Archdiocesan Museum (Muzeum Archidiecezjalne w Krakowie)
The basics
While all three of Krakow’s Archdiocesan Museums are open to visitors, international travelers tend to favor the Cardinal Karol Wojtyla Archdiocesan Museum, conveniently located in Krakow Old Town. Besides an impressive collection of religious art, including textiles, paintings, gold, and silver, it houses an exhibition devoted to the saint’s life and times. You can see the room he lived in from 1958 to 1967, learn how he became a saint, and view medals, photographs, and other memorabilia. Book tickets online, buy them at the door, or enjoy free entry with the KrakowCard pass. Guides offer tours in English or Polish for an additional charge.
Things to know before you go
- Roman Catholics and fans of religious art won’t want to miss the Cardinal Karol Wojtyla Archdiocesan Museum.
- The Wojtyla Family Apartment is where St. Pope John Paul II lived with his father as a young adult in Krakow. Don’t confuse it with the Family Home of John Paul II in Wadowice, the small city where he was born.
- The Cardinal Karol Wojtyla Archdiocesan Museum building dates back to the 14th century and is not wheelchair accessible.
How to get there
The Cardinal Karol Wojtyla Archdiocesan Museum is conveniently located in the heart of Krakow Old Town, a roughly 10-minute walk south of Rynek Główny (Main Market Square) and in front of Wawel Cathedral.
Trip ideas
When to get there
The Cardinal Karol Wojtyla Archdiocesan Museum is open from morning until late afternoon between Tuesday and Sunday. It closes on Mondays, as well as on a wealth of national and religious holidays, including Epiphany, Corpus Christi, Pentecost, Assumption, and All Saints Day.
Who Was Pope John Paul II?
One of the great figures of 20th-century Catholicism and the first Polish pope, John Paul II (1920–2005) is credited with a key role in the fall of Communism. After almost three decades as pope, he became a saint in 2014 when the Catholic church confirmed he had worked two miracles. He is supposed to have healed a nun from Parkinson’s disease in 2005 and a Costa Rican woman from an aneurysm in 2011.
- Bishop Erazm Ciolek Palace (Polish National Museum in Krakow)
- Archaeological Museum of Krakow (Muzeum Archeologiczne w Krakowie)
- Wawel Cathedral (Katedra Wawelska)
- Wawel Royal Castle (Zamek Wawelski)
- Wawel Hill
- Krakow Pinball Museum
- Rynek Glowny (Main Market Square)
- St. Adalbert Church (Kościól Św. Wojciecha)
- Planty Park
- Jagiellonian University (Uniwersytet Jagielloński)
- Krakow Town Hall Tower (Wieza Ratuszowa w Krakowie)
- Adam Mickiewicz Monument (Pomnik Adama Mickiewicza)
- Maly Rynek (Small Market Square)
- Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art (Galeria Sztuki Polskiej XIX Wieku w Sukiennicach)
- Tempel Synagogue (Synagoga Tempel)