Jan Matejko Manor House in Krzesławice

Jan Matejko, Poland's great painter of national history, bought this manor house in 1876 with money from the sale of his painting "Batory at Pskov" – mainly so that his often sickly children could breathe country air. In Krzesławice, now part of Kraków's Nowa Huta district, he worked on paintings including "Kościuszko at Racławice", for which local peasants posed. The 19th-century manor, set in a 4-hectare park, is now a museum run by the Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts (TPSP), dedicated to Matejko and to Hugo Kołłątaj.

History: from Kołłątaj to Matejko

In the late 18th century the Krzesławice estate was leased by Hugo Kołłątaj, rector of the Kraków Academy and one of the authors of Poland's Constitution of 3 May 1791. From an Austrian prison in Olomouc he wrote longing letters and poems about his "beloved little village", but after his release he was not allowed to return. His manor no longer exists – it stood where a street lamp now stands by the car park. The present house was built in 1826 by the Kirchmayers, a Kraków family of merchants and bankers.

Matejko, who was related to the Kirchmayers, was looking for a house 10–15 km from Kraków that he could reach by carriage from his home on Floriańska Street. He renovated the building and added a painting studio and a timber porch of his own design with an openwork balustrade. Krzesławice became his summer retreat: here he painted "The Babin Republic", with the local orchard in the background, as well as many studies and portraits. At his own expense he also built a village school, which still stands at 17 Wańkowicza Street, and in 1890 he designed the eagle monument on the nearby Wanda Mound.

Ruin and rescue

After Matejko's death his son Tadeusz sold the estate to the steward, Teodor Cybulski. During the Second World War German troops were stationed here and cut down many old trees. Under communism, tenants were moved into the house, the stoves were smashed and Matejko's studio collapsed. The last owner, Maria Burzyńska, the Cybulskis' daughter, donated the ruined manor and park to the TPSP in 1960 on condition that it would always house a museum of Kołłątaj and Matejko memorabilia. After several years of repairs the museum opened in January 1966.

What to see

• Drawing room with Matejko's painting of a horse's head, his drawings and the artist's old piano.
• Kołłątaj room with memorabilia and Matejko's sketches for the wall paintings in St Mary's Basilica.
• Matejko's revolving easel and views of the manor painted by various artists.
• Dining room with a large table, carved chairs and an oil lamp.
• "Poczet królów i książąt polskich" – the series of portraits of Polish kings and princes painted in oils by Matejko's pupils Leonard Stroynowski and Zygmunt Papieski from the master's sketches.
• Park with century-old trees, including a rare copper beech, and a bust of Matejko by Czesław Dźwigaj from 1994.

Tripto tip

The manor at 25 Melchiora Wańkowicza Street opens on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00, and on Mondays visits are possible by prior phone arrangement. A standard ticket costs PLN 30, reduced PLN 20–25 and a family ticket PLN 55. Allow about an hour for the house and a stroll in the park. Do not confuse it with the Jan Matejko House at 41 Floriańska Street in the city centre – that was the artist's main home and is now a branch of the National Museum in Kraków.