Dom Jana Matejki, Kraków

Dom Jana Matejki is the former home of Jan Matejko, now a museum devoted to the Polish painter. The tenement began as a single-storey building in the 16th century, gained another storey in the 18th century, and received a mansard-topped upper level in the 19th century. Matejko took sole ownership in 1871, commissioned a two-year renovation, and moved in with his family.

The museum opened in 1896, initially showing visitors the living room and bedroom. Since 1904, it has belonged to the National Museum in Kraków as one of its branches. During the Second World War, works by Matejko were concealed inside this closed museum to protect them from Nazi looting. The house remains a rare kind of museum: the artist’s home itself preserves the setting of his life and work.