Historical Museum of the City of Krakow Tours and Activities

With 14 outposts scattered across the city, the Historical Museum of the City of Krakow is headquartered at Krzysztofory Palace in the Old Town’s central square of Rynek Główny. This glorious 17th-century Baroque townhouse and its ornate stucco decor has been refurbished, and now houses a permanent exhibition on the urban development of the city. Look out for the portraits of civic leaders and a famous collection of traditional Krakovian Christmas cribs (calledszopki in Polish). Another recent addition is the museum store full of beautiful coffee-table books and textiles.

Branches of the museum include the interactive displays of the Rynek Underground (Podziemia Rynku), also in the Rynek Główny; the Oskar Schindler Factory; the Barbican; the Old Synagogue in Ulica Szeroka and the Communist-built suburban town of Nowa Huta. There are several themed cycling trails— bikes can be borrowed from the museums—and walking routes uniting the venues across the city; the most popular of these is the Memory Trail, which incorporates the Schindler Factory, Eagle Pharmacy and the former Gestapo headquarters in Pomorska Street. Together these three permanent exhibitions unfold the story of Krakow during World War II and the subsequent Soviet Occupation.

Explore the museum on a two-hour guided tour of Oskar Schindler's Factory Museum or visit multiple branches at your leisure with a two-day hop on, hop off bus tour including museum admission.