Museum of the University of Wrocław

The Museum of the University of Wrocław is an academic museum gathering collections connected with the university's history. It is housed in the main university building on the bank of the Oder, at University Square, and makes several historic representative halls available to visitors.

How it was founded

The museum was established on 6 August 1992, as a result of the transformation of the Museum Collections Department of the Archive of the University of Wrocław into an independent university-wide unit. On 13 May 2005 its branch, the House of the Archaeologist, was created on the campus at Koszarowa 3, where temporary exhibitions connected with archaeological research are presented.

Leopoldine Hall

The largest and most representative hall of the main building is Leopoldine Hall, made in the baroque style, with illusionistic wall painting and sculptural decoration and furnishings. It is the hall where most visits to the museum begin.

Oratorium Marianum and the Mathematical Tower

Oratorium Marianum was created as a monastery chapel between 1728 and 1741. After the university was founded in 1811, the interior was converted into a concert hall. The Mathematical Tower, meanwhile, is an astronomical observatory set up in 1791, with a viewing terrace at a height of 42 metres, from which there is a view over Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island) and the city centre. The museum also includes three exhibition rooms, named after Roman Longchamps de Bérier and Stefan Banach, and a room called the Hall Under the Pillar.

Nearby

The museum is directly adjacent to Aula Leopoldina, which forms part of it, and not far from here are the Basilica of St Elizabeth of Hungary and the Market Square. The same area is also home to the Archaeological Museum and Nowy Targ Square.

Practical information

• Address: University Square 1, Wrocław, Old Town district
• Getting there: on the bank of the Oder near the Market Square
• What to expect: according to the museum's website, the venue is closed on Wednesdays and on public holidays, Holy Saturday and Christmas Eve; the last tickets are sold half an hour before closing; the lift at the entrance from the church side only goes up to the level of Leopoldine Hall, and the Mathematical Tower must be reached by stairs; it is worth checking the full opening hours on the official website before visiting