History of the building of the Archaeological Museum in Kraków at the exhibition »The history of the building housing the Archaeological Museum in Kraków«

Abstract

The site currently occupied by the Archaeological Museum in Kraków abounds with finds dating back to the early medieval period. It is located on the edge of the alluvial cone of the Prądnik, a tributary to the Vistula River. In the 9$^{th}$-13$^{th}$ century, the area was contained within the fortified suburbium where a dwelling, productive and commercial settlement developed. After 1612, the land was donated to the Discalced Carmelite Order, and the monastery with the church of St. Michael and St. Joseph were built. In the year 1797, on the strength of the decree issued by the Austrian Emperor Joseph II (from 1782), concerning the dissolution of monastic orders, the Carmelite Order was dissