Chrzanów reveals its history through its medieval market square, the Muzeum w Chrzanowie and cultural sites such as St. Nicholas Church. For a stay focused on culture, you can explore the city’s history, Jewish heritage and sacred art as distinct themes. This takes you from the preserved city plan to collections and historical artefacts.

Market Square and City History

The market square was once the centre of city life. Chrzanów retains the medieval, chessboard-like layout of the square and the streets that branch off from it. Anyone exploring the city’s development can consider the market’s former function alongside the preserved layout: one reflects urban life at the time, the other the structure of the town centre.

The 16th-century Lamus Dworski now houses the Muzeum w Chrzanowie. In its Chrzanów exhibition, the museum displays two of the five city registers in its collection, dating from 1908 to 1936. Check what is currently on display before your trip.

The collections also feature the history of crafts and trade. They include craft tools and guild memorabilia: books, seals, a book-shaped shop counter, guild emblems, a sash and the banner of the butchers’ guild. Together, these objects offer insight into different aspects of city life, from trade to guilds.

Jewish Heritage in Chrzanów

The museum’s Judaica collection is one of its most valuable. It presents the material and spiritual culture of the Jewish community, which made up more than half of the city’s population until the outbreak of the Second World War.

The Jewish cemetery in Chrzanów dates back to the mid-18th century and preserves evidence of Jewish burial traditions. Numerous gravestones bear symbolic imagery; some of the most richly decorated date from the early 19th century. The inscriptions are almost exclusively in Hebrew. Several dozen gravestones also feature additions in Yiddish, German and Polish.

From 15 April to 15 October, the Muzeum w Chrzanowie offers educational walks and guided tours of the cemetery for organised groups. In favourable weather, these may exceptionally be available outside this period. The museum accepts bookings by phone; check with the museum to confirm availability for your visit.

Church and the Loewenfeld Quest

St. Nicholas Church combines different architectural styles: its presbytery is Gothic, while the Chapel of St. Stanislaus is Baroque. The church houses a mosaic of the Madonna and Child. In 1888, Pope Leo XIII gave it to Henryk Loewenfeld, who then donated it to the church.

Henryk Loewenfeld also features in the self-guided quest “Śladami Loewenfelda,” which guides visitors through Chrzanów’s history from the late 19th to the early 20th century. The route takes less than two hours and starts at the main entrance to the Miejska Biblioteka Publiczna at 10C Broniewskiego Street. Before setting off, check whether the latest download or app listing is available. Chrzanów is also on the Szlak Miejsc Papieskich na Ziemi Chrzanowskiej.

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