Description with audio description elements
History and collections
The building, designed by Bolesław Szmidt, Czesław Boratyński and Edward Kreisler, was constructed intermittently between 1934 and 1989.
The Main Building houses two permanent galleries: the Gallery of Artistic Crafts and the Gallery of 20th and 21st Century Polish Art, which provides an overview of the artistic phenomena and trends that have emerged in Poland over the last 120 years. Temporary exhibitions are also organised in the building.
The Main Building of the National Museum in Kraków houses, amongst others, the Museum’s management and administration. In the temporary exhibition rooms of the Main Building – in accordance with the Museum’s mission – temporary exhibitions are organised, presenting works from its own collections as well as those on loan from other institutions and owned by private collectors.
The National Museum’s library, located within the building, houses a constantly updated specialist collection of books on art history and museology. The Main Building also houses an audiovisual room, known as “U Samurajów” (At the Samurai’s), as it was established thanks to a grant from the Japanese government. It is equipped with multimedia projection facilities and three interpreting booths. Lectures, conferences and symposia are held here, as well as film screenings and concerts.
Description of the space
For blind and visually impaired visitors
Entrance, Ticket Offices, Lift
To enter the building, you must climb ten steps and walk two metres straight ahead towards a heavy wooden door that opens outwards. Two metres from the entrance is another wooden door that opens inwards. The ticket offices are located to the right and left of the door. To reach the lift, walk three metres straight ahead, then climb four steps, walk four metres straight ahead, turn right and walk another four metres straight ahead. The lift call buttons are located on the right-hand side of the lift. The buttons inside the lift are on a panel situated on the right-hand side. The lift goes to the first floor to the Gallery of Arts and Crafts and to the second floor to the Gallery of 20th and 21st Century Polish Art.
Shop, Café, Cloakroom
To reach the museum shop, turn ninety degrees and walk ten metres straight ahead.
To get to the café, turn right, walk four metres straight ahead, turn left and walk seven metres straight ahead.
To get to the cloakroom, turn right, walk four metres straight ahead, turn left, walk two metres straight ahead.
Then turn right, go down eight steps, turn left, go down two steps, turn left, go down ten steps, turn left, walk fifteen metres straight ahead, turn right, and walk two metres straight ahead.
To go to the toilet, turn right, walk four metres straight ahead, turn left, walk five metres straight ahead, turn right and walk two metres towards the wooden door.
Toilet on the ground floor
The toilet door opens outwards. The light switch is on the left-hand side at a height of 130 centimetres.
Two metres straight ahead from the entrance, on the right-hand side, is the toilet. Toilet paper is on the left-hand side of the toilet. The flush is located on the cistern. One metre to the left of the toilet is a washbasin, and opposite it is a nappy-changing table. Soap and a paper towel dispenser are on the left-hand side of the washbasin. A push-button hand dryer is on the right-hand side of the washbasin. One metre to the right of the washbasin is a waste bin.
Toilet on the 2nd floor
The toilet door opens outwards. The light switch is on the left-hand side at the bend in the wall, half a metre from the entrance at a height of 120 centimetres. There is a bin underneath it.
The toilet is situated one and a half metres directly opposite the entrance. Toilet paper is on a long shelf located to its left. A waste bin is situated beneath the shelf. The flush is situated above the toilet and is built into the wall. The emergency pull cord is on the right-hand side of the toilet. To the left of the toilet, just behind the shelf, is a washbasin. To the right of the washbasin is a paper towel dispenser, and to the left is a soap dispenser. A hand dryer is mounted on the wall to the left of the washbasin.
History and Collections
In the 19th century, the Cloth Hall served as a trading centre and a venue for official functions. It hosted ceremonies and municipal balls. The building also gained symbolic significance, becoming a place of great importance for national culture. In 1879, the Cloth Hall was chosen as the seat of the newly established museum. The gallery of 19th-century Polish painting and sculpture arranged there over time became one of the most famous museum collections in Poland.
It is one of the largest permanent exhibitions of 19th-century painting and sculpture in Poland and the first home of the National Museum in Kraków.
The monumental historic interiors showcase the work of artists associated with the movements of Romanticism, Academicism, Realism, Polish Impressionism and early Symbolism.
