Tickets to the Tatra Museum are charged, but you don’t need to book in advance; most travelers simply wander through while exploring downtown Zakopane. In addition to the permanent collection, which features everything from traditional musical instruments and vehicles to a full-size stuffed brown bear, there are occasional special exhibitions, generally showcasing local arts and crafts.
Architecture fans will appreciate the building, which follows the Zakopane style—a blend of art nouveau with local design elements from traditional wooden houses—but in brick and stone rather than wood. The painter, novelist, playwright, and architect Stanisław Witkiewicz, creator of the Zakopane style, designed it in the early 20th century.
The Tatra Museum is a good choice for taxidermy geeks, ethnographers, folklore fans, and people interested in Polish architecture.
Don’t confuse Zakopane’s Tatra Museum with the Czech Republic’s Tatra museum (Technicke Museum Tatra), devoted to trucks from the nation’s Tatra vehicle company.
Most exhibition text is written in Polish. Travelers who don’t read Polish can tour both museum floors in 30 minutes.
The Tatra Museum occupies a striking building from Krupowki Street, Zakopane’s main drag. It’s around 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) from the train station, which is about a 2-hour journey from Krakow by rail or road.
The museum is open 10am–6pm Wednesday through Sunday and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. It’s rarely crowded, so visit at a time that suits you. Peak seasons for Zakopane are summer (July–August) and the school vacation ski season (mid-January through February).
The Tatra Museum operates a total of 10 different branches in and around Zakopane, although one or more is usually closed for renovation. Architecture buffs will appreciate Zakopane’s Willa Koliba—Zakopane Style Museum, a 15-minute walk west of the Tatra Museum. It’s a beautiful wooden highlander villa designed by Witkiewicz, displaying how the Zakopane style evolved. Or, walk 1 mile (1.5 kilometers) southeast of the Tatra Museum to Willa Oksza—Tatra Museum: It showcases 20th-century artworks from Zakopane in an ornate wooden Zakopane-style villa designed by Witkiewicz.
