Музей Чарторийських Czartoryski Museum

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One of the most interesting tourist attractions in Krakow is the building of the city arsenal, which now houses the Czartoryski Museum. The founder of the museum was Isabella Czartoryska, and each succeeding generation of Czartoryskis contributed to this chic collection. Now in the halls of the museum you can see examples of art from different countries and times: Etruscan and Greek vases, Egyptian antiquities, medieval weapons and armor, silverware, various church utensils, rare carpets and tapestries. But the greatest value is the collection of paintings, the pearl of which are "The Lady with the Ermine" by Leonardo da Vinci and "Landscape with the Merciful Samaritan" by Rembrandt. Not all masterpieces have survived to the present day, some of them were lost during the Second World War. The empty frame in front of the "Lady with the Ermine" reminds us of this - once there was a portrait of Raphael's brush in it.
In addition to the exhibition, the museum has a library with more than 70.000 ancient books, manuscripts and maps. On Sundays, visiting the museum's permanent exhibitions is free.

In front of the entrance to one of the museum's buildings in 2006, a bronze copy of the marble sculpture "Mercury" by the great sculptor Bertel Torvaldsen was installed - the original is in the museum. Next to the wall of the Carpenter's Tower (it also belongs to the museum) is a memorial plaque explaining the history of the installation of the sculpture. Descendants of the Czartoryskis still support the museum, including financially.