The gallery has been rebuilt many times. In the mid-16th century in the Renaissance style, and in the 19th century in the Neo-Gothic and Neo-Renaissance styles.
Description of the space
For blind and visually impaired visitors
Entrance
The building’s doors open inwards. The ticket office is 3 metres straight ahead of the entrance. To the right of the ticket office, 3 metres away, is the museum shop. To the left of the ticket office, 3 metres away, are glass doors opening outwards leading to the lift.
Lift
The lift is located 2 metres directly opposite the glass doors. The lift call buttons are on its right-hand side. The buttons inside the lift are on a panel situated on the right-hand side. The lift goes to Floor 1 (Cloakroom) and Floor 2 (Exhibition). To exit the lift, turn 180 degrees. To go to the cloakroom, walk straight ahead for 2 metres after exiting the lift to the glass doors opening outwards. To go to the exhibition area, walk straight ahead for 7 metres after exiting the lift, turn right and walk straight ahead for 3 metres to the glass doors opening outwards. To go to the toilet, get out of the lift on floor 1
Toilet
To reach the toilet, get out of the lift on floor 1, then turn right and walk 1.5 metres towards the staircase. The staircase is a right-hand spiral. After climbing 15 steps, turn left, walk 5 metres straight ahead past the café, then go down 3 steps or use the ramp on the left-hand side of the stairs, walk 2 metres straight ahead and turn right towards the wooden door that opens outwards.
The toilet door opens outwards. The light switch is on the wall to the right before the entrance to the room, at a height of 120 cm.
To the left of the entrance is a vertical radiator, with a washbasin behind it. To the left above the washbasin is a soap dispenser. The hand dryer is located on the wall to the right of the washbasin.
Directly opposite the entrance, slightly to the right, 2 metres away, is the toilet. Toilet paper is located to the right of the toilet. The flush is situated above the toilet and is built into the wall. To the right of the entrance is a nappy-changing table, with a waste bin underneath.
Toilet for people using electric wheelchairs
In the 19th-Century Polish Art Gallery, behind the painting ‘Nero’s Torches’, there is a toilet for people who have difficulty accessing the toilet on Level 1. Museum staff will show the way and make the toilet available on request to visitors with disabilities.
Description with audio description
History and collections
The Czartoryski Museum was the first private museum open to the public in Poland. It was founded in 1801 in Puławy by Princess Izabela Czartoryska (née Fleming) (1746–1835), who placed above the gates of the museum building, the Temple of Sybil, the motto “THE FUTURE OF THE FUTURE”, which defined the mission and purpose of the newly founded institution: to preserve and pass on to future generations of a free Poland the “national collection”.
During the Second World War, the collection suffered severe damage, and many of the works looted by the Germans (including Raphael’s Portrait of a Young Man) have not been found to this day. In 1950, the Czartoryski family’s collection was entrusted to the National Museum in Kraków, which established the ‘Czartoryski Collection’ department.
It is the most valuable collection in Poland and one of the most valuable in Europe. Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine or Rembrandt van Rijn’s Landscape with the Good Samaritan, as well as many other masterpieces of art and a collection of national artefacts, can be viewed in 26 exhibition rooms spread over two floors.
Description of the space
For blind and visually impaired visitors
Entrance
Heavy wooden doors open inwards. Four metres from the entrance, there is another set of doors, this time made of glass, which open outwards. The building is equipped with tactile paving and guide strips to aid navigation. To reach the ticket office, walk three metres straight ahead from the glass doors, turn left and walk four metres straight ahead to the ticket counter.
To reach the cloakroom, walk seven metres straight ahead from the glass doors, turn right and walk five metres straight ahead. The lockers are operated via a touch panel. Museum staff will assist you with the operation.
Cloakroom, Ticket Office, Shop
To go to the shop, turn right, walk five metres straight ahead, turn right and walk ten metres straight ahead. The ticket office is on the right-hand side.
To get to the café, turn right and walk fifteen metres straight ahead. The café area has wooden tables and chairs. The ticket office is behind them, on the right-hand side, eight metres away.
