Szołayski House
Kraków Artists: Painters and Sculptors
A historic townhouse at Szczepański Square 9, on the corner of Szczepańska Street 11, built in 1815-1818 on the site of the former cemetery by St Stephen's church, using the walls of a medieval townhouse. In 1904 it was donated to the city by Włodzimiera and Adam Szołayski. In 2003-2012 the works of Stanisław Wyspiański were presented here, and since 2012 it has housed a branch of the National Museum, "Szołayski House named after Feliks Jasieński", with permanent and temporary exhibitions, lectures, concerts and art classes. In 2013 the exhibition "Szymborska's Drawer" was shown here.
History
The tenement house stands at Szczepański Square 9, on the corner of Szczepańska Street. It was built for T. and W. Marciszewski, and work lasted from 1815 to 1818. The walls of a medieval tenement house were used, and the new part was built on the former cemetery of St Stephen's Church. In 1849-1856 it housed the editorial office and printing house of "Czas". From 1902 the house belonged to Włodzimiera and Adam Szołayski, and in 1904 it was given to the city as a seat for a museum; it was actually handed over in 1928.
From 1934 it housed the Feliks "Manggha" Jasieński branch. Jasieński (1861-1929) was an art critic and collector and an important figure in Kraków's artistic life. He took his pseudonym from the title of a collection of woodcuts by the Japanese artist Hokusai. In 1920 he gave Kraków about 15,000 objects, including about 6,500 on Japanese themes, on condition that the collection would be open to the public and remain an indivisible whole. After his death it was housed in this very building. After the war a gallery of medieval art was set up here.
In 2003, after renovation, the house became the seat of the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum, which had existed since 1983 and was previously located at Kanonicza Street 9. The interiors form an enfilade of rooms on two floors, linked by a wooden staircase, and on the walls of some rooms you can see uncovered and reconstructed wall paintings from different periods. After a further renovation, since 2012 it has been home to the Feliks Jasieński Szołayski House, a branch of the National Museum, with permanent and temporary exhibitions, lectures, concerts, theatre performances and art classes for young people. On 1 February 2013, the first anniversary of Wisława Szymborska's death, the exhibition "Szymborska's Drawer" opened here, showing objects from the poet's flat, her collages, knick-knacks, books and photographs.
Did you know?
Szczepański Square was originally called National Guard Square, because on 3 August 1811 the first review of the Kraków National Guard took place here. To mark the occasion, a commemorative black marble plaque was placed on the Szołayski House.