Kraków's oldest museum and maybe its most underrated. This magnificent and historic exhibition inside the Cloth Hall covers Polish art from in and around the 19th century, and its major trends of portraiture and epic historical painting. Comprising just four rooms, the museum is refreshingly small, giving proper attention to each piece, some of which are enormous and all of which are gorgeously framed. Almost everything by Jan Matejko here is rightly considered a national treasure, and the collection also includes works by Jacek Malczewski, Józef Chełmoński and Stanisław Witkiewicz, as well as Władysław Podkowiński's famous 'Frenzy of Exultations' from 1894. Like a small slice of the Louvre in Kraków, but without the crowds, one of the perks of a visit is access to the magnificent balcony overlooking the market square. For the best visiting experience, we recommend the audioguide (7/5zł, available in English, Polish, German, Russian, French), which provides valuable context and information about the most important works in the collection.
Average visiting time: 40mins.
