1956, and the institution, initially run by volunteers, opened on 21 July 1960. The collections were gathered with considerable help from pupils of the secondary school and members of PTTK (Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society). The museum developed into a multi-department regional institution with departments of natural history, archaeology and history, ethnography and art.

In 1966 the museum received its statute and was renamed Muzeum w Chrzanowie; today it bears the names of Irena and Mieczysław Mazaraki, the creators of its natural history department. The main seat at ul. Mickiewicza 13 houses the permanent exhibitions, while the branch for temporary exhibitions, Oddział Wystaw Czasowych “Dom Urbańczyka”, in a 19th-century villa at Aleja Henryka 16, organises temporary shows and provides access to its garden.

The permanent exhibitions in the main building include a Judaica room with a collection documenting the culture of a community that made up more than half of the town's population before the Second World War; a geology room with rocks, minerals and fossils of the region; an educational room; and the Chrzanów room devoted to the history of the town, with a reconstruction of a late-19th-century market stall. The museum also looks after the Jewish cemetery in Chrzanów and publishes the journal “Miscellanea Chrzanoviensia”.

Highlights

• Judaica room with Torah scrolls, tallit and candlesticks
• Geology room: galena and sphalerite from the Trzebionka mine, araucarites, ammonites
• Chrzanów room with a reconstruction of a late-19th-century market stall
• Historic 16th-century manor granary, nicknamed Kałamarz
• Branch for temporary exhibitions “Dom Urbańczyka” with garden
• Care of the Jewish cemetery and educational walks

Permanent exhibitions

• Sala judaistyczna – Collection of Judaica with objects for synagogue and domestic worship, including Torah scrolls, tallit, tefillin and candlesticks.
• Sala geologiczna – Rocks, minerals and fossils of the region between Kraków and the Przemsza river, including galena and sphalerite from the Trzebionka mine, araucarites and ammonites.
• Sala chrzanowska – Exhibition on old Chrzanów with guild memorabilia, craft tools and household objects, and a reconstruction of a late-19th-century market stall.

Founded

1960

Operated by

Muzeum w Chrzanowie im. Ireny i Mieczysława Mazarakich (samorządowa instytucja kultury)

Director

Kamil K. Bogusz

Admission & discounts

Free admission: On Sundays and public holidays admission is free to the permanent exhibitions in the main building and to the temporary exhibitions at Dom Urbańczyka.

The price list applies from 6 April 2026 and covers the main building and the branch for temporary exhibitions. Payment in cash only. Holders of the Chrzanów Resident Card (Chrzanowska Karta Mieszkańca) receive 20% off the entry ticket. Entry to the garden at Dom Urbańczyka and to the Jewish cemetery is free of charge.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the accessibility statement, neither the main building nor the branch Dom Urbańczyka is adapted for people with mobility impairments.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum offers educational programmes for kindergartens and schools (museum lessons and workshops), and families with the Large Family Card enter free of charge.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The museum sells its own publications and souvenirs.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit