Collection is Castle-bound
One of Cracow's finest art collections will be packed up and removed from the city this July. The Gallery of Nineteenth Century Polish Art, which is housed in the magnificent Cloth Hall that straddles the Main Market Square, owns over 200 treasures from the hands of some of Poland's best-loved artists. The accompanying renovation of the Cloth Hall is due to last about three years.
However, the good news is that the collection will not be disappearing into some dark dungeon. The National Museum has arranged for a fantastic temporary exhibition space in the form of the Royal Castle at Niepolomice. This vast Renaissance hunting lodge, which lies 15 miles south-east of Cracow on the fringe of the Proszowo Forest, is amongst the most impressive monuments in the region. 16 salons have been prepared for the Cloth Hall collection.
In the meantime, far-reaching plans are afoot for the Cloth Hall itself. Some 20 million zloties have been ear-marked for the project, 10 million of which have come from EU sources. The modernization, which is timely, will include acclimatization machines, a terrace with a cafe, multi-media displays and access by lift for the disabled. 2009 has been put forward as a tentative date for the grand reopening.