To get to the lift, turn left, walk two metres straight ahead, turn left and walk seven metres straight ahead to the gates.
Museum staff will help you through the turnstiles. Then walk three metres straight ahead. The lift is on the left and the staircase on the right. The lift call buttons are on the right-hand side of the lift. The buttons inside the lift are on the panel on the right-hand side.
To go to the toilet, walk fifteen metres straight ahead, turn right towards the double glass doors, then walk ten metres straight ahead and turn right towards the door.
Toilet
The wooden toilet door opens outwards, and the light switches on automatically. On the left-hand side, on the wall with the door, half a metre away, there is a coat hook, behind which is a paper towel dispenser, and beneath that a cupboard. On the left-hand wall of the room is a washbasin. To the right of it is a soap dispenser, and to the left a pull cord for calling for assistance. The toilet is to the right of the washbasin, with toilet paper on the railing to its right. The flush is situated above the toilet and is built into the wall. Directly opposite the entrance, two metres away, is a nappy-changing table. To the right of the entrance is a hand dryer, with a bin behind it. The Czartoryski Museum can also be visited virtually – as part of online tours, you can view selected rooms of the permanent exhibition and expand your knowledge of the Czartoryski collection, including via an audio description. We showcase works of art such as Rembrandt’s Landscape with the Good Samaritan, Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine, as well as national treasures, including those displayed in the showcase containing the Royal Casket.
Description with audio description elements
History and collections
The Czartoryski Library’s collection comprises over 231,000 volumes. The collection contains extremely valuable old prints, including 16th-century works on Poland – amongst them a work by Maciej Miechowita, published in Kraków, which was the first printed history of Poland. Due to the fact that it contained harsh criticism of the Jagiellonian dynasty, this work was not widely circulated – the copy in the Library is one of only three extant copies.
From the very beginning, the Czartoryski Princes’ collecting interests included medieval and early modern illuminated manuscripts.
The Czartoryski Library’s Archive and Manuscript Collection also comprises over 14,000 manuscripts dating from the Middle Ages to the present day. It contains parchment documents from the 12th to the 19th century of national significance, including the Jedlne Privilege (1430), the Koszyce Privilege (1374), the Union of Horodło (1413) and the Prussian Homage document (1525), as well as important family documents, including the conferral of the ducal title on the Czartoryski family in 1442 and the diploma of honorary citizenship of the city of Kraków awarded to Władysław Czartoryski (1880).
Rules for accessing the collections
The library collections are intended for academic and research purposes.
Academic staff and students are entitled to use the collections. Other readers may access the special collections only in exceptional cases, subject to the approval of the Library Manager.
Readers with special needs may seek assistance from the MNK Accessibility Section in using the Library’s resources, including a Polish Sign Language interpreter. Email contact: dostepnosc@mnk.pl, telephone 609 430 129.
Students wishing to use the special collections – manuscripts and particularly valuable early printed books (incunabula, curiosities) – are also required to present a letter of recommendation from their university specifying the subject of their research and to obtain the Library Manager’s consent for access to the collections.
All readers are registered in the reading room after consenting to the processing of personal data and completing the Reader Questionnaire.
When registering for the Reading Room, you must present an identity card or passport, and in the case of students, additionally a student record book or student ID card.
Every reader using the collections receives a Reader’s Card, which they
are required to present at the request of librarians or the security staff on duty. The Reader’s Card is valid for the calendar year in which it was
issued. After this period, it may be renewed.
Use of the Library’s collections is free of charge, although there is a fee for issuing a Reader’s Card, reprographic services and reproduction rights.
The Library does not obtain works from other institutions, nor does it make its collections available through interlibrary loans. The exception is the loan of microfilms of manuscripts and printed works.
It is possible to request items in advance. To do so, please complete the request form, print it, sign it, scan it and then send the scan to bczart@mnk.pl.
Requests are processed at 9.00 am, 11.00 am and 1.00 pm (Monday to Friday). Non-local readers are entitled to the first request outside these designated times (but no later than 1.00 pm). On Saturdays, only items ordered by 1.00 pm on Friday may be accessed.
Microfilmed items and those with digital copies are not made available in their original form. Readers may take photographs of items free of charge using their own digital camera (without a tripod or flash). Photographs may only be used for research purposes.
