Museums

Villa Atma in Zakopane

A few steps from Krupówki street, at Kasprusie 19, stands the wooden Villa "Atma" — the only museum in Poland devoted to Karol Szymanowski. It was here, in the shadow of the Tatra Mountains, that the composer spent the years 1930–1935 and completed his most famous ballet, "Harnasie".

History of the villa

The house was built in 1895 by Józef Kasprusie-Stoch as a guesthouse in the Zakopane style. In 1925–1926 the building was extended to its present form and given the name "Atma" — Sanskrit for "soul". In October 1930 Karol Szymanowski moved in. Here he finished and orchestrated "Harnasie" and composed "Veni Creator", his Violin Concerto No. 2, "12 Kurpie Songs", the "Litany to the Virgin Mary" and two mazurkas of opus 62. His guests included leading artists of the era: Julian Tuwim, Witkacy, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, Zofia Nałkowska, and the pianist Artur Rubinstein. The composer left in November 1935 for treatment in Switzerland — he never returned to Poland.

The museum

The villa belongs to the National Museum in Kraków and holds the only collection of Szymanowski memorabilia of its kind in Poland. Concerts echoing the house's musical traditions take place inside, and the villa lies on the Wooden Architecture Trail of the Małopolska region.

Practical information

The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays; the standard ticket costs PLN 8, reduced PLN 4, and children under 7 enter free. It is worth combining a visit with a walk to nearby Gubałówka, less than two kilometres away.