Art Museum
National Museum in Kraków
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
National Museum in Kraków is an art museum in Kraków, Poland. 1,686 works from its collection are in this catalog, including Lorenzo Lotto and Joos van Cleve.
About National Museum in Kraków
The National Museum in Kraków (Polish: Muzeum Narodowe w Krakowie), popularly abbreviated as MNK, is the largest museum in Poland. Established in 1879, the museum consists of 21 departments which are divided by art period: 11 galleries, 2 libraries, and 12 conservation workshops. It holds some 780,000 art objects, from classical archeology to modern art, with special focus on Polish painting. In 2023, the museum was visited by over 1.85 million people, making it the third most-visited art museum in Poland and the 38th most-visited art museum in the world.
Overview & Identity
The National Museum in Kraków (Polish: Muzeum Narodowe w Krakowie, abbreviated MNK) is Poland's oldest institution bearing the national designation and the largest museum in the country. Established on October 7, 1879, by the Kraków City Council, it was the first such museum on Polish soil, created during the period of foreign partitions to serve as a guardian of national culture. The institution operates as a complex network comprising 21 departments distributed across 11 branches in Kraków and one branch in Zakopane, holding a collection of nearly 780,000 objects that span Polish and European art, decorative arts, and historical memorabilia.
History & Founding
The museum's establishment was driven by patriotic imperatives in Galicia, where Kraków served as a hub for Polish national identity. The idea was championed by intellectuals and city leaders, including Mayor Józef Dietl, before his death in 1878. The institution officially opened in the first-floor galleries of the renovated Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) on the Main Market Square, with painter and art historian Władysław Łuszczkiewicz serving as the inaugural director.
The founding collection was inaugurated with the donation of Henryk Siemiradzki's monumental canvas 'Nero's Torches' (1876), presented on the founding date. Early acquisitions included Jan Matejko's 'Prussian Homage' (1882), which became a symbol of Polish sovereignty.
Building & Architecture
The museum's main edifice, known as the 'New Gmach', is located at Aleja 3 Maja 1. Construction on this modern building began in 1934 under the direction of architects Bolesław Schmidt, Czesław Boratyński, and Edward Kreisler. The project was designed to symbolize cultural progress and accommodate the expanding collections but was constructed intermittently, facing interruptions due to World War II and subsequent political changes, with completion extending to 1989.
The building houses the newly renovated upper Gallery of the Twentieth Century Polish Art, one of the largest galleries of painting and sculpture from the late 19th century onwards in Poland. The museum also utilizes the historic Sukiennice and the Arsenal building for specific collections.
Collection Highlights & Notable Holdings
The museum's holdings include over 780,000 objects, with a significant portion (over 300,000 items) originating from the incorporated Princes Czartoryski collection. Among its most famous treasures is Leonardo da Vinci's 'Lady with an Ermine' (c. 1489–1490), alongside works by Rembrandt and Raphael. The collection of Polish art features masterpieces by Jan Matejko and Stanisław Wyspiański.
The Arsenal building contains a vast display of militaria ranging from the 12th to the 20th century, including Polish armor from the 16th and 17th centuries. The Decorative Arts and Crafts Gallery exhibits gold, silver, and precious stone artifacts, as well as one of Poland's largest collections of Polish and Oriental antique rugs and carpets.
Significance & Legacy
As the first national museum in Polish territories, the National Museum in Kraków played a critical role in preserving Polish cultural heritage during the partitions and through the turbulent 20th century. It functioned as the only large-scale public museum in Polish lands until the restoration of independence in 1918. The institution has survived Nazi looting and systematic destruction during World War II, with significant recovery efforts undertaken post-war.
Today, it stands as a premier repository of cultural heritage, maintaining 11 permanent galleries, two libraries, and 12 conservation workshops, while continuing to expand through modernization projects such as the renovation of the Czartoryski Library branch.
What to see at National Museum in Kraków
Start with Prussian Homage by Jan Matejko.
