Ethnographic Museum
Ethnographic Museum
4.5
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Located in the Kazimierz district, this 15th-century Town Hall was converted into a Renaissance building in the 16th century, which now houses the Museum of Ethnography.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Neighborhood: Kazimierz
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4.5
194 reviews
Excellent
109
Very good
67
Average
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William S
Kobe, Japan1,501 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
The Ethnographic museum offers a view into (historic) Polish life. The displays of tools for gathering food were very interesting as were the early musical instruments. Some will enjoy the clothing. Also, the third floor includes wood carvings which are interesting and unique. The lighting is poor but the English descriptions are thoughtful and well-written. Admission is quite inexpensive.
Written November 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
patjaniak
Warsaw, Poland184 contributions
Oct 2021
Interesting and low crowded place in Krakow, but worth to see, especially if you are interested in people's history.
On first level you have reconstructions of peasents houses of Malopolska Area, it is okay, good to see it not moving from the town, but it is just ok
On the second level s much more interesting exhibition about people history, their stuff, and relations. Also very interesting part about Jews.
Last floor is outfits exhibitons - in a very traditional way (just manekins covered by glass)
On first level you have reconstructions of peasents houses of Malopolska Area, it is okay, good to see it not moving from the town, but it is just ok
On the second level s much more interesting exhibition about people history, their stuff, and relations. Also very interesting part about Jews.
Last floor is outfits exhibitons - in a very traditional way (just manekins covered by glass)
Written July 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vacationer8256
dallas7 contributions
In May 2006, my sister and I visitied Krakow because we were intrigued by what we had heard and read about the city and because we have ancestral ties to Poland.
Even though we were there about a week, there was still not enough time to get around to everything that we had planned to see and explore. I did keep coming across the name Ethnographic Museum and wondered what might be housed there. One day we decided to walk from the north part of town to the Kazimierz section and there we ran across this musuem. However, it was late in the day and soon to close. Next day, our last full day in Krakow, with our curiosity peaked, we purposefully took a tram down to the musuem and discovered a wonderful display of everything Polish. We had no time to linger but certainly would have wanted to spend more time learning about all of the exhibits...the place is rich in information and examples. It certainly did fill in the gap about Poland that my sister and I were not able to actually experience. The displays are colorful and well done and one can easily check out everything in a couple of hours . I did have to pay a hefty fee to photograph inside the museum and the lady ticket takers were not terribly pleasant, but overall I would highly recommend this museum. For the tourist, it's a must see.
Even though we were there about a week, there was still not enough time to get around to everything that we had planned to see and explore. I did keep coming across the name Ethnographic Museum and wondered what might be housed there. One day we decided to walk from the north part of town to the Kazimierz section and there we ran across this musuem. However, it was late in the day and soon to close. Next day, our last full day in Krakow, with our curiosity peaked, we purposefully took a tram down to the musuem and discovered a wonderful display of everything Polish. We had no time to linger but certainly would have wanted to spend more time learning about all of the exhibits...the place is rich in information and examples. It certainly did fill in the gap about Poland that my sister and I were not able to actually experience. The displays are colorful and well done and one can easily check out everything in a couple of hours . I did have to pay a hefty fee to photograph inside the museum and the lady ticket takers were not terribly pleasant, but overall I would highly recommend this museum. For the tourist, it's a must see.
Written June 8, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Saranger
Los Angeles, CA9,007 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
I enjoy learning about the folk customs of people around the world. Although I'm not Polish I really enjoyed this museum. Downstairs on both sides of the corridor are rooms depicting traditional life about 100-150 years ago, as well as a school and a flax oil mill. Upstairs are dozens of folk costumes, lots of traditional musical instruments, painted eggs, and rooms with objects and stories from everyday life (there are English language description sheets at the room entrances for translation).
There are docents available who speak various languages (Polish, French, a german, English) should you need help.
Don't miss this if you love traditional costumes, music or culture. I only wish there was an on-site restaurant with traditional foods and pastries!
There are docents available who speak various languages (Polish, French, a german, English) should you need help.
Don't miss this if you love traditional costumes, music or culture. I only wish there was an on-site restaurant with traditional foods and pastries!
Written August 28, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
permia
Ireland64,682 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
We were staying close to the marvellous home of this museum. At first view we opined that it was a church but of course it's the beautiful former Town Hall and now the home of this brilliant gallery. It presents a delightful facade and aspect at all times and in different lighting.
