Underground Main Square Museum, Krakow (must see)

The Underground Main Square Museum spans almost 4,000 square meters and offers a rare chance to walk beneath the city’s medieval heart and explore centuries of buried history. Opened in 2010 after an extensive archaeological excavation, the museum was created when researchers discovered remarkably well-preserved layers of Kraków’s early marketplace beneath the current Main Square. These findings included foundations of medieval buildings, merchant stalls, workshop areas, and even the remnants of an earlier square that existed before the one laid out after the Mongol invasion of 1241.

The museum is designed as an immersive archaeological park that reveals how life in Kraków unfolded between the 11th and 18th centuries. Interactive exhibits, holograms, and multimedia reconstructions help visitors visualize the medieval trading hub that once thrived above. Among the most significant discoveries are the remains of wooden roads, stone market stalls, and traces of blacksmiths’ and goldsmiths’ workshops. One of the museum’s highlights is the preserved section of ancient city walls and a defensive walkway used by guards who protected the bustling market.

As you walk around the museum, you can also see artifacts uncovered during the excavation—coins, tools, jewelry, toys, and everyday objects that illuminate the daily routines of medieval townspeople. The museum cleverly places these items within archaeological layers, giving a sense of walking through history rather than simply observing it. Glass walkways let you peer directly down onto excavated structures, creating a dynamic connection to the past.

Another notable feature is the reconstructed medieval cemetery and the remains of a merchant’s house, offering insight into how people lived, traded, and moved through the city centuries ago.

Throughout the exhibits, atmospheric lighting, soundscapes, and historical maps reinforce the feeling of descending into Kraków’s buried world.