The biographical museum of Jan Matejko, one of the greatest Polish painters of the 19th century, the creator of historical and battle paintings, is situated in a tenement in the heart of the Krakow Old Town. That is the place where the Polish artist was born, lived, created and died.
Jan Matejko (1838–1893) was the most famous representative of the Polish historical painting, an author of large canvases depicting the heartbreaking themes from the past of his homeland. His works are flooded with deep patriotism documenting the most important moments in the history of the Polish nation (“Bitwa pod Grunwaldem” (Battle of Grunwald), “Stańczyk”, “Rejtan”, “Hołd pruski” (Prussian Tribute), “Konstytucja 3 maja” (Constitution of the 3rd May).
The artist’s students included, among others: Jacek Malczewski, Józef Mehoffer, Stanisław Wyspiański.
At the Jan Matejko House there are mementos of the painter and the collection that the painter had been gathering for his entire life – extensive collections of handcraft, fabrics and military items, Judaica, goldsmith’s products and even instruments of torture. He used most of these items as painting props. In the museum you can also watch portraits of the artist’s family and friends, caricatures and drafts of big canvases.
