PLACE

The distinctive Wyspianski Pavilion building rises in the heart of Kraków’s Old Town, just a few steps from the Main Square. Erected on the initiative of the eminent film director Andrzej Wajda and designed by the equally renowned architect Krzysztof Ingarden, it stands out with its style. However, the bold shape of the building’s body serves not so much as a counterpoint to the historic buildings in the surroundings but as a bridge between the traditional and the contemporary - just like the work of the building’s patron.

The spacious hall of the pavilion is dominated by three windows with stained glass depicting Saint Stanislaus, Casimir the Great and Henry the Pious. Designed by Stanisław Wyspiański in the spirit of modernism and with the Wawel Cathedral in mind, they were accomplished only a century after the author’s death. The ambitious task of interpreting the master’s idea was undertaken by Piotr Ostrowski – a contemporary visual artist, sculptor and stained glass designer.

Since its opening in 2007, the Wyspiański Pavilion has served mainly as an exhibition and representative place, but this is not the only connection of the facility to the universe of Kraków’s culture and art. Over the years, the Wisława Szymborska Foundation, the Kraków Film Commission and the Literary Department of the Krakow Festival Office had their offices here. The building has also housed an InfoKraków city information point since the beginning and Kraków Story since December 2022.