The oldest Polish University possesses rich collections of unique items from different areas, which are exhibited in a number of museums, offering a fascinating journey through the past and present of academia and various fields of science and scholarship.
Located at the corner of Świętej Anny and Jagiellońska streets, JU Collegium Maius Museum is the oldest university edifice in Poland. Its history can be traced back to the year 1400 when King Władysław Jagiełło donated this tenement house to the university. Almost every room in the building has its own legend and is associated with such outstanding personalities as Copernicus, Faust, Twardowski or St. John Cantius.
After the Second World War, the Collegium Maius was converted into a museum which presently houses old university collections (masterpieces and historic souvenirs) and a rich collection of scientific instruments – astrolabes, globes, sun-dials, telescopes, vacuum pumps, microscopes – many of which are unique on a world scale. The Collegium Maius also possesses a museum shop, a tourist information centre and attractive, refurbished basements with a conference room, café and exhibition hall. By virtue of the collection and the building, the museum hosts the most important academic conferences and JU Senate sessions. It has also been visited by the most eminent university guests including John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth II and the Emperor and Empress of Japan.
E-mail
collegiummaius.info@uj.edu.pl
Address
ul. Jagiellońska 15
31-010 Kraków
Phone
+48 12 422 05 49
Website
The Anatomy Museum of the JU Medical College hosts more than 2 thousand exhibits in its three rooms.
The first room is devoted to osteology, arthrology, comparative anatomy and anthropology.
The second room contains so-called "wet preparations", kept in sterile jars and special transparent containers. They include exhibits from the field of head and neck anatomy and the intensities from the chest, abdominal cavity and pelvis. Besides, the exhibition includes development models, brought to the museum in the period between the First and the Second World War by Kostanecki.
The last room, i.e. the Ludwik Teichmann room, which the museum is very proud of, contains the oldest exhibits, which were prepared by Teichmann himself. They may serve as an example of great industry and extraordinary skill.
Address
ul. Kopernika 12
31-034 Kraków
Phone
+48 12 422 95 11
Website
The Anatomopathological Museum of the Faculty of Medicine, located in the cellars of the Chair in Patomorphology of the Medical College at ul. Grzegórzecka 16, consists of two rooms and a spacious vestibule. The collection comprises valuable exhibits from the field of anatomical pathology, which shed much light on the history of medicine in Krakow.
The rich collection dates back to the early 19th century, which is known thanks to the 1816 list of exhibits. Later the collection rapidly developed thanks to Prof. Maciej Brodowicz, who ordered to preserve and keep the organs of autopsy subjects.
E-mail
patomorfologia@cm-uj.krakow.pl
Address
ul. Grzegórzecka 16
31-531 Kraków
Phone
+48 12 619 96 29
Dating back to 1780, the Botanical Garden Museum is an academic research and teaching unit as well as the oldest botanic museum in Poland. The historical character of the display combined with the stylish interiors create a unique atmosphere.
E-mail
hortus@uj.edu.pl
Address
ul. Kopernika 27
31-501 Kraków
Phone
+48 12 421 26 20
Website (in Polish)
Founded in 1900 by Prof. Walery Jaworski (1849-1924), the JU History of Medicine Museum (formerly the Faculty of Medicine Museum) grew by gift and bequest. Until 1992, the exhibits had no fixed residence. At present they are displayed in Kraków Medical Association House. A permanent display presents souvenirs, old printed works, manuscripts, documents, medals, plaster casts, scientific apparatus and a large collection of portraits.
Visits can be made by organised groups only and are possible by appointment (by telephone or mail). Priority is given to students of medical programmes, healthcare staff, scientists, and high school students from biological-chemical classes
Address
ul. Radziwiłłowska 4
31-034 Kraków
Phone
+48 12 422 21 16
Founded in 1946, the JU Museum of Pharmacy has the largest collection in Poland. There are only a few similar museums in the world. Since 1991, the Museum has been open for tourists. Furnished with original pharmacy equipment, it boasts an extremely rich collection amounting to 20,000 exhibits including mortars, pharmacy scales, vessels, copper kettles and medicinal herbs. The museum has its own library which holds valuable old printed works, herbaria, handbooks on the history of pharmacy and albums.
The Museum of Pharmacy is also an independent teaching and research unit supervised by the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy.
E-mail
mf@mp.pl
Address
ul. Floriańska 25
31-019 Kraków
Phone
+48 12 421 92 79
Website
The Nature Education Centre is located at ul. Gronostajowa 5 at the Campus of the 600th Anniversary of the JU Revival. It houses collections previously kept in the faculty museums: the Zoological Museum, Geological Museum, Anthropological Museum and Paleobotanical Museum. The Centre is a continuator of their history and tradition.
The main exhibition, entitled The Evolution of the Earth and Life, is arranged into several thematic parts, devoted to the taxonomy of animals, biogeography, evolutionism, ethology, anthropology, mineralogy, sedimentology, paleontology and geological processes. The permanent exhibition also includes the astronomical part as well as the reconstruction of a 19th century natural history cabinet and an insectarium.
E-mail
tomasz.pyrcz@uj.edu.pl
Address
ul. Gronostajowa 5
30-387 Kraków
Phone
(+48) 12 664 67 73
Website