Attraction
Wawel Royal Castle
The hilltop residence of Polish kings beside the Vistula, now a museum of state rooms, royal apartments, the Crown Treasury and seasonal gardens.
Czartoryski Museum
The Old Town museum of the Princes Czartoryski collection, home to Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine and a Rembrandt landscape, reopened in 2019.
At a glance
- Type
- Art museum
- Area
- Old Town, Kraków, Poland
- Official site
- mnk.pl
Good to know
- Lady with an Ermine
- Free entry on Tuesdays
- Accessibility information online
Why we recommend it
The Czartoryski Museum is one of the oldest museums in Poland and the home of the country's most famous painting. Its collection began in 1796, when Princess Izabela Czartoryska started gathering national memorabilia and works of art at the family estate in Puławy, and the museum opened in Kraków in 1878. After a long closure for restoration from 2010, it reopened on 19 December 2019. In 2016 the collection and buildings passed from the Princes Czartoryski Foundation to the Polish state, and the museum is now run as a branch of the National Museum in Kraków.
The star is Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine, painted around 1490 and bought in Italy by Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski in 1798. It draws a steady stream of visitors, so arriving early in the day is sensible. The museum also holds two works by Rembrandt, including Landscape with the Good Samaritan, alongside medieval art and painting from northern Europe. The Polish Hall displays memorabilia from the Temple of the Sibyl in Puławy, where the collection began. The museum's history also includes a famous wartime loss: Raphael's Portrait of a Young Man was stolen by the Nazis during the Second World War and its whereabouts remain unknown.
The museum is compact, so most visitors spend an hour to ninety minutes inside. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays, with last admission an hour before closing. Tuesday is a free-admission day for the permanent exhibition, which makes it popular, so expect more people then. On other days a standard and a reduced ticket are available. Check the National Museum website before visiting, as it publishes accessibility information and any changes to opening times.
Art lovers will want to make this a priority, but the museum also suits visitors with limited time who want to see one celebrated painting without a long gallery trek.
The museum is on Pijarska Street in the north of the Old Town, close to St Florian's Gate and the Barbican and a few minutes' walk from the Main Market Square along Floriańska Street. The Planty park ring is close by, so it is easy to continue on foot around the line of the old city walls.
Czartoryski Museum FAQs
Is Lady with an Ermine at the Czartoryski Museum?
Yes. Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine, painted around 1490, is the museum's best-known work.
When is the museum open?
Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Mondays, with last admission one hour before closing.
Is there a free day?
Yes. Admission to the permanent exhibition is free on Tuesdays.
When did the museum reopen?
It reopened on 19 December 2019 after restoration work that began in 2010.
What else is in the collection?
Two works by Rembrandt, including Landscape with the Good Samaritan, medieval art, northern European painting and memorabilia from the Temple of the Sibyl in Puławy.
How long should I allow?
An hour to ninety minutes is enough for most visitors.
Who runs the museum?
It is a branch of the National Museum in Kraków.
Where is it?
On ul. Pijarska 15, near St Florian's Gate in the north of the Old Town.