The Palace on Kanonicza street was erected in 1505 as a great manor house, which was considered to be the most impressive on that street. It was the foundation of Erazm Ciolek, prominent figure of the early-16th-century Krakow. He was a respected Polish diplomat, writer, and patron of artists. In 1494 he

Jozef Mehoffer Jozef Mehoffer was a Polish painter, one of the leading artists of the Young Poland movement (Art Nouveau in Poland) and one of the most revered Polish artists of his time. He was born in 1869 into a polonised family of Austrian high officials. He studied painting at the Academy of

Feliks Jasienski Szolayski House is a branch of the National Museum in Krakow. It is dedicated to Feliks Jasienski, an art critic, art collector and a notable figure in the history of Krakow. ‘Szolayski’ refers to the name of a prominent bourgeois family who owned this building at the beginning

Jan Matejko Jan Matejko was born in 1838 in Krakow into a mixed family with Polish, German and Czech roots. He was one of eleven children. His mother died, when he was only seven years old, and his father was strict and cold-hearted, so the Matejko family house was not a happy

Jozef Czapski Jozef Czapski was a Polish writer, painter and art critic, as well as an officer of the Polish Army. He was born in 1896 into an aristocratic family, Hutten-Czapski. He inherited the title ‘count’ (Polish hrabia) of the Hutten family but was not using it. Jozef Czapski spent most

Gallery of the 19th-century Polish Art in the Cloth Hall opened in 1884. Its opening was initiated by Polish artists who donated their works to the city of Krakow. In 1879 Polish painter, Henryk Siemiradzki, decided to gift his painting, Nero’s Torches, to the city council. The next day, 39 artists

The majestic building in the centre of Krakow’s Main Square – Cloth Hall (Sukiennice in Polish), has stood there for almost seven centuries. It has now become one of the city’s best landmarks. The Cloth Hall has been the heart of the trade in Krakow from city’s very beginning. For centuries it

Stanislaw Wyspianski was a Polish dramatist, poet, and painter. He created within the philosophy of Young Poland. It was an art movement at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries that focused on decadence, symbolism and impressionism. This period is also associated with Bohemianism. The Young Poland Movement relates mostly to Polish

Leonardo da Vinci paintings are amongst the most valuable and admired in the world. The artist himself was a real Renaissance man, extraordinarily talented in many subjects. All of his work, either paintings or else, are considered excellent examples of technique and vision. Lady with an Ermine is Leonardo da Vinci’s

Wawel Castle is located on Wawel Hill in Krakow, ancient capital of Poland. Wawel Castle had been the residence of Polish kings for centuries and a site of most important events in Polish history. It is considered to be the symbol of Polish statehood. The Wawel Castle is also one