Tatra Museum

- architect of the museum building and founder of Zakopane style; here in a self-portrait The museum was established by the Tatra Museum Society, and the building which today serves as the main branch, located in the centre of Zakopane, at 10 Krupówki Street, was designed specifically for this purpose by Stanisław Witkiewicz and Franciszek Mączyński. The building is an example of a "brick-and-stone" variety of Zakopane style architecture. The design was prepared in 1913, and the building started between 1913 and 1914. Count Władysław Zamoyski, a member of the Tatra Museum Society, donated the stones used for building. After the first world war, which had slowed the completion of building, the remaining works and preparations of exhibitions were possible thanks to a loan from Maria Skłodowska-Curie. == Collections and branches ==

Apart from the main branch in Zakopane, at Krupówki Street 10, the museum has 7 other branches in Zakopane and 4 other branches, located in Czarna Góra, Jurgów, Chochołów and Łopuszna. The museum holds and presents: • cultural and ethnographic artifacts, historical clothing, furniture, household objects, decorative objects, glass painting, and crafts; • natural history, flora and fauna of the Tatras; geological exhibits; • fine arts, mainly painting and sculpture created in the Podhale region. Besides the main branch, within Zakopane there are 11 branches of the Tatra Museum, including: • The Museum of Zakopane Style at Villa Koliba; • The Museum of Zakopane Style - Inspirations in the Dembowski Villa; • The Władysław Hasior Gallery in Zakopane; • The Villa Oksza Gallery of 20th Century Art; • The Kornel Makuszyński Museum; • Art Gallery in Koziniec. == Permanent exhibitions ==

Historical exhibition The main building houses an exhibition presenting the history of the Polish Tatras. Photographs, archival documents and publications present a history of the Podhale region from prehistoric times, through first human settlements, the development of towns and villages, the development of Zakopane from a small village into a health resort and centre of the arts and culture in the interwar period. The exhibition presents the time of Zakopane's rapid development and the emergence of a society of active artists and social activists in Podhale at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Tytus Chałubiński, Stanisław Witkiewicz and many other Polish artists had chosen Zakopane as their resort of choice, fascinated by the local folklore and nature. ==References==