Rynek Underground

The Rynek Underground is one of the more unusual museums in Central Europe: an archaeological site that lies directly beneath the Main Market Square and the Cloth Hall. Excavations under the square revealed layers of the medieval city, and rather than covering them again, the Museum of Kraków turned the area into a permanent exhibition. Work on the museum began in 2009 and it opened in September 2010, covering roughly 4,000 square metres below the pavement.

The main exhibition, In the Footsteps of Kraków's European Identity, follows the city's growth as a trading centre. You walk on glass and steel paths above the original remains, which include the traces of 11th-century settlements destroyed by fire, a reconstructed 12th-century workshop, old water channels and a reconstructed merchant's stall. Holograms, mist screens and projections bring the medieval town back to life, while a map of long-distance trade routes explains how goods arrived in Kraków. Among the objects on display is a medieval lead ingot weighing 693 kilograms, a reminder of how valuable the metals trade was to the city.

This is a museum that works well for families and for anyone who finds conventional museums heavy going, because the displays are atmospheric and the route has a clear story. Allow around ninety minutes. Last entry is 75 minutes before closing, so do not leave it too late in the day.

Opening hours are unusual. The museum opens at 10:00 every day, closing at 19:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, at 15:00 on Tuesdays and at 20:00 from Friday to Sunday. It is closed on the second Monday of each month and on a number of other dates announced on the Museum of Kraków website. Tuesday is a free-admission day, but free tickets are limited, can only be collected at the box office on the day and cannot be booked in advance, with up to five per person. On other days you can buy or book tickets online through the museum's site, which is sensible in summer and at weekends.

The entrance is on the Main Market Square at the Cloth Hall, so the visit fits neatly between St Mary's Basilica and the Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art upstairs.