Forum in Krakow: the former Hotel Forum on the Vistula

Forum is the long concrete building raised on pillars on a bend of the Vistula, with a view of Wawel and the Skałka monastery. It was built as a luxury hotel and has not taken a hotel guest since 2002. Today it houses a food hall with bars, bowling and a terrace, and there is a restaurant on the sixth floor. People in Krakow simply say they are going to Forum.

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What is the former Hotel Forum in Krakow?

The former Hotel Forum is one of the most important examples of late modernist architecture in Krakow, often described as brutalist, and the work of architect Janusz Ingarden. It was designed between 1973 and 1977 to be the largest and most luxurious hotel in the city. Building started in 1978, but the crisis of the 1980s dragged the work out and the hotel was not completed until 1988. It had 278 rooms, a swimming pool, a sauna, a Pewex hard-currency shop and a casino, and early in its life it hosted an official Soviet delegation led by Mikhail Gorbachev.

The hotel closed in 2002. For years its facade served as a giant billboard. From 2013 to 2023 the bar and cultural venue Forum Przestrzenie operated here. Since 1 July 2025 the building has been home to Forum Fun & Food.

What to see and do at the former Hotel Forum

• The building itself: seven floors lifted above the ground on six pairs of reinforced-concrete pillars. The gap underneath was designed to keep the view of the city's monuments open for people arriving by road. Raw concrete and glass set the tone, and on the river side the sloping facade steps back like a row of terraces.
• Forum Fun & Food: more than 3,000 square metres with a self-service food hall, bars, a cafe, 14 bowling lanes, 10 pool tables and an arcade zone.
• The terrace: part of Forum Fun & Food, with a view of Wawel.
• Panorama Forum: a restaurant and rooftop bar on the sixth floor, with a panorama of Wawel and the Vistula. The top floor was planned from the start as a cafe with a view.
• Events: the venue runs its own programme of events, published on its website.

Address, bowling and Panorama Forum opening hours

The address is ul. Marii Konopnickiej 28. Forum Fun & Food does not publish general opening hours on its website; it serves breakfast every day from 8:00 to 12:00, and bowling lanes are rented by the hour, with up to six players per lane. Lanes and tables can be booked through the venue's website. Panorama Forum is open from 12:00 to 22:00 Monday to Thursday and on Sunday, and from 12:00 to midnight on Friday and Saturday.

A note on the building's status: in October 2025 the regional conservator of monuments entered it in the register of monuments, in May 2026 the culture ministry overturned that decision on procedural grounds, and the case went back for a new ruling. Details checked in October 2026; see the Forum Fun & Food website for current hours and events.

How to get to the former Hotel Forum

Forum stands on the bend of the Vistula next to the ICE Kraków congress centre. From Wawel Castle it is about 20 minutes on foot, and from the Manggha Museum about ten. From the Main Market Square allow half an hour. To see the rest of the city without the walking, look at our electric cart tours of Krakow.

Tips for visiting Forum on the Vistula

The terrace looks towards Wawel; before you plan an evening around the view, check on the venue's website that it is open. Combine Forum with the nearby Manggha Museum, or walk on to the Father Bernatek Footbridge, a little over 20 minutes away, and cross into Kazimierz. For more places with a view, see our guide to rooftop bars and viewpoints in Krakow.

Frequently asked questions

Is Forum Przestrzenie still open?

No. The bar Forum Przestrzenie operated from 2013 to 2023 and has closed. A different venue operates in the building today: Forum Fun & Food, open since 1 July 2025.

What is there to do at Forum today?

There is a self-service food hall, bars, a cafe, 14 bowling lanes, 10 pool tables, an arcade zone and a terrace with a view towards Wawel. The Panorama Forum restaurant and rooftop bar is on the sixth floor.

Can you stay at Hotel Forum?

No. The hotel closed in 2002 and has not reopened. The building is now used for food, bars and entertainment.

Who designed Hotel Forum?

The architect was Janusz Ingarden. The design dates from 1973 to 1977, construction began in 1978 and the hotel was completed in 1988.

How far is Forum from Wawel?

About 20 minutes on foot. The walk is roughly 1.5 km.

Photo: Zygmunt Put, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.