To obtain permission to use photographs for publication, please contact the Sales Section (aralska@mnk.pl). Readers may place an order for photographs to be taken (or made available from the digital archive) by the MNK Photography Studio. Orders should be placed with the Sales Section (aralska@mnk.pl)
Description with audio description elements
History and collections
The history of the Czartoryski Museum in Kraków began in 1874 at the Municipal Arsenal, initiated by Prince Władysław Czartoryski. At that time, the building, together with the Stolarska and Ciesielska towers, was transferred for museum purposes, which continue to this day.
Between 2014 and 2016, thanks to grants from the National Fund for the Restoration of Kraków’s Monuments and the Municipality of Kraków, conservation work was carried out on the external façades of the Arsenal building and the towers. Since 2017, a comprehensive refurbishment of the Arsenal has been carried out by the National Museum in Kraków. As part of the works, the historic roof covering was restored, the interiors were conservatorially renovated, and the rooms were prepared to resume their museum functions. The works were co-financed by the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport, and co-funded by the National Fund for the Restoration of Kraków’s Monuments.
The Arsenal is part of the Czartoryski Museum – a branch of the National Museum in Kraków. The aim of the permanent exhibition of ancient art, located on the first floor of the Arsenal, is to present a comprehensive picture of the art of ancient cultures. The core of the exhibition is a collection acquired by Prince Władysław Czartoryski in the second To complement the main exhibition of ancient art, visitors can view two exhibitions in the rooms of the towers adjacent to the Arsenal building: a selection of Greek and Roman coins, and a collection of objects from Poland from Prince Władysław Czartoryski’s prehistoric collection
Description of the space
For blind and visually impaired people
Entrance
The pavement in front of the entrance is laid with cobblestones. A heavy steel door, opening inwards, leads into the building. The building is equipped with tactile paving and guide strips to aid navigation.
The ticket offices are located directly opposite the entrance. To reach them, you must walk straight along a 10-metre ramp. To the right of the ramp is a wheelchair ramp. At the end of the ramp are glass doors that open outwards. The ticket offices are situated 3 metres directly opposite the entrance. To reach the lift, stand in front of the ticket office, turn left, then walk 7 metres straight ahead and turn left again. The lift call buttons are on the right-hand side of the lift. The buttons inside the lift are on a panel on the left-hand side. The lift leads
Cloakroom
To get to the cloakroom, walk 1 metre straight ahead when you exit the lift, then turn left and walk 5 metres straight ahead to the glass doors that open outwards. The cloakroom contains lockers and 2 clothing cubicles.
Toilet
To get to the toilet, walk 2 metres straight ahead after exiting the lift, turn right, walk 1 metre; on the left-hand side there is a wooden door that opens outwards. Then walk 2 metres straight ahead and turn left. The toilet door opens outwards. The light switch is located on the corner of the wall on the left-hand side before the entrance to the room, at a height of 120 cm.
On the left-hand side of the room, on the wall with the door, there is a paper towel dispenser, with a bin underneath. On the wall to the left of the entrance there is a nappy-changing table, and further to the right is the toilet. Toilet paper is located to the right of the toilet. 5 cm to the right of the toilet paper is a pull cord for calling for assistance. The cistern is situated above the toilet and is built into the wall. Directly opposite the entrance, slightly to the right, there is a washbasin. Soap is located to the right of the washbasin. An automatic hand dryer is located on the right-hand wall of the room.
Description with audio description elements
Czapski Palace
History and collections
This is the oldest and largest branch of the National Museum in Kraków. It is housed in the 19th-century Czapski Palace, built in the Tuscan style, which is home to the world’s most important exhibition on the history of coinage and medallic art.
The first branch of the National Museum in Kraków was established in 1903 in the Czapski Palace. It was a municipal building purchased by Emeryk Hutten-Czapski (1828–1896), whose outstanding collection of Polish coins and medals, national artefacts and works of artistic craftsmanship, as well as his extensive library, were bequeathed, together with the museum pavilion, to the Municipality of Kraków a few years after his death. The City Council, in turn, entrusted them to the care of the National Museum in Kraków. Thus, the wishes of the deceased were fulfilled; in accordance with the motto inscribed on the façade of the pavilion, he had dedicated this building to “Monumentis Patriae naufragio ereptis” (“To the national relics saved from destruction”).
