Culture

Culture in Lesser Poland for a rainy day: 8 places, from the Jagiellonian Library to the Nowa Huta Cultural Centre and the Studio club in Kraków.

This page is for people looking for culture under a roof: a library with exhibitions, a cultural centre with a stage or a club with concerts. All the places suit a solo outing, and seven of the eight are in Kraków, so it is easy to combine two of them in one day.

Which libraries are worth visiting in Kraków?

Three Kraków libraries are open not only to readers, because they hold exhibitions and show historic buildings. They are a good idea for a rainy day in the centre.

The Jagiellonian Library at Aleja Mickiewicza 22 is the main library of the Jagiellonian University and one of the largest in Poland. The building, an example of functional modernism, was constructed in three stages, and visitors can learn its history and see exhibitions. The Voivodeship Public Library at Rajska 1 occupies a historic former barracks and, besides lending books, runs painting, photography and art exhibitions and a café. The Czartoryski Princes Library at św. Marka 17, a few dozen metres from the Planty park, is a branch of the National Museum and holds one of the most valuable Polish collections of manuscripts and early prints. A full list is under the tag library.

Where to go for a concert, a play or an exhibition?

Cultural centres are in several districts of Kraków and run regular classes as well as open events. If you plan an evening, check the programme on the institution's own site.

The Nowa Huta Cultural Centre at Aleja Jana Pawła II 232, near Plac Centralny, operates in a building constructed from the mid-1970s to 1983. Its large theatre hall is among the biggest stages in Kraków, hosting plays, concerts, dance, ballet and cabaret. In Prądnik Biały the Dworek Białoprądnicki occupies a manor house of 1545-1550, a former residence of the bishops of Kraków, surrounded by a park. In Kazimierz, in the former Bne Emuna synagogue at Meiselsa 17, the Jewish Culture Centre organises exhibitions, lectures, concerts and author meetings. Dates of concerts and plays can be checked in the events calendar, and a wider list of stages is in the category theatre and opera.

For a younger audience there is Klub Studio at Budryka 4, in the centre of the AGH student campus. The programme includes concerts in various genres, from rock and electronic music to cabaret, as well as conferences and other cultural events.

Is there an art gallery outside Kraków?

Yes, in Nawojowa Góra, in Kraków County, there is a private gallery, Kamienny Kwiatek, in a former farm building that used to house a boiler room and a flower cold store. Mostly oil paintings and works in the 19th-century gum bichromate technique are shown, along with drawings, photographs and ceramics. The gallery is at Gwoździec 35, outside the city. Other galleries are in the list of painting.

Frequently asked questions

What to do in Kraków when it rains and I do not want a museum?

You can visit a library with exhibitions, for example the Jagiellonian or the Voivodeship one, a cultural centre with a stage or a club with a concert. All the places mentioned here are indoors.

Can you enter libraries without a reader's card?

The Jagiellonian Library lets you explore the building and see exhibitions. The rules for entering each library are worth checking before your visit.

Where are the big stages outside the centre of Kraków?

The Nowa Huta Cultural Centre has one of the largest theatre halls in the city. Dworek Białoprądnicki lies in Prądnik Biały, in a park.

Is there an art gallery in Lesser Poland outside Kraków?

Yes, the Kamienny Kwiatek Gallery in Nawojowa Góra shows oil paintings, drawings, photographs and ceramics. It occupies a former farm building.

You can see all these places on the attractions map.