In 1834, the technical institute took the place of the Technical School, which was established thanks to the support of the Szczepan Humbert Foundation. Initially, there was a shortage of funds for the maintenance of the Institute, so the Saint Barbara Secondary School was closed, and its finances were allocated to the Institute. At that time, there was only one high school left in Kraków, so the Institute’s curriculum was extended to include general education.
The Institute was divided into 5 classes and the following subjects were taught: religion and morality, Polish, German, French, Russian, history, geography, mathematics, architecture, mechanics, physics, chemistry, zoology, mineralogy, botany, farm theory, technology and science commercial. Painting, sculpture, lithography, instrumental music, church singing, carpentry and turner schools were also connected with the Technical Institute.
The Technical Institute fostered the development of technical sciences in Krakow, thanks to which the AGH University of Science and Technology was established after many years.