Description of the space
For blind and visually impaired visitors
Entrance and ticket office
The entrance involves climbing 4 steps, then turning right and climbing another 2 steps, turning left and climbing 1 step. One and a half metres from the stairs is a wooden door that opens outwards.
Three metres to the right of the entrance door and a further two metres to the left is the ticket office, with the museum shop situated on the right-hand side. Opposite the ticket office is a lift leading to the accessible toilet. The toilet is located on level -1. The panel with the lift call buttons is on the right-hand side of the lift entrance. Upon exiting the lift, turn right, walk 10 metres and turn right again to reach the wooden door to the toilet.
Toilet
The light switch is on the wall to the right at a height of 120 cm. To the left of the entrance is a washbasin. To the right of the washbasin is a soap dispenser. Half a metre to the right of the washbasin is a paper towel dispenser and a waste bin. To the right of the bin, 1 metre away, is the toilet. Toilet paper is located to its right. The cistern is situated above the toilet and is built into the wall. To the right, 1 metre from the toilet, there is a nappy-changing table.
Cloakroom
Currently, the cloakroom is located opposite the main entrance to the Palace, on the left-hand side, 4 metres from the entrance door.
Description with audio description elements
The Józef Czapski Pavilion
History and collections
The Józef Czapski Pavilion is the newest, and at the same time the smallest, building within the complex of the Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum of the National Museum in Kraków. Situated at the rear of the former garden adjoining the Łoziński House, it is dedicated to the grandson of the creator of Poland’s most valuable numismatic collection – an outstanding Polish intellectual, writer, painter and critic.
The idea behind the construction of the Pavilion stems from the will of Józef Czapski, executed in 1994, in which he bequeathed his archives – including priceless diaries, personal mementoes and a book collection – to the National Museum in Kraków, as well as the documents of his sister Maria Czapska (1894–1981) and other members of the Czapski family.
Visitors also have access to a terrace offering a stunning view of the entire Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum and the gardens of the neighbouring townhouses situated within the quarter.
Description of the space
For blind and visually impaired visitors
The route to the Pavilion and the entrance
To reach the Pavilion building, pass the Palace on your left and, 10 metres from the Palace entrance, turn right, walk 5 metres, turn left and walk a further 8 metres. Please note! The glass doors to the building open automatically.
Ticket office and café
The ticket office and café are located on the left, 6 metres from the building entrance. The doors to the ticket office and café open outwards. The ticket counter is on the right, 2 metres from the entrance to the room. Opposite the building entrance, 15 metres away, is the lift. The lift buttons are on the right-hand side. The lift goes to the 1st floor (Exhibition), the 2nd floor (Viewing Terrace) and the -1st floor, where the cloakroom and the accessible toilet are located.
Toilets
The toilets are located on Level -1. You can reach them by lift or by going down the stairs. Upon exiting the lift, turn right and walk about 1 metre straight ahead through the glass doors that open outwards. Then walk 3 metres and turn right. The first door leads to the ladies’ toilets. To the left of the door, on the corridor wall, there is an aluminium guide leading to the accessible toilet.
The toilet door opens outwards and the light switches on automatically. To the left of the entrance is an automatic hand dryer, followed by a paper towel dispenser, and further along in the corner by the wall is a waste bin.
Opposite the entrance is a nappy-changing table, and to the right of the entrance is the toilet. Toilet paper is located to the right of the toilet. 5 cm to the right of the toilet paper is a pull cord for calling for assistance. The flush is situated above the toilet and is built into the wall. On the wall where the toilet paper is located, one metre further on, there is a washbasin. The soap dispenser is to the right of the washbasin and the tap is automatic.
Terrace
The viewing terrace is on the second floor. Upon exiting the lift, turn right and walk about 2 metres to the door. The door to the terrace opens outwards. The terrace is enclosed by a glass railing. The terrace features marble tables and cast-iron chairs. The terrace offers a view of Czapski Palace and the surrounding townhouses.
