Karwacjan Manor Art Gallery in Gorlice

What to expect

The Karwacjan Manor Art Gallery is the Gorlice branch of the Karwacjan and Gładysz Manors Museum, set in the oldest building in the town. The manor takes its name from the Karwacjan family - Kraków merchants and bankers recorded as early as 1324 - who founded Gorlice: Dersław I Karwacjan received the land from King Casimir the Great around 1350-1360, and in the 15th century Jan Karwacjan raised a masonry defensive tower here. Shelling destroyed the building in 1915 and the ruins were cleared by 1938; what stands today is a 1992 reconstruction to a design by the architect Krzysztof Filar.

The manor now works as a contemporary art gallery: it hosts temporary exhibitions of painting, graphics, sculpture and photography rather than a fixed museum display, so what is on show depends on when you visit. Labels and materials are in Polish, so it is worth checking the current programme before making the trip. It suits a traveller who wants historic architecture paired with a living exhibition schedule.

One practical caveat: since 1 February 2026 the historic manor building has been closed to visitors for renovation. The gallery’s exhibitions have moved to a temporary venue at ul. Piekarska 2 in Gorlice, which is where you visit for now.

Visiting in practice

The gallery, in its temporary venue, is open Tuesday to Friday 9:00-17:00, Saturday 11:00-17:00 and Sunday 11:00-15:00; Monday is an internal working day and the gallery is closed. A standard ticket is 10 PLN, reduced 6 PLN, and on Tuesdays admission to all branches of the museum is free - the cheapest day to come. The gallery also closes on public holidays, including 1 and 6 January, Easter Saturday and Easter, Corpus Christi, 15 August, 1 and 11 November, and 24-26 December.

Getting there

Gorlice sits in south-eastern Małopolska, about 120 km from Kraków - roughly a two-hour drive via Bochnia and Tarnów, with bus connections from Kraków as well. This is a genuine detour rather than a quick day trip, so it makes most sense combined with the nearby historic town of Biecz. The gallery is in the centre of Gorlice, currently at ul. Piekarska 2, a few minutes’ walk from the market square.

Nearby

Under half an hour to the north-west lies the Biecz Land Museum in the medieval town of Biecz. Heading back toward Kraków, the Ciężkowice Natural History Museum is worth a stop, while the Tatra Museum in Zakopane is the wider regional reference point for Małopolska’s highland heritage.