A View of the Krakowianki - the Phenomenon of the Wisla Krakow Women's Basketball Team

The women’s basketball section of TS Wisla Krakow is the most decorated team in the history of Polish women’s basketball. Mounted at the Krzysztofory Palace for the club’s 120th anniversary, this display tells that story through the career of a single player - Patrycja Czepiec.

The Museum of Krakow on the exhibition (translated from the museum’s Polish description; the museum has not published an English page for this display):

On 1 July 2026 the Krzysztofory Palace opens “A View of the Krakowianki - the Phenomenon of the Wisla Krakow Women’s Basketball Team”, organised by the Wisla History Association together with the Museum of Krakow.

The display is devoted to the history of the women’s basketball section of TS Wisla Krakow, and its central figure is Patrycja Czepiec - a Wisla Krakow product, European champion in 1999 and an Olympian at Sydney 2000, one of the most outstanding basketball players to come out of Krakow.

Her sporting path illustrates the continuity of generations in the Wisla community - from family tradition (her mother, Wiesława Lech-Czepiec, was a Wisla Krakow gymnast and competed at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics), through training at the club, to success on the international stage.

On show are exceptional mementoes from her career, among them her shirt from the Sydney 2000 Olympics and other personal items. These are complemented by memorabilia connected with Ludwik Miętta-Mikołajewicz, including the trophy marking his induction into the FIBA Hall of Fame, along with archival photographs and historic pennants signed by the Wisla players.

What to expect

Beyond recalling the achievements of Poland’s most decorated women’s basketball section, the display sets out the personal story of one of its finest players, whose career forms part of the sporting heritage of Krakow and of the Biala Gwiazda. It can be seen within the permanent exhibition “Krakow from the Beginning, Without End” at the Krzysztofory Palace until 30 September 2026.

Context

The women’s basketball section of TS Wisla Krakow was founded in 1946, a year after the club took its current shape, and won the Krakow championship almost immediately, which opened the way to top-flight play from 1950 onward. The section’s history splits into two golden eras: 1963-1982 under coach Ludwik Miętta-Mikołajewicz, when the team collected title after title, and 2003-2017, when sponsorship from the CANPACK Group backed eight further Polish championships and a Euroleague semi-final run in the 2009/2010 season. In total that is 25 Polish championship titles, more than any other club in the history of Polish women’s basketball, which makes the Krzysztofory Palace display a story about record holders rather than a single successful season. The odd-sounding title is the name of a series: under the “A View of the Krakowianki” banner (a Krakowianka is a woman from Krakow) the museum mounts successive small displays inside its permanent exhibition, each devoted to one woman of the city - from 22 January to 29 March 2026 it was the painter Maria Eleonora Tałasiewiczówna-Politalska (the museum’s announcement, in Polish ).

Tickets and time

The exhibition is included in the ticket for the permanent display “Krakow from the Beginning, Without End” at the Krzysztofory Palace - the museum runs no separate pricing for it. That ticket costs 34 PLN, or 29 PLN reduced.

Admission to the permanent exhibition is free on Tuesdays; the museum does not say explicitly whether that covers this display, but it sits inside the permanent exhibition, so a free Tuesday ticket should include it. Free tickets are issued on bilety.muzeumkrakowa.pl , and at the ticket desk only while places last (prices and rules on the branch page ).

The branch is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00-18:00, with last admission at 17:00 for individual visitors and 16:45 for organised groups.

Given the modest scale of the display (showcases and panels supplementing the permanent exhibition), allow an extra ten to thirty minutes on top of a Krzysztofory Palace visit. It is aimed chiefly at Wisla Krakow fans and anyone interested in the history of Polish women’s sport - other visitors will find it a worthwhile addition to the main city-history exhibition rather than a must-see on its own.

English on site: the museum publishes nothing about English labels or tours for this display, and its web page for it exists only in Polish.

This is the final week. The branch is closed on Monday 28 September, Tuesday 29 September is the last Tuesday with free admission to the permanent exhibition, and Wednesday 30 September is the last day of the display.

What the press says

Radio Krakow (22 Jul 2026, Grzegorz Bernasik): an opening-day report paired with a studio interview with Patrycja Czepiec, who spoke about her family’s sporting tradition - her mother, Wiesława Lech-Czepiec, was a Wisla Krakow gymnast who competed at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics - listen (Polish-language, no English coverage found for this exhibition).

Updates

• 22 Sep 2026 - dates checked on the exhibition page : unchanged (1 Jul 2026 - 30 Sep 2026). The 18 September tour date has passed and the museum’s newsletter for 21-27 September announces no further events for this display, so the events section has been removed. Ticket prices, the free-Tuesday rule and the closing days added.
• 13 Sep 2026 - added historical context on the club section, ticket and hours detail, the accompanying event, and a first press item. Exhibition dates and the museum’s own description are unchanged.

See also

• Cracovia - 120 Years of History - a second sports-history exhibition at Krzysztofory Palace, also prepared for a 120th-anniversary jubilee (this time Cracovia’s), running in the same window, through 30 September 2026.
• Art and Trade. Krakow of Craftsmen - another exhibition on Krakow’s history at the same museum branch, open until 25 October 2026 on a separate ticket; its curator, Dr Katarzyna Moskal, leads tours on 24 September at 16:30 and 27 September at 12:00.

Museum profile: Krzysztofory Palace - Museum of Krakow .