Description with audio description elements
History and collections
This is the first biographical museum in Kraków, established on the site where Jan Matejko lived and worked. He was the most important Polish painter of the 19th-century Historicism movement, a pioneer in the conservation and protection of historical monuments, and a professor and director of the School of Fine Arts in Kraków. Following his death, the Jan Matejko Society was established, which founded a museum in his honour. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Society transferred it to the management of the National Museum in Kraków. The branch currently houses eight thousand exhibits. These include works representing all phases of the painter’s career, amongst others his early oil studies and compositional sketches for large canvases on historical themes. Valuable collections of drawings on a variety of themes are kept here, as well as numerous design cartoons for the polychromy of St Mary’s Church in Kraków.
The Museum’s collection also includes everyday objects: mementos of the artist and his loved ones, letters to family and friends, and photographs. Here you will find examples of artistic craftsmanship: textiles, clothing and military items that served as props for the artist in his professional work, as well as a book collection comprising early printed books from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century.
Description of the space
For blind and partially sighted visitors
Entrance to the gallery, ticket office and cloakroom
There is a high step leading up in front of the entrance door. The heavy wooden door opens inwards. After two metres, there is another door, made of glass, which opens outwards. To reach the ticket office, walk ten metres straight ahead, turn left and walk about one metre straight ahead.
To reach the cloakroom, turn right whilst standing in front of the ticket office. Note: there is a single step up just behind the ticket office. After taking the step, walk seven metres straight ahead, then turn left, walk two metres straight ahead, turn right and walk fifteen metres straight ahead to the heavy glass double doors leading onto the patio.
Once on the patio, walk two metres straight ahead, then turn right, walk five metres straight ahead and turn left. One and a half metres ahead, there is a wooden door with a low threshold that opens inwards. One and a half metres beyond the door, on the left-hand side, is the cloakroom.
The Matejko National Museum is also a venue for educational and academic activities, as well as intimate music concerts.
Description with audio description elements
History and collections
The world’s only biographical museum dedicated to Karol Szymanowski (1882–1937), Poland’s greatest composer after Fryderyk Chopin, has been open since 1976. It was at ‘Atma’, where he lived and where his museum is now housed, that works such as the folkloric ballet-pantomime *Harnasie*, the *Symphony No. 4*, the *Violin Concerto No. 2* (with its highlander spirit) and the *Litany to the Virgin Mary* were composed. Zakopane became the focus of Szymanowski’s creative journey, where – as he himself revealed – he “found himself”.
The National Museum in Kraków branch displays the artist’s memorabilia.
ATMA is also a venue for chamber music concerts as well as educational and academic activities. During live concerts, visitors can hear interpretations of Karol Szymanowski’s works by outstanding artists from Poland and abroad.
Description of the space and accessibility
The exhibition comprises six rooms and a veranda. Among them, the composer’s study – his workplace – stands out, having been reconstructed on the basis of preserved photographs and descriptions.
The building is accessible to people with mobility impairments. There is a toilet, ramps and wide doors. At present, wheelchair users cannot enter the building unaided. The entrance to the property has a high threshold and a steep, stony path leading down to the building. Museum staff will assist you in reaching the building, provided you notify them in advance: by telephone on +48 018 202-00-40 or by email: atma@mnk.pl
Information for people with visual impairments
Audio description for selected exhibits from the MNK collection on display at the Karol Szymanowski Museum in the ‘Atma’ villa in Zakopane.
AUDIO FILES
The project is being carried out as part of the mission outlined in the document “Museum, People, Future”, which sets out how the MNK team intends to implement the principles of sustainable development across its various areas of activity. One of its pillars is accessibility. We wish to create a Museum open to the widest possible audience, taking into account people with diverse needs. Our aim is to make it easier for visitors to engage with the Museum’s collection and to reduce technical and communication barriers. We want to welcome visitors and partners in accordance with the highest standards. Through a variety of activities, we intend to share our knowledge with all interested parties and, through our interactions with visitors, to learn understanding and openness to the needs of others. Further information: https://mnk.pl/muzeum-odpowiedzialne
Contact regarding the implementation of the project: dostepnosc@mnk.pl
History and Collections
The home of the family of Józef Mehoffer, a Young Poland painter, creator of polychromes, stained-glass windows and prints, and draughtsman, was donated to the National Museum in Kraków in the 1980s.
