Museum of the People's Republic of Poland

Top choice in Kraków


This museum and exhibition space, located in the socialist-realist Światowid cinema, focuses on the communist history of Nowa Huta and of Poland in general. Rotating photographic exhibitions highlight various aspects of life under communism, with plenty of local tie-ins to life in Nowa Huta. There's an atomic fall-out shelter in the basement, with a small exhibition on Poland's emergency preparations in the event of nuclear war.

As this material was being researched in 2019, the museum was set to undergo an extensive multiyear renovation designed to restore the cinema to its original 1950s look. This may affect opening times and which parts of the museum are viewable. Consult the website on your visit for further details.

Transportation

  • tram: 4, 10, 21, 22, 44

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kraków attractions

1. Plac Centralny

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This sprawling square and tram stop serves as the centrepoint of the Nowa Huta workers' housing estate. The square dates from 1949, and the buildings here…

2. Aleja Róż

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This graceful, park-like avenue runs through the centre of the Nowa Huta workers' housing estate.

3. Nowa Huta Museum

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Two blocks north of Plac Centralny, the Nowa Huta Museum is more like a glorified tourist office, but there is a small, well-curated exhibit space…

4. Church of St Bartholomew

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The small, shingled Church of St Bartholomew dates from the mid-15th century, which makes it Poland’s oldest surviving three-nave timber church. It was…

5. Nowa Huta Underground

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Nowa Huta's newest attraction opened in 2019 and focuses on the quarter's extensive network of atomic fallout shelters, built up in the 1950s and '60s…

6. Cistercian Abbey

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The Cistercian Abbey consists of a church and monastery, with a large garden-park behind it. The Cistercians came to Poland in 1140 and founded abbeys…

7. Teatr Ludowy

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Nowa Huta's socialist-realistic architectural aesthetic extends to the area's main theatre, which was built in 1955. Early shows may have been dedicated…

8. Arka Pana

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The retro-modern Arka Pana was the first church in Nowa Huta, built from 1967 to 1977 after much controversy. Authorities had intended the workers' suburb…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
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