Collegium Maius

The Collegium Maius is the oldest building of the Jagiellonian University, which was founded in 1364 and refounded in 1400, and it took its present form in the later fifteenth century: a square around a Gothic arcaded courtyard with a well, an outside staircase, and lecture rooms, a library and the professors' common room off it. Copernicus studied in this building in the 1490s. The museum inside shows the university's historic collections - astronomical and surveying instruments, among them the Jagiellonian globe of about 1510, which carries one of the earliest known depictions of the American continent on a globe, along with astrolabes, an alchemy room and the rectors' insignia. In the courtyard, a mechanical clock plays at set times each day while carved figures process across it. Parts of the building are still used by the university, and the treasury holds an Oscar donated by Andrzej Wajda.

History

King Władysław II Jagiełło bought the building for the Kraków Academy with funds left by his late wife, Queen Jadwiga, and the university moved into it. It was rebuilt in the late 15th century as a late-Gothic building around a large arcaded courtyard, where a well was added in 1517; professors lived and worked upstairs and lectures were held below, and in the 1490s Nicolaus Copernicus studied here (Wikipedia, Collegium Maius, Kraków).

What you'll find

• A Gothic arcaded courtyard - the fifteenth-century core, with a well and outside stair.
• The Jagiellonian globe - about 1510, with an early depiction of America.
• Instruments and insignia - astrolabes, surveying tools and the rectors' regalia.
• The courtyard clock - carved figures processing at set hours.

When to go

All year. Two hours.

Things to know

Entry is by timed guided tour and slots sell out, especially in summer - book ahead. The courtyard alone can be entered free at set hours. Closed on Sundays and parts of the university calendar.

Nearby

The market square and Wawel are both a short walk away.