On the ground floor of the building there is a drawing room with a terrace overlooking the garden, a large dining room and the adjoining former library. The first floor of the house comprises intimate rooms where the artist and his family lived. The exhibition is extended by the Mehoffer Garden, which adjoins the house to the south and was designed and used by the painter.
Description of the space
For blind and partially sighted visitors
Entrance
There is a low step leading up in front of the entrance door. The heavy wooden door opens inwards. One and a half metres from the entrance is another door, this time made of glass, which also opens inwards. Walking seven metres straight ahead brings you into the hall. From here, you can turn left towards the museum, right towards the café, or walk three metres straight ahead to the glass doors leading to the garden. The garden, which features tables and chairs, is located twenty metres beyond the glass doors on the left. To reach the museum rooms, turn left from the hallway, walk one metre straight ahead, climb one step, and then walk three metres straight ahead to the wooden door opening inwards into the next room.
Ticket office
To reach the ticket office, walk seven metres straight ahead, then turn left and walk three metres straight ahead. The ticket office is on the right-hand side.
To get to the cloakroom, stand in front of the ticket office, turn left, walk two metres straight ahead, turn left again and walk three metres straight ahead. The cloakroom counter is on the right-hand side.
To go to the toilet, walk three metres straight ahead, then turn left and walk one metre to the wooden toilet door, which opens outwards.
Toilet
The light switch is on the left-hand side inside the room, at a height of one hundred and thirty centimetres.
There is a nappy-changing table on the wall to the left. A washbasin is fitted two metres straight ahead of the entrance. To the left of the washbasin are soap and a waste bin. The paper towel dispenser is located on the wall to the right of the washbasin. The toilet cubicle is to the right of the entrance. The toilet is situated directly opposite. Toilet paper is located to its right. The flush button is situated behind the toilet on a metal water supply pipe.
Description with audio description elements
History and collections
The palace, built between 1503 and 1505, was commissioned by Erazm Ciołek, Bishop of Płock and secretary to King Alexander Jagiellon. Born in Kraków and educated at the local Academy, Ciołek was a bibliophile and the patron of magnificent illuminated manuscripts. In 1996, the building was transferred to the National Museum. Today, the Bishop’s Palace houses two complementary collections that together paint a picture of the art of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: the ‘Art of Old Poland’ gallery. 12th–18th Century and the exhibition Orthodox Church Art of the Former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The historic cellars of the Palace house a collection of architectural sculptures and plaster casts. Kraków at your fingertips.
Accessibility
There is a lift to the first floor; the entrance has no threshold, and there is an accessible toilet situated next to the lift. The building is equipped with a stairlift, platforms and portable rails, necessary to negotiate a few steps leading to the side rooms. The venue is equipped with a defibrillator.
Access to the Orthodox Art Gallery and to the ticket office, information desk and the Gallery of Early Polish Art is restricted. The stairs to the exhibition can be negotiated with the assistance of Museum staff using aluminium rails.
The exhibition “Krakow at Your Fingertips” and the educational rooms on level -1 are accessible to wheelchair users only via a stairlift.
Description of the space
For blind and visually impaired visitors
Entrance
There is a low step leading up in front of the entrance door. The heavy wooden door opens inwards. Two metres from the entrance, there is another door, made of glass, which also opens inwards. To reach the ticket office, walk 2 metres straight ahead from the entrance, turn right, walk 1 metre straight ahead, and then climb 5 steps. At the top of the stairs, one metre away, there is a glass door that opens inwards.
Ticket office
Upon entering the room, walk two metres straight ahead, then turn right and walk three metres straight ahead. The ticket offices are on the right-hand side.
Opposite the ticket office, two metres away, slightly to the left, is the cloakroom counter. To reach the lift, walk two metres straight ahead from the entrance, turn left, walk three metres straight ahead, go through the wooden door that opens outwards, and walk another three metres. The lift is on the right-hand side. The lift call buttons are on the right-hand side of the lift. The buttons inside the lift are on a panel located on the right-hand side. The lift goes to the first floor where the exhibition is located.
