Natural History Museum of the Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals PAS

What to expect

The Natural History Museum in Krakow, run by the Polish Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals (ISEZ PAN), is one of the oldest natural history collections in Poland. Its holdings go back to 1865 and the first public display opened in 1888, so this is a classic, cabinet-and-case museum rather than a hands-on science centre - a quiet, old-school stop rather than a headline attraction.

The reason to come is one exceptional specimen. The museum holds the Starunia woolly rhinoceros, the only complete woolly rhino in the world preserved with its skin and soft tissues on display. A young female that died around 40,000 years ago, it survived because the brine and earth wax (ozokerite) at the discovery site preserved the body; it was recovered in 1929 from Starunia, a village now in Ukraine. Alongside it, the permanent exhibitions cover insects, a room devoted to beetles (with a giant model beetle), Jurassic invertebrate fossils, and historic ornithological and seashell collections. Labels are in Polish, so the visit rewards a genuine interest in natural history over a casual walk-through.

One current caveat: according to the museum, part of the exhibition is temporarily closed for conservation work, so it is worth checking before you come. The museum is small - about an hour covers it comfortably.

Visiting in practice

The museum is open to visitors Tuesday to Friday, 9:00 to 15:00, and closed Monday, Saturday and Sunday, so plan for a weekday visit. It publishes its current ticket prices and school-group workshop offer as downloadable files on its website; for larger groups it is best to arrange a time by phone in advance.

Getting there

The museum sits at Św. Sebastiana 9, on the southern edge of the Old Town where it meets the Kazimierz district. From the Main Square it is about a ten-minute walk toward Wawel and the Planty park. The nearest tram stops are around Św. Gertrudy street and the Market Hall (Hala Targowa), a few minutes away on foot. Driving is awkward because of the city-centre paid parking zone.

Nearby

For more science and technology, the Museum of Engineering and Technology in nearby Kazimierz displays historic trams and machines. If natural history draws you, the Museum of Anatomy holds the Jagiellonian University’s historic specimens, and families with children will enjoy the hands-on experiments at the Cogiteon science centre.