Ojców National Park Nature Exhibition

The Nature Exhibition of Ojców National Park occupies the former Hotel pod Łokietkiem, built in 1860 when Ojców was a fashionable spa. The visit begins with 3D films and ends in front of a huge diorama in which dusk falls and night arrives. On the way there is a reconstructed cave with water dripping from the ceiling and the calls of bats – the emblem of Poland's smallest national park.

History: from Villa Jadwiga to a new exhibition

The park's museum opened in 1965 in Villa Jadwiga, which now houses the park headquarters. In 1972 the exhibition moved to the former hotel, with a concept by Prof. Jerzy Świecimski. After almost 30 years it was time for a change: in 2001 a competition was held and won by a team led by Tadeusz Kowalski. Work began in June 2008 – the bank of the Prądnik stream was raised to protect the building from floods, the footbridge was rebuilt, and a rock garden of xerothermic plants and an arboretum were laid out around it. The new exhibition was officially opened on 21 January 2010, and the first visitors came in on 17 April 2010.

What to see

• Two 3D films – one on how the Prądnik Valley formed from the Late Jurassic to the present day, the other about the park itself.
• Geology room – a column showing a geological cross-section of the Ojców area, plus fossils: sponges, ammonites, belemnites, sea urchins, brachiopods and bryozoans.
• Reconstructed cave – a cooler room with an archaeological trench and the story of early humans; with a bit of luck, a drop of water will land on your head.
• Model of the park at 1:2000 – picked out by a moving spotlight, with remains of a mammoth and a cave bear and finds from more than 120,000 years of human presence in the valley.
• Diorama – Carpathian beech forest, rock vegetation and a meadow with a stream: 49 bird species, 14 mammal species, amphibians, reptiles and insects. Before it, nearly 400 stereoscopic photos of fungi, plants and invertebrates.

Interesting facts

Ojców National Park covers just 2,145.62 ha and lies 16 km north of Kraków. Of the 28 bat species found in Poland, 21 have been recorded here – which is why a bat appears in the park's emblem. The museum also holds mementoes of Prof. Władysław Szafer, one of the people behind the park's creation, including his microscope and diplomas.

Tripto tip

According to the park's notice for October 2026, the exhibition was open Monday to Saturday 9:00–15:00 (last entry). A standard ticket costs PLN 20, reduced PLN 14; the 3D film alone is PLN 6, and the exhibition without the film PLN 14 (reduced PLN 10). Visits are led by a narrator, and foreign visitors can use audio guides in English, Spanish, German and Russian. Groups must book online at least a day ahead. Allow about an hour, then walk on to the Casimir Castle or Łokietek Cave.