Toilet
To go to the toilet, stand in front of the lift, turn left, walk two metres straight ahead, turn slightly right and walk another three metres straight ahead. The toilet door opens outwards. The light switch is on the left-hand side at a height of 120 centimetres.
The toilet is on the left-hand side of the room. Toilet paper is on the left-hand side of the toilet at a height of 120 centimetres. The flush is located above the toilet and is built into the wall. The bin is in the corner of the room, to the right of the toilet. Opposite the entrance, slightly to the left, there is a paper towel dispenser, and opposite the entrance, slightly to the right, there is a hand dryer. The washbasin is on the right-hand wall from the entrance and the soap is located to its right.
The exhibition “Kraków at your fingertips” has been adapted for the needs of blind people through the publication of a guide written in Braille and the creation of a special tour route.
For blind visitors, the branch displays specially commissioned copies of Gothic masterpieces: the Madonna of Krużlowa and the Madonna and Child of Grybów, accompanied by a commentary written in Braille.
Description with audio description elements
History and collections
The building of the old granary at 6 Sikorskiego Square houses the biographical museum of Stanisław Wyspiański, an outstanding artist of Polish Modernism.
Wyspiański’s work, which is remarkably versatile, spans various fields of art. His paintings include stained-glass compositions, portraits and landscapes; in the field of applied arts, he designed furniture and interiors; he was also involved in typography and publishing. He is the author of numerous literary works – dramas, tragedies, rhapsodies and poems. He was also a director and set designer for his own plays and those written by other authors.
The Stanisław Wyspiański Museum is not only a permanent exhibition dedicated to the artist, but also a centre for research into the life, visual art and artistic practice of this playwright, poet, painter, graphic artist, theatre reformer and interior designer, who ranks among the most outstanding and versatile Polish artists. The MNK collection contains over 1,100 works.
Description of the space
For blind and visually impaired visitors
Entrance
In front of the building’s entrance stands a bust of Wyspiański mounted on a plinth. To the left of the plinth are two steps marked with raised dots, leading up to the building entrance.
The heavy wooden entrance door opens outwards. Behind the building entrance is a low step leading upwards and a glass door that opens outwards.
Cloakroom
One metre to the right of the entrance, on the right-hand side, there are lockers for clothing. Directly opposite the lockers, 2 metres away, there is a ticket office and a museum shop.
Lift and toilet
To reach the lift and toilet, walk 2 metres straight ahead from the main entrance, then turn left. The lift is on the right and the toilet on the left. The lift call buttons
are on the right-hand side of the lift. The buttons inside the lift are on a panel on the right-hand side. The lift goes to the exhibitions on levels -1 and 1. The toilet door opens outwards. The light switch is on the wall on the left-hand side at a height of 120 cm. On the left-hand side of the wall with the door is an automatic hand dryer. On the left-hand wall of the room is a cupboard, with a waste bin underneath it. To the right of the cupboard is a washbasin with a tap on its left-hand side.
To the right of the washbasin is an automatic soap dispenser, and further to the right is the toilet. Toilet paper is located to the right of the toilet. The flush is situated above the toilet and is built into the wall. Directly opposite the toilet entrance, slightly to the right, is a nappy-changing table.
A virtual tour of the exhibition in the department is available in Polish and English, with audio description and in simplified language
Tactile art guides are available for visitors at MNK branches. When starting your tour, you can use these guides to explore selected works of art. The guides are available at ticket offices, cloakrooms or quiet rooms.
We welcome people with disabilities to all our branches, accompanied by assistance dogs and guide dogs.
The document confirming eligibility for the discount is an ID card certifying disability or the degree of disability.
Concessionary tickets are available to people with disabilities and their carers who are citizens of European Union member states, the Swiss Confederation and member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area.
Under the nationwide Large Family Card and the Krakow Family Card 3+, free admission is available to school pupils or students holding a certificate of moderate disability.
Holders of the Krakow Family Card with a child with disabilities are entitled to free admission.
609 430 129
dostepnosc@mnk.pl