Every aspect of daily life down the decades is covered with original items, models and descriptions. A decorative bridal chair is shown which was most likely a gift from the fiance to his bride-to-be. Models of thatched cottages and wooden churches are displayed. Sleeping arrangements for parents and children are exhibited, the latter catered for in a decorative little wooden bed suspended from the ceiling.
Heating and cooking, as always, were of course keenly important and various stoves and fires with cooking and heating utensils are comprehensively featured.
To supply these, harvesting and hunting were central activities. To save the hay and other crops a good selection of scythes, rakes and pitchforks were utilised. Hunting is manifested with a gun and other items.
Schooling is covered via a classroom and essentials within it, such as an abacus and wash basins for hygiene. Further for kids is a fine collection of mostly wooden toys.
Spinning wool and weaving the resultant threads into cloth and clothes is demonstrated with some fine examples of both.
At the end of the working day and at festival times music and entertainments were engaged in. A form of bagpipe and stringed instruments are exemplary.
The central role of religion in daily life is well presented, with lovely models of churches and many items with a religious theme.
Every aspect of daily life down the decades is covered with original items, models and descriptions. A decorative bridal chair is shown which was most likely a gift from the fiance to his bride-to-be. Models of thatched cottages and wooden churches are displayed. Sleeping arrangements for parents and children are exhibited, the latter catered for in a decorative little wooden bed suspended from the ceiling.
Heating and cooking, as always, were of course keenly important and various stoves and fires with cooking and heating utensils are comprehensively featured.
To supply these, harvesting and hunting were central activities. To save the hay and other crops a good selection of scythes, rakes and pitchforks were utilised. Hunting is manifested with a gun and other items.
Schooling is covered via a classroom and essentials within it, such as an abacus and wash basins for hygiene. Further for kids is a fine collection of mostly wooden toys.
Spinning wool and weaving the resultant threads into cloth and clothes is demonstrated with some fine examples of both.
At the end of the working day and at festival times music and entertainments were engaged in. A form of bagpipe and stringed instruments are exemplary.
The central role of religion in daily life is well presented, with lovely models of churches and many items with a religious theme.
Written June 1, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
153Bee
Belgium167 contributions
Oct 2014 • Friends
My Polish friend took me to this museum on one of my visits to Krakow. I just fell in love with it! I love folk history and I am fascinated by old and disappearing cultures and traditions, so I really enjoyed looking at old photographs and artifacts, costumes, and reproductions of rooms, with absolutely beautiful hand painted furniture. I will definitely go back. I just wish the museum was bigger!
Written December 4, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MSimpson43
Norwich, UK125 contributions
Dec 2013 • Couples
This was a great find, we came upon this as we were walking through the sqaure so went in and it was lovely. Lots of school children with their teachers being shown how they once lived. they ask you to leave your hats & coats in the cloakroom which we didn't do as still cold from freezing temperatures outside. We really should have taken them off as by the time we got to the top floor we were roasting. The exhibition is of how people lived in the beginning of the century. Really interesting, lots of wood and fabulous stoves made of ceramics. It seemed that everyone lived and worked in the house, even the animals. The cost to enter the Museum was 5 zloty which is less than a £1 definitely well worth it.
Written December 20, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Europhile_2007
London1 contribution
This is a delightful museum with a well curated collection of items detailing the lives of Polish people, mostly from the south and central areas. The collection includes costumes, jewellery and a detailed story of traditional farming life in the country. When I visited there was a special exhibition of traditional bee hives in the most amazing forms representing life size bears, dogs and even humans. Considering its somewhat low profile on the tourist brochures I found it to be professionally designed and maintained and would recommend it highly to any visitor to this wonderful city. Of special interest is the series of rooms on the ground floor, each showing the living spaces of people in the Polish countryside.
Written December 9, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
52reviewer000
Edinburgh, UK16 contributions
Dec 2019
I had been looking forward to visiting this folk museum and was not disappointed . Whole rooms set out to represent typical homes from the polish past, colourful displays of costumes, art linked to poetry, farming tools, spinning and weaving equipment and much more. Deightful. But my personal highlight was meeting a quiet yet talented polish lady demonstrating how to make xmas paper decorations.
Written December 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roos_Pot
Melbourne, Australia189 contributions
Mar 2017 • Couples
This museum gives an interesting impression of Polish culture for visiting tourists. Its three floors each have a varied theme. The ground floor has different rooms decorated as historical houses and workshops. The second floor is an exhibition on crafts and Polish traditions. The third flour has a variety of paintings, also more modern ones. Worth a visit.
Room for improvement: there are some separate English translations available, but these are incomplete.
Room for improvement: there are some separate English translations available, but these are incomplete.
Written March 13, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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