Stained Glass Museum and Workshop

Krakow Wiki

8 years ago

Stained Glass Museum and Workshop continues the traditions of the S. G. Zelenski Stained Glass Company, established in 1902. It combines an active stained glass workshop with a “living museum”.

Entrance to the Stained Glass Museum Krakow

The workshop draws on the experience of the Zelenski Company and is the oldest such establishment operating continuously in Poland. It is also located in the same building as the original workshop, constructed specifically for its needs. The building was erected in 1906 on today’s Krasinski alley, then at the outskirts of Krakow. It was designed in such a way to perfectly meet the needs of the stained glass workshop. Hence the large windows and high ceilings, as well as a special basement room to accommodate a kiln used to burn finished objects. The original interior and equipment has been luckily preserved in an excellent condition and can be admired by visitors.

Stained Glass in Krakow

Only in Krakow, more than 200 stained glass windows were realised by the Zelenski Company, including those at the Wawel Castle or in the Franciscan Church. The most revered Polish artists of the Art Nouveau period (Mloda Polska in Polish) had worked and collaborated with the workshop. Projects of Stanislaw Wyspianski, Jozef Mehoffer, Stanislaw Matejko (nephew of Jan Matejko) are considered to be of the top artistic quality. Many of the stained glass windows created in the workshop were recognised on exhibitions across Europe, including Jozef Mehoffer’s 1925 Grand Prix on the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris for his project of stained glass windows for the Wawel Cathedral.

Today’s workshop is also acknowledged as one of the best in Poland and in Europe, creating modern and original stained glass objects, as well as realizes old projects that did not have a chance to be finished.

Stained Glass Museum

The museum gives an opportunity to not only see the original projects of the Polish Art Nouveau period masters but also to witness how stained glass window come to life. Visitors receive a comprehensive history of the Zelenski Company and its today’s successors.

Inside the Stained Glass Museum and Workshop

The story of stained glass windows and projects realised in the workshop is complemented with the presentation of the actual stained glass making process. Finally, visitors have a chance to admire original projects from the beginning of the 20th century and to see several finished stained glass windows that for various reasons did not reach their final destination.

A visit is always conducted by a guide who leads visitors through original workshop rooms. Each tour takes approximately about 45 minutes. Tours in Polish start hourly at half past (1:30 p.m., 2:3o p.m., etc), and tours in English begin at the full hour.