Discover Tarnów: Old Town, museums and Maszkaron figures

Old Town and architectural history

Tarnów offers several perspectives on the city’s history: the Old Town, museums and the Szlak Maszkaronów each have their own focus. The range extends from the Renaissance town layout and historic religious buildings to collections and a trail of figures.

The Old Town has a Renaissance street plan. The Market Square was laid out when the town was founded in 1330; it is lined mostly with burgher houses dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The layout of the town and several centuries of architectural history can be seen side by side. If you are interested in architecture, the square and its buildings offer a tangible introduction to the city’s history: the Renaissance plan and later periods of construction can be read as distinct layers of time.

Near the Market Square stands the wooden Church of Matki Bożej Szkaplerznej, consecrated in 1440. The Cathedral Basilica was built in the 14th century in the Gothic style. It acquired its present-day Neo-Gothic appearance after a major renovation and partial reconstruction between 1889 and 1900. The cathedral houses Renaissance tombs of members of the Tarnowski family and a Mannerist tomb of the Ostrogski family. The Town Hall also has a long history: its origins date back to the mid-15th century. The Polish-Hungarian general Józef Bem was born in Tarnów. Buildings and biographies thus offer different perspectives on local history.

Museums: city history and culture

At the Museum of the History of Tarnów and the Region, a barrel-organ player figure guides visitors through the city’s history. The exhibition spans prehistory, a guild tavern, a tram, the Second World War and the period of the Polish People’s Republic. The Armoury also displays medieval swords. Different periods and specific exhibits each shed light on the city’s history.

The Ethnographic Museum in Tarnów offers a different perspective on cultural history. The world’s first permanent exhibition on Roma opened there in 1990. It includes handicrafts made by various Roma groups living in Europe, magical objects used in fortune-telling and works by contemporary Roma artists. The museum also holds more than 5,000 objects, including exhibits on the traditional folk culture of the Tarnów region and works by women painters from Zalipie. The focused permanent exhibition and the broader collection highlight different themes, from Roma art and crafts to regional folk culture and painting.

Maszkaron figures and Tarninówka

The Szlak Maszkaronów is a tourist attraction in Tarnów. Created in spring 2024, the route connects twenty Maszkaron figures at important locations around the city; the number may change. Alongside architectural history and museum collections, the figures offer another way to discover Tarnów, at locations throughout the city.

There is also a culinary connection to “Tarnowski Smak”: “Tarninówka,” a blackthorn berry tea. It adds a local flavor to the city’s historical and cultural themes.

Discover more destinations: Zabawa, Ryglice, Rzuchowa, Janowice, Wojnicz, Wierzchosławice, Komorów, Skrzyszów

For the broader travel overview: Tarnów.