Exhibition: “Croatian Culture in Kraków” at the Jagiellonian Library

The Institute of Slavic Philology at the Jagiellonian University, Kliofest in Zagreb and the Jagiellonian Library invite you to an exhibition showcasing the colourful and rich connections between Croatian culture and art and Kraków. The International Cultural Centre is the patron of this event.

Exhibition opening: 1 June 2026, 17.00

Venue: Exhibition Hall of the Jagiellonian Library

Dates: 1 June 2026 – 30 June 2026,

Opening hours: Monday 10.00–17.00, Tuesday–Wednesday 9.00–17.00

Author and curator: Prof. Maciej Czerwiński

The idea for the exhibition “Croatian Culture in Kraków” arose whilst working on two manuscript copies of Ivan Gundulić’s “Osman” – a masterpiece of Croatian Baroque – held at the Jagiellonian Library. The epic, which describes, among other things, the Battle of Chocim and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s victory over the Ottoman Empire, became the starting point for a narrative on centuries-old Polish-Croatian relations. To understand these, Gundulić’s work must be viewed within the broader historical context that took shape in Kraków.

When the University of Kraków was founded in 1364, many people from Dalmatia began to come to the city to study. It was in Kraków that a circle of humanists formed, active at the courts of Polish magnates. After completing their studies, some members of the Croatian intelligentsia played a leading role in politics, extending far beyond the Polish or Croatian context. The exhibition traces the connections between Croatians and Kraków dating back to the Middle Ages, when the Jagiellonian University attracted students from Dalmatia and was an important centre of humanism in Central Europe. Among its distinguished alumni were Antun Vrančić, Juraj Drašković, Vinko Pribojević and Andrija Dudić – figures who played a significant role in the politics and culture of Central Europe at the time.

The exhibition also recalls 19th-century Polish-Croatian contacts within the Habsburg Monarchy. At that time, many Poles and Croats worked to foster mutual understanding between the two nations. Of particular significance for these relations was the album “Kraków – Zagrzebiowi”, published in 1881 by Kraków’s intellectual circles to support the reconstruction of Zagreb following an earthquake. Three editions of this album are held at the Jagiellonian Library and will also be on display at the exhibition. The reissue of this publication in 2011 – at the time of the signing of Croatia’s accession treaty to the European Union – had a symbolic significance.

The exhibition also features contemporary figures, such as the Nobel laureate in literature, Ivo Andrić. This former student of the Jagiellonian University was also involved in rescuing Polish professors imprisoned at Sachsenhausen. Alongside him is the eminent sculptor Ivan Meštrović. His retrospective exhibition was organised in 2017 by the International Cultural Centre in Kraków, and was co-curated by Prof. Maciej Czerwiński. A bilingual Polish-English catalogue accompanying the exhibition “Adriatic Epopee. Ivan Meštrović”.

The exhibition “Croatian Culture in Kraków” will also document the presence of Croatian literature and works on Croatia that were produced in Kraków or in which the Kraków community of Slavicists and historians was involved. It will also feature artefacts created in our city but inspired by Croatian literature, including the kinetic sculptures of Prof. Piotr Bożyk.

The exhibition will also showcase publications, including those from the ICC Publishing House, concerning Croatia. 

Organisers: Institute of Slavic Philology, Jagiellonian University; Jagiellonian Library; Kliofest Zagreb

Patronage: Matica Hrvatska; International Cultural Centre; DiHeLib

Honorary Patronage of the Rector of the Jagiellonian University, Prof. Piotr Jedynak

Author and curator: Prof. Maciej Czerwiński

Production: cover design by Michał Worgacz/Natalia Palich; exhibition design by Michał Worgacz; exhibition preparation by Anna Bęben, Karolina Chorązka-Paluch, Adam Piaśnik, Iwona Wawrzynek, Michał Worgacz, and the Conservation Section.

Exhibition Committee:

Damir Agičić (University of Zagreb, Kliofest)

Maciej Czerwiński (Jagiellonian University)

Magdalena Najbar-Agičić (University of Sjever, Kliofest)

Božidar Petrač (Matica Hrvatska)

Agata Wąsowska-Pawlik (International Cultural Centre)

Władysław Witalisz (Jagiellonian University)