Piwnica pod Fortuną

About the museum

The Piwnica pod Fortuną (Cellar under Fortuna) is a small room measuring about 7.1 by 2.7 metres in the cellars of the Lubomelski family's tenement house at Rynek 8 in Lublin. Its walls and vault are covered with paintings created after 1596, which are regarded as a rare example in Poland of secular, emblematic wall painting with burgher themes. Seven scenes are based on engravings from “Emblemata saecularia” by Johann Theodor and Johann Israel de Bry, and two on engravings by Heinrich Ulrich.

The name comes from the figure of Fortuna standing on a ball in a shell, placed in the centre of the vault. Damp and poor ventilation threatened the polychromy, which was conserved in several stages; in the 1930s apples were stored in the cellar. Since 2012 the interior has been open to visitors, and since February 2018 it has been looked after by the Lublin Underground Route (Lubelska Trasa Podziemna), part of the Centre “Brama Grodzka – Teatr NN”.

The paintings bring to life the everyday world of Lublin burghers in the 17th century. Tours are conducted with a guide, in small groups.

Highlights

• Polychromy from after 1596 with motifs from the “Emblemata saecularia” by the de Bry brothers
• Figure of Fortuna standing on a ball in the centre of the vault
• Secular burgher themes, rare in Polish wall painting
• Guided tour in Polish, with versions in other languages
• Tactile graphics for blind visitors and a film in Polish Sign Language (PJM)

Permanent exhibition

• Polichromie w Piwnicy pod Fortuną – An interior decorated with secular paintings from the late 16th century, with motifs from the engravings of the de Bry brothers, visited with a guide.

Founded

2012

Operated by

Ośrodek „Brama Grodzka – Teatr NN”

Admission & discounts

The prices given are for tours in Polish. Free admission is granted, among others, to holders of the Karta Rodzina 3+. Tickets can be bought online or at the Information Centre of the Centre at ul. Grodzka 21. Subscription tickets for four places, managed by the Centre, are also available.

Accessibility

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

Steps without a handrail lead to the entrance (10 steps outside and another 4 beyond the door), and the building has no ramp, lift or toilet; there is no alternative entrance. The paving around the building is uneven granite cobblestone. The room with the paintings is slightly lower, and a threshold 9 cm high separates it. Blind visitors may use tactile graphics reproducing the polychromy and audio description; visits with a guide dog are possible. A tour with interpretation into Polish Sign Language and subtitles is available. There is no induction loop.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The visitors' entrance is in the tenement house at Rynek 8, in the Old Town; the surface is granite cobblestone.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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