Wawel Castle on old postcards
duration 20 min.
July 5, 2025,
in opening hours
Take an extraordinary journey back in time and see how the Wawel Royal Castle was depicted on postcards. Our new exhibition - Wawel Castle on Old Postcards - offers a unique opportunity to get to know the magic and power of this place, captured on small, yet very significant postcards.
For many years, postcards have been used not only as a way to send messages, but also to convey emotions, national pride and cultural identity. At the time of the Partitions of Poland, the image of Wawel Castle put on postcards expressed the desire for freedom and the hope of Poland’s rebirth, showing that the heart of the nation was beating there.
Enjoy the stunning lithographs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries - paintings, pastel drawings and stylised views of Wawel Castle, often accompanied by figures in folk outfits and intricate architectural details. Find out for yourself how in the 1920s and 1930s photographs started to supersede lithography, resulting in a greater realism and documentary character of the images.
Please note: admission to the exhibition Wawel Castle on old postcards also with tickets to the Castle I and to the Castle.