Museum of the Sącz Region in Nowy Sącz

The museum in Nowy Sącz has a history worthy of a novel: its collections went on show for the first time in 1938 in the rebuilt castle, and in January 1945 an exploding ammunition dump reduced the castle – and the exhibits – to rubble. Only 161 objects were recovered from the ruins. Today the Museum of the Sącz Region (Muzeum Ziemi Sądeckiej) is based in an elegant former bank building at ul. Jagiellońska 56 and runs several branches, from the Maria Ritter Gallery to the Nikifor Museum in Krynica-Zdrój.

History: from castle to bank

Local relics began to be collected in Nowy Sącz in the late 19th century, and in 1896 Józef Wieniawa-Zubrzycki gave his house for a museum and library – but the collection was never actually displayed there. The real opening came on 12 August 1938 in the castle. A year later, facing German occupation, the most valuable pieces were hidden in private hands. After the war the museum rebuilt its collection from scratch, and from 1965 its main display was housed in the late-medieval Gothic House (Canons' House) at ul. Lwowska 3. The building was returned to St Margaret's parish, and when the 30-year agreement expired the museum moved out. On 24 January 2024 the former District Museum in Nowy Sącz went back to its pre-war name, Museum of the Sącz Region.

What to see in the Main Building

The museum's headquarters is the former Austro-Hungarian Bank building of 1912, designed by the Kraków architect Teodor Hoffmann. A 2017 modernisation highlighted the grand staircase and the main hall on the top floor, used for temporary exhibitions and concerts.

• The permanent history exhibition on Nowy Sącz in 1867–1945 – from Galician autonomy under Austrian rule, through the wars, to the interwar years.
• Bolesław Barbacki's studio – a recreated atelier with works by the Nowy Sącz portrait painter, who was shot by the Germans in 1941 in nearby Biegonice.
• Temporary exhibitions – in autumn 2026, for example, "A Fly in Amber. Witold Chomicz and Maria Kownacka in the Sącz Region" (until 31 January 2027).

The museum's branches

In Nowy Sącz itself you'll also find the Maria Ritter Gallery and Old Burgher Interiors at Rynek 2, the Sącz Ethnographic Park and the Galician Town. Outside the city the museum runs the Museum of the Sącz Lachs in Podegrodzie, the Nikifor Museum in Krynica-Zdrój and the Pieniny Museum in Szlachtowa.

Tripto tip

The Main Building is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30), and closed on Mondays. From 1 May 2026 a standard ticket costs PLN 15 and a reduced one PLN 11, and admission is free on Sundays. A combined ticket with the Maria Ritter Gallery (PLN 19) is good value. Allow about 1–1.5 hours for the exhibitions. The building has no car park of its own, so use the paid parking nearby. The exhibition floor is accessible by lift for wheelchair users.