Krzysztofory Palace, at Rynek Główny 35 on the north side of Kraków’s Main Market Square, is the headquarters of the Museum of Kraków, which was known until 2019 as the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków. Visitors come here for the city’s own story, told inside one of the square’s grandest aristocratic residences.
The palace grew out of several medieval townhouses. In the 17th century it was rebuilt as an early Baroque residence, and its arcaded courtyard survives from that period. Upstairs, the Fontana Hall preserves elaborate stucco ceilings by Baldassare Fontana from around 1700. The permanent exhibition “Cracovia 1000+” traces a millennium of city life through guild objects, civic regalia and multimedia displays. In winter, the museum shows prize-winning szopki, the glittering Christmas cribs that are a craft unique to Kraków. Note that the museum’s well-known Nazi occupation and Jewish heritage exhibits are not in this building. They are at its other branches: Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory in Zabłocie and the Old Synagogue in Kazimierz.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
Plan on 60 to 90 minutes. Weekday mornings are the quietest time to visit. Summer afternoons draw the heaviest crowds on the square. Opening hours and free-admission days change seasonally, so check the Museum of Kraków website before you go. Book Schindler’s Factory online in advance, because timed tickets often sell out. Krzysztofory is a short walk from St. Mary’s Basilica, the Cloth Hall and the Rynek Underground, another branch of the same museum.
