The Jan Matejko House: A Painter’s Home in Kraków
On Floriańska Street, a few steps from the Main Market Square, stands the house where Poland’s greatest history painter was born, lived and worked. The Jan Matejko House preserves his home and studio much as he left them, and makes an intimate counterpoint to the monumental canvases he is famous for. For the wider picture, see our Kraków travel guide and Kraków museums guide.
The painter’s home
Jan Matejko (1838–1893) shaped how Poles picture their own history, in vast, dramatic paintings such as the Battle of Grunwald and Prussian Homage. His family house on Floriańska Street is now a branch of the National Museum in Kraków, with the family rooms furnished in period style and the artist’s own collection of costumes, armour and curios that he used as props.
The studio
The highlight is the studio at the top of the house, preserved with his easels, brushes and unfinished work — a rare, personal look at how the great canvases were made. Smaller sketches, memorabilia and portraits round out a visit that feels more like stepping into a home than touring a gallery.
Practical tips
- Tickets. A modest entry fee, with the usual National Museum free day once a week — check the current day and hours on the National Museum site.
- Find it on Floriańska Street, on the Royal Route between St Florian’s Gate and the Main Market Square.
- Combine it with the Royal Route and the Main Market Square, where his great paintings hang in the Cloth Hall gallery.
Frequently asked questions
The house on Floriańska Street where Poland’s greatest history painter was born, lived and worked, now a branch of the National Museum in Kraków, preserving his family home, collection and studio.
A 19th-century painter who shaped how Poles picture their own history in vast dramatic canvases such as the Battle of Grunwald and Prussian Homage, many of which hang in the Cloth Hall gallery on the Main Market Square.
The family rooms furnished in period style, the artist’s collection of costumes, armour and props, and — the highlight — his preserved studio with easels, brushes and unfinished work.
On Floriańska Street, on the Royal Route between St Florian’s Gate and the Main Market Square.
Yes, like other National Museum branches it usually has one free-entry day a week — check the current day and hours before you go.
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