Władysław Orkan Museum in Rabka-Zdrój

What to expect

The Władysław Orkan Museum in Rabka-Zdrój is a regional ethnographic museum with an unusual home: a wooden church of St Mary Magdalene built in 1606, set on a stone foundation with spruce beams, crowned by a baroque cupola and fitted with a historic 1778 organ that still plays during summer concerts. The building lost its religious function in the early 20th century, and in 1936 a regional museum was arranged inside it. In 2026 the institution marks its 90th anniversary. If you are deciding whether it is worth a trip out of Kraków, the draw is the atmosphere of the old timber church as much as the collection itself.

The holdings run to roughly five thousand objects documenting the Zagórzanie people and the pastoral and craft traditions of the Gorce mountains. Four permanent displays cover pottery, for which Rabka was known in the 19th century, shepherds’ gear and old trade tools, festive Zagórzanie costume of the 19th and 20th centuries, and folk sculpture - one of the larger collections of carved holy figures in Poland, including a Christ figure said to have impressed Pablo Picasso in 1948. Labels are in Polish; an English-speaking visitor gets the most out of a guided tour, which can be booked in advance. Allow about an hour.

Visiting in practice

Hours are seasonal. In summer (1 July-31 August) the museum opens daily 9:00-17:00; from 1 May to 30 June and through September, daily 9:00-16:00; from October to the end of April, 9:00-16:00 with Mondays closed. Tickets are sold up to half an hour before closing. Standard admission is 16 PLN, reduced 12 PLN, and holders of the Large Family Card from the Nowy Targ district pay 10 PLN. The museum also runs hands-on workshops (folk-toy painting, glass painting, pottery) and museum lessons on prior reservation, which are worth asking about if you travel with children.

Getting there

Rabka-Zdrój lies about 65 km south of Kraków on the main road toward Zakopane (the Zakopianka, DK7/S7). By car the drive takes roughly an hour. Frequent buses and minibuses run from Kraków toward Nowy Targ and Zakopane and stop in Rabka, and a regional rail line reaches the town via Chabówka. The museum stands at Orkana 2, close to the centre of the spa town. Plan it as a separate day trip rather than a walk from the Main Square.

Nearby

Staying in the region, the Podhale Museum in Nowy Targ makes a natural pairing, and the Limanowa Regional Museum covers neighbouring folk culture. Back in the city, Kraków’s Ethnographic Museum puts the region’s folk art and costume in wider context.