The most important beauty contest in the city? The 79th Kraków Nativiy Scene Contest, of course! The dazzling constructions compete in different categories and they all end up at the contest exhibition making a welcome return to the freshly renovated Krzysztofory Palace after a few years at Celestat.
Some of us are old to remember that the palace hosted the post-competition exhibitions between 1990 and 2016… This winter nativity scenes return to their original home in the very heart of Kraków!
The Cracovian tradition of making elaborate nativity scenes dates back to the 19th century. As the beautiful custom started falling out of favour during the interwar period, the municipal authorities came to the rescue in by launching the Nativity Scene Contest in 1937. The contest was resumed after the Second World War, with the Museum of Krakow stepping in as the organiser. Today, the custom has reached international acclaim as Poland’s first entry on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2018.
- opening hours: Tue–Fri 9am – 6pm, last entrance 5:30pm
- tickets PLN 14/10, group members PLN 10/9, family PLN 28
