Gothic Art in the Carpathians

From 10 April to 9 August 2026, the Main Building of the National Museum in Krakow showed nearly a hundred works of Gothic painting and sculpture drawn from nine countries on both sides of the Carpathians - the first attempt to present the region as a single artistic zone.

The National Museum in Krakow on the exhibition:

“Gothic Art in the Carpathians” is the first attempt to jointly present the art of the late Middle Ages across all the countries of the region. By assembling around one hundred paintings and sculptures brought from nine countries, complemented by photographic documentation made specially for the exhibition of what cannot be moved (wall paintings, architectural sculpture), we show the Carpathians as an artistic area of sustained continuity, where one work of art gave rise to the next. The same workshops operated on both sides of the mountains, paintings and sculptures were sent in both directions, and artistic tendencies interpenetrated here just as freely.

The exhibition presents new discoveries resulting from current conservation work and field research, and offers an opportunity to verify attributions made long ago. We also take the opportunity to reunite - even if only temporarily - works of art whose elements were once scattered.

“Gothic Art in the Carpathians” is a rare chance to see up close paintings and sculptures that are normally hard to access or have never been shown publicly.

What to expect

The show gathers around a hundred Gothic paintings and sculptures from nine countries, supplemented by photographs of what cannot travel - wall paintings and architectural sculpture. Among the key objects are the only surviving fragment of the Esztergom Crucifix, a monumental figure of St John the Baptist by Veit Stoss the Younger, a Pensive Christ by the Master Paul of Levoca, and the famous Transylvanian Crucifix from the Franciscan church in Vienna.

The exhibition is accompanied by an educational trail in the form of an illustrated booklet with tasks, available free of charge in the exhibition space - aimed at teenagers and adults who enjoy active visiting.

The exhibition cost 35 PLN (normal) / 25 PLN (reduced) and ran from 10 April to 9 August 2026 at the Main Building (al. 3 Maja 1, Krakow).

After the show

The exhibition closed on 9 August 2026. The museum’s page does not state whether the show is touring elsewhere or list a catalogue for sale in the museum shop.

Currently on at the National Museum in Krakow:

• Vincent van Gogh: Country Cottages among Trees - in the same Main Building, a painting from the MNK collection, on view until 31 December 2026.
• Picasso and the Pikasiaks. Modern Ceramics - at the Szolayski House, until 7 February 2027.
• Under Sails and Stars - Seas, Ports and Sailors - at the Czapski Museum, until 7 February 2027.

Museum profile: National Museum in Krakow - Main Building .