Tadeusz Kantor's Centre for Documentation Cricoteka

On Nadwiślańska Street in Kraków’s Old Podgórze district, Cricoteka is a museum, theatre and archive devoted to Polish artist and theatre director Tadeusz Kantor. Its collection brings together paintings, drawings, set designs, costumes, photographs and recordings of his work. The centre’s striking modern building sits above a former power station, so the architecture is part of the visit. After seeing the exhibitions, head to the café on the upper floor for views over the Vistula and Kraków’s skyline.

A collection devoted to Kantor

Cricoteka preserves the work and legacy of Tadeusz Kantor, the Polish painter, set designer and theatre director. The collection spans several forms, from drawings and theoretical texts to designs, photographs and video recordings. Costumes and objects from performances by his Cricot 2 Theatre are also part of the archive.

In the galleries, paintings and set designs sit alongside recordings of theatre productions. Multimedia installations bring attention to Kantor’s experiments with performance and theatrical form. The displays can feel unsettling and thought-provoking, so this is a stop for visitors interested in avant-garde art and theatre as well as conventional museum exhibits.

The building and the upper-floor café

The centre is housed in a contemporary structure built above a former power station in Old Podgórze. Its unusual design gives the visit an architectural element alongside the exhibitions. The site also includes a theatre and spaces for live performances.

The café on the upper floor is a separate reason to linger. Its windows look out over the Vistula and Kraków’s skyline, and it makes a convenient place to pause after the galleries. You can visit the café as part of a museum outing or stop in for a drink and the view.