Jan Kasprowicz Museum at Harenda

Jan Kasprowicz bought the wooden villa at Harenda in 1923 from an English painter for 500 pounds, money he had earned translating Shakespeare. He lived here for only three years, until his death in 1926, but his widow Maria kept the house exactly as he had left it. Today it is an intimate biographical museum with portraits by Witkacy, a gallery of paintings by the poet's son-in-law and a granite mausoleum in the garden, and in 2026, the centenary of Kasprowicz's death, it hosts many events in his honour.

History: villa, guesthouse, museum

The house was built in 1920 by Jan Fudala Kluś as a guesthouse, but he soon sold it to the painter Winifred Cooper. Kasprowicz, a poet of the Young Poland movement, translator and professor at Lwów University, bought it from her and settled here with his second wife, Maria née Bunin. Their guests included Stefan Żeromski, Leopold Staff and Witkacy. The poet took the name Harenda from the "Pod Arendą" inn in Czarnowąsy near Opole, which he used to visit as a schoolboy, adding the "h" typical of highland speech.

In 1933, through the efforts of Maria Kasprowicz, Kornel Makuszyński and Leopold Staff, a granite mausoleum designed by Karol Stryjeński was built next to the house and the poet's coffin was moved into it. In 1950, on the widow's initiative, a museum opened in the villa, and since 1964 it has been looked after by the Society of Friends of Jan Kasprowicz's Work.

What to see

The layout echoes a highland cottage: a central hall that served as the dining room, with a "black room" and a "white room" on either side. The tour covers:

• The parlour with pastel portraits by Witkacy of the poet shortly before his death and of Maria Kasprowicz.
• The poet's death mask.
• The dining room with furniture designed by Władysław Jarocki, the poet's son-in-law, and paintings on glass.
• The bedroom, and throughout the house family mementoes, everyday objects and what remains of the book collection.
• The Władysław Jarocki picture gallery upstairs, in 2026 showing work by students of the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts to mark the centenary of the poet's death.
• The mausoleum in the garden.

Interesting facts

The most valuable part of Kasprowicz's library, assembled in Lwów, did not survive: after the poet's death Maria donated it to Poznań, where it was destroyed by fire. In summer the veranda is decorated with nasturtiums, the poet's favourite flowers, and it looks out towards the Tatra Mountains. Right next door stands the small wooden church of St John the Apostle at Harenda.

Tripto tip

The museum is at ul. Harenda 12a, halfway between Zakopane and Poronin. According to the museum website (as of October 2026) it is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 15:00 and closed on Sundays, Mondays and public holidays. A ticket covering the museum, gallery and mausoleum costs PLN 20, reduced PLN 15; groups are welcome by reservation (tel. +48 18 206 84 26). The main entrance is from ul. Guty: leave your car in the lay-by, cross the footbridge over the Zakopianka stream and climb the steep steps. For older visitors and people with disabilities the museum recommends driving in from ul. Harenda towards the little church, where you can park right by the house. Allow about 1 hour for the visit.