Krakow Bobbin Lace - A Living Heritage

Ten years after Krakow bobbin lace joined the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Museum of Krakow shows that the craft is still alive - in the hands of a dozen or so active lacemakers gathered in the Krakow Region Lacemakers Association.

Museum of Krakow on the exhibition (attributed translation):

2026 marks ten years since Krakow bobbin lace was inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. To mark the occasion, the Krakow Region Lacemakers Association, together with the Museum of Krakow’s Intangible Heritage Interpretation Centre, invites visitors to the exhibition “Krakow Bobbin Lace - A Living Heritage.”

The inscription covers not only surviving objects or historical patterns, but above all the knowledge and skills passed between successive generations - and Krakow bobbin lace remains exactly that kind of living practice.

Olga Szerauc, Zofia Dunajczan and Jadwiga Wegorek hold an important place in the history of Krakow lacemaking, their work and designs having helped preserve and develop the technique. Maria Modes-Dudrewiczowa is another key figure in the study of Polish lacemaking - formerly head of the lace school in Zakopane, later based in Krakow after retiring, where she self-published methodical handbooks on various lacemaking techniques; her legacy is still the subject of ongoing research and attempts at historical reconstruction.

Today’s community of lace-keepers comprises a dozen or so actively working women, and the Krakow Region Lacemakers Association has around 20 members. Knowledge and skills are passed on both individually and at regular joint workshop meetings for learning, exchanging experience and working on patterns.

The exhibition presents work by contemporary Krakow lacemakers, combining pieces that use historical patterns with reconstructions and original designs. This allows visitors to see different ways of engaging with the tradition: from preserving and passing on historical skills to independent design and a fresh reading of old technical solutions.

Reconstructing a historical piece of lace can be more than recreating its appearance. Analysing the source and pattern, identifying the stitches, choosing materials, and working out how the thread was guided all let makers test, in practice, information preserved in old pattern books and manuals. In this way, hands-on practice becomes a tool for understanding the historical craft of lacemaking.

What to expect

The exhibition occupies a single room on the first floor of Krzysztofory Palace - the one dedicated to traditional Krakow folk costume, where bobbin lace fits naturally alongside the permanent display’s theme. It shows work by contemporary lacemakers from two angles on the same tradition: reconstructions of historical patterns alongside original designs. This is a small, intimate presentation - think of it as an addition to a visit to the permanent exhibition “Krakow from the Beginning, without End,” not as a destination in its own right.

The show was created to mark the tenth anniversary of Krakow bobbin lace’s inscription on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage and is part of this year’s European Heritage Days; it received funding from Poland’s Minister of Culture and National Heritage, with patronage from the National Heritage Institute and the Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University.

Context

Bobbin lace is a technique in which thread is wound around wooden bobbins (hence the name) following a pattern pinned onto a lacemaking cushion - unlike crochet or needle lace, it requires managing several pairs of threads at once. In Krakow and its region the technique has survived not as a museum artefact but as a skill passed hand to hand: the Krakow Region Lacemakers Association holds regular workshop meetings where experienced lacemakers teach newcomers and work together on patterns. The 2016 inscription on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage - ten years before this exhibition - recognised precisely this living, still-practised knowledge, not only the surviving historical objects, as the value worth protecting.

Tickets and time

There is no separate ticket: the exhibition’s page states that entry is included in the ticket for the permanent exhibition “Krakow from the Beginning, without End” (regular 34 PLN, reduced 29 PLN), and the lace room is open whenever the permanent exhibition is. The other temporary show running at Krzysztofory, “Art and Trade: Krakow of Craftsmen”, works differently and needs its own ticket (30/24 PLN). On Tuesdays the permanent exhibition is free (free tickets at bilety.muzeumkrakowa.pl or at the ticket desk on the day, while places last). The museum does not say outright whether the free Tuesday ticket also covers the lace room, so ask at the desk if you come on a Tuesday. The lace room itself takes ten to twenty minutes to see, on top of the standard 60-90 minutes for the Krzysztofory permanent exhibition. The branch is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00-18:00; last entry is 17:00 for individual visitors and 16:45 for groups.

Events

Both events take place at Krzysztofory Palace on the exhibition’s second-to-last day. The event pages are in Polish only and say nothing about English interpretation. Both are free, but places must be booked through the museum’s Visitor Service Centre (tel. +48 12 426 50 60, info@muzeumkrakowa.pl ).

• 24 Oct 2026, 15:00 - a krakowiak dance workshop led by Agnieszka Wargowska-Dudek: a short introduction to the history of the krakowiak, the region’s traditional folk dance, then its gallop step, stamping step and heel clicks, and simple figures danced in pairs. Sala Miedziana (Copper Room), first floor, 120 minutes, limit 25 people - details (Polish) .
• 24 Oct 2026, 18:00 - “From Pattern to Reconstruction: Krakow Bobbin Lace as a Living Artistic Practice”: a public demonstration of reconstructed lace and a meeting with the lacemakers who carry the tradition, introduced by the curator Justyna Łukaszewska-Haberkowa and followed by a conversation with Museum of Krakow staff. Sala Fontany (Fontana Room), first floor, 120 minutes, limit 20 people - details (Polish) .

Updates

• 22 Sep 2026 - title and dates checked against the museum’s page: unchanged (18 Sep 2026 - 25 Oct 2026). The exhibition page now confirms that entry is included in the permanent-exhibition ticket, and the ticket section has been corrected accordingly. Two accompanying events on 24 Oct 2026 added (source: exhibition page ).

See also

• Krzysztofory Palace - the branch profile for the venue hosting this exhibition, home to the permanent exhibition “Krakow from the Beginning, without End.”
• Intangible Heritage Interpretation Centre of Krakow - the exhibition’s co-organiser, custodian of the city’s living traditions, including the Lajkonik parade and the craft of Krakow nativity scenes.
• Krakow. Sounds, Melodies, Words - another current exhibition from the Intangible Heritage Interpretation Centre, on the city’s intangible sonic heritage.

Museum profile: Krzysztofory Palace .