Theatres

Presently, there are about 20 repertoire theatres in Kraków, as well as a number of smaller theatre stages in small, climatic cellars, intensively used by numerous theatre formations and groups. In the summer season, a lot of additional theatre projects take place in the open, among others, in the yards of Kraków tenement houses and in gardens.

The role of Kraków as a place of intensive cultural activity and national memory was especially invaluable during the partition of Poland. The oldest Kraków theatre, Heleny Modrzejewska Stary Theatre, has operated in Kraków since late 18th century (currently, it is housed in a tenement house on the corner of Jagiellońska Street and Szczepański Square). In 1839, construction of an eclectic building of J. Słowacki Theatre, modelled on the Paris Opera, was completed. The building, designed by Jan Zawieyski, was erected at the former location of the demolished Holy Spirit convent and hospital.

Museums

There are over 30 museums in Kraków. The most important of them include the State Collections of Art - Wawel Royal Castle, the National Museum with a large collection of Polish and world paintings and the Czartoryskich Museum in Kraków with the famous picture "Lady with a weasel" by Leonardo da Vinci.

Numerous cultural centres and houses of culture pursue a broad range of activities in the area of culture. Annually, they are organising hundreds of exhibitions and concerts, as well as diverse forms of educational events for the inhabitants of Kraków.

University

Kraków, situated on a communication and trade route, was a dynamic urban and commercial centre of the region. Since 1364, it has also been a university town. The historical monuments of Collegium Maius, Collegium Minus, Collegium Novum, and Collegium Juridicum constitute the most prestigious part of the university up to this very day.