Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art in the Cloth Hall

The Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art in the Sukiennice, located on the first floor of the Sukiennice building in Kraków, is the oldest branch of the National Museum in Kraków. Its origins date back to 1884, when Henryk Siemiradzki donated his famous work *Pochodnie Nerona* (Nero's Torches) to the gallery. Today, it is the largest permanent exhibition of 19th-century Polish painting and sculpture in Poland, featuring works displayed in four halls: the Enlightenment Hall, the Piotr Michałowski Hall, the Around the Academy Hall, and the Chełmoński Hall. The Enlightenment Hall showcases influences of classicism and pre-romanticism, with works by artists such as Marcello Bacciarelli and Kazimierz Wojniakowski. The Michałowski Hall houses the largest collection of works by this outstanding Romantic painter, including portraits of Jews and peasants, as well as paintings related to the January Uprising. The Around the Academy Hall displays important works of historical painting, including Jan Matejko’s *Kościuszko pod Racławicami* (Kościuszko at Racławice), while the Chełmoński Hall presents landscapes and realist compositions, including renowned works by Józef Chełmoński. The gallery not only exhibits paintings but also sculptures by artists such as Jakub Tatarkiewicz and Antoni Madeyski. It is worth noting that the "New Sukiennice" project, carried out between 2006 and 2010, involved a thorough renovation and modernization of the gallery, providing better conditions for displaying the rich heritage of Polish art. Today, the Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art in the Sukiennice remains an important landmark on Poland’s cultural map, attracting art lovers and tourists from around the world.