About This Location
Collegium Maius is the oldest part of the Jagiellonian University and one of the most atmospheric courtyards in Kraków’s Old Town. By the 15th century, several earlier houses here had been joined into one late-Gothic college, forming the arcaded courtyard seen today after major rebuilding following fires in 1462 and 1492. It is also where Kraków’s academic legends feel close. Nicolaus Copernicus studied at the Jagiellonian University, and the museum inside Collegium Maius tells the story of university life through ceremonial rooms, old lecture spaces, and collections linked to learning and science. Pause in the courtyard and watch the “musical clock” if it is playing. The moving figures and music are a favorite detail for visitors, and the museum lists regular play times during the day. Before leaving, make sure to slip into the Professor’s Garden hidden behind the museum complex. It is a quiet green pocket with an unusual past - this area once included latrines connected to a sewage system for students living in the college, recorded from 1510 - and today it feels like a calm reset just a few steps from the busy Old Town streets.