See all highlights at National Museum in Kraków →National Museum in Kraków by the numbers
- Founded
- 1879
- Visitors / year
- 679,729
Works from National Museum in Kraków
Prussian Homage
Coronation of Mary and Saints
Adoration of the Magi
Adoration of the Magi
The Adoration of the Magi
On the Farm
Battle of Kalisz
Adoration of the Magi
Judith with the Head of Holofernes
Shepherd
Battle of Raclawice
Frenzy of Exultations
Self-Portrait with Apron and Brushes
Portrait of Stanisław Witkiewicz with Wojciech Roj
Road at Bronowice
Madonna and Children
Painter's inspiration
Portrait of Erazm Barącz
Portrait of Zdzisław Morawski
Pejzaż ze stawem
Noc gwiaździsta
Morning Star
Breton Woman (Version II)
Self-Portrait
The Holy Family
The Holy Family
Madonna and Child
Rivulet in a Valley
Self-Portrait
Studio in Munich
Madonna with Child
Self-Portrait
Portret Stanisława Tomkowicza
Madonna and Child with Saints Sebastian, Paul and Martha (Acceptance of Saint Sebastian Into the Group of Holy Martyrs)
Forest Truck
Spring Mist
Plan your visit
National Museum in Kraków
- Website
- mnk.pl
Museums near National Museum in Kraków
- Castle Wawel Castle Kraków, Poland
- Art Museum National Museum in Warsaw Śródmieście, Poland
- Asia and Pacific Museum Warsaw, Poland
- Art Museum Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest Zugló, Hungary
- Art Museum Hungarian National Gallery Budapest District I, Hungary
- Art Museum Liechtenstein Museum Vienna, Austria
What's on
Young Poland Group of five. The Forgotten Rebels
13 Feb 2026 – 5 Jul 2026
The Group of Five exhibition is the first show in the history of museology dedicated to the activity of this Young Poland group, which existed for less than two and a half years…
At the piano. Part II
24 Feb 2026 – 30 Sep 2026
“Atma”, a venue associated with the composer Karol Szymanowski, a space steeped in music and regularly filled with its sounds, provides an excellent “backdrop” for magnificent…
Landscape of the Polish Soul – an exhibition at the Presidential Palace
6 Mar 2026 – 31 Jan 2027
“Landscape of the Polish Soul” is an exhibition that forms part of a tradition, now spanning more than a decade, of presenting Polish art within the Presidential Palace of the…
Szapocznikow. Personal
20 Mar 2026 – 23 Aug 2026
The brutal forms of Alina Szapocznikow’s works – jagged, deformed figures – and the naturalism of her polyester casts are characterised by a powerful expressiveness. However, the…
Clothes really do make the man!
24 Mar 2026 – 6 Sep 2026
Clothing not only adorns, but also defines a person’s position in society – regardless of what moralists may say, the desire to make one’s attire more attractive and distinctive,…
Hokusai. An exhibition at the Palazzo Bonaparte in Rome
27 Mar 2026 – 29 Jun 2026
Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) is one of the most important artists of Japanese woodblock printing from the Edo period (1603–1868). His works depict a world captured in motion and…
Gothic in the Carpathians
10 Apr 2026 – 9 Aug 2026
The exhibition presents new discoveries resulting from ongoing conservation work and field research, and provides an opportunity to visually verify attributions made long ago. We…
Precious, most precious. Works from the Princes Czartoryski Library
14 Apr 2026 – 25 Oct 2026
The impressive collection of the Princes Czartoryski Library is part of Polish national and European heritage. Started by Adam Kazimierz and Izabela Czartoryski in the 18th…
Collection – Motivations. Gifts for the Numismatic Department from 2016 to 2026
12 May 2026 – 6 Sep 2026
It is now ten years since the exhibition entitled ‘Collection Evolution’ was held at the MNK Czapski, showcasing the donations received by the Numismatic Cabinet between 2000 and…
Satire and comics by Jan Matejko
15 May 2026 – 31 Jan 2027
The Jan Matejko House Museum was established in the family home of Jan Matejko (1838–1893), the most eminent Polish representative of the historical painting movement, collector,…
Roots and Sky. The Polish Chapter in the Collection of the Kyiv National Art Gallery
12 Jun 2026 – 18 Oct 2026
From May 15th, audiences in Poland will, for the first time, have the opportunity to view works from the collection of the Kyiv National Art Gallery, one of Ukraine’s most…
“Moda polska” Polish fashion state enterprise in the collection of the National Museum in Krakow
19 Jun 2026 – 13 Jun 2027
At another exhibition of the achievements of “Polish Fashion” [Moda Polska], the National Museum in Kraków presents a selection of garments from three outstanding designers:…
Vincent van Gogh: ‘Country Cottages Among the Trees’
29 Jan 2026 – 31 Dec 2026
At the European Art Gallery of the National Museum in Kraków, we are exhibiting the only painting by Vincent van Gogh in Polish public collections, entitled Country Cottages Among…