Attraction

Collegium Maius in Krakow: tickets, hours and what to see

The oldest university building in Poland has an arcaded courtyard with a musical clock and a museum of old university rooms and scientific instruments. Renovation is under way, some rooms are closed, and hours depend on how you visit.

Collegium Maius, at the corner of św. Anny and Jagiellońska streets, is the oldest university building in Poland. Today it is the home of the Jagiellonian University Museum Collegium Maius, which keeps the university's old collections and a large collection of scientific instruments.

What is Collegium Maius?

The heart of the building is an arcaded courtyard ringed by cloisters with a late Gothic diamond vault. The permanent exhibition is a set of historic interiors on the first floor: the Libraria (the library), the Stuba Communis (the old dining hall), the treasury and the professors' rooms.

History of Collegium Maius

In 1400 King Władysław Jagiełło gave the university a townhouse he had bought. Throughout the 15th century the college grew as neighbouring houses were bought and more were added, and after the fires of 1462 and 1492 the buildings were joined into one, with the arcaded courtyard. The college held 20 professors' apartments.

Nicolaus Copernicus and his brother Andrzej enrolled at Krakow's university in 1491, in the Faculty of Liberal Arts. Astronomical instruments given by Marcin Bylica reached Krakow in 1493, while Copernicus was a student, and the museum considers it highly likely that he saw them.

From 1840 the building was remodelled in neo-Gothic style as the seat of the Jagiellonian Library. The library moved out in 1940, and from 1949 to 1964, on the initiative of Professor Karol Estreicher, the building was restored to its appearance before 1840 and became the museum.

What to see in Collegium Maius

The courtyard clock: it plays every day at 9:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00, with a procession of figures: a beadle, Queen Jadwiga, King Władysław Jagiełło, St. John of Kęty, Hugo Kołłątaj and the rector Stanisław ze Skalbmierza.
Libraria: the old library, built from 1516 to 1540, with a late Gothic net vault. It holds replicas of three wooden instruments of the kind Copernicus used: a quadrant, a triquetrum and an armillary sphere.
Stuba Communis: the common room from about the middle of the 15th century, where the college dined and met. A sculpture of Casimir the Great from about 1380 stands in its oriel.
The treasury: the rector's insignia, including the so-called sceptre of Queen Jadwiga, and the Jagiellonian Globe from the first half of the 16th century, which the museum says carries one of the first depictions of North America in the history of globe cartography. The second part shows film awards donated by Andrzej Wajda, Robert Korzeniowski's Olympic gold medal from 2004 and the Nobel Prize medal from 1996 given by Wisława Szymborska.
The Globe Rooms: seen only with a guide. According to the museum they hold the only pair of globes in Poland from Gerard Mercator's workshop.

Collegium Maius tickets, hours and guided tours

Renovation is under way at Collegium Maius and some rooms are closed; hours depend on how you visit, and the museum also changes them for university ceremonies. Check the current notices on the museum website before you go. Closed for renovation are the Copernicus Room, the Aula Jagiellońska, the Rector's Stairs, the Green Hall and the Dresden Corridor. The Professors' Garden is closed until further notice, as is Estreicher's Passage. The exhibition is on the first floor, reached by stairs, and the lift for visitors with disabilities is out of service.

The courtyard is open daily from 9:00 to 18:00; the tickets on the museum's price list are for the exhibition. You can visit the exhibition on your own on Monday from 9:00 to 16:00, Tuesday to Friday from 13:30 to 16:00 and Saturday from 10:00 to 15:00. Last entry is at 15:30 from Monday to Friday and at 14:30 on Saturday. Tickets cost 17 PLN standard and 10 PLN reduced, and on Wednesday the individual visit is free. For Sunday the museum gives no visiting hours for the exhibition; the courtyard is open then.

Guided tours with a museum guide run on Tuesday to Friday mornings at fixed times: 9:00 (in Polish or English), 9:45 (in English), 10:30 (in French, Spanish or Bulgarian from Tuesday to Thursday, in French only on Friday) and 11:15 (in Polish, Tuesday to Thursday). An extended tour that adds the rooms of scientific instruments starts at 12:30 in English, Tuesday to Friday; on Friday the 11:15 tour in Polish is the extended one. A guided visit costs 26 PLN standard and 14 PLN reduced. Tickets are sold at the museum ticket desk and online through the university's ticketing system. Details checked in October 2026.

How to get to Collegium Maius

The address is ul. Jagiellońska 15, about four minutes on foot from the Main Market Square and about a quarter of an hour from Wawel Castle. The route of our electric cart tour of the Old Town passes Collegium Maius; it does not include museum tickets or entry.

Tips for visiting Collegium Maius

From Tuesday to Friday you can go in without a guide only in the afternoon. For a tour in English, pick the 9:45 slot or the extended tour at 12:30; buy the ticket ahead and check availability on the museum website. The free Wednesday applies only to the individual afternoon visit, not to guided tours; check the rules for that day with the museum. The U Pęcherza café in the cellars is open daily from 9:00 to 18:00. The Copernicus monument that now stands in the Planty first stood in this courtyard.

Frequently asked questions

What links Copernicus with Collegium Maius?

Copernicus enrolled at Krakow's university in 1491. The Libraria shows replicas of three instruments of the kind he used. The Copernicus Room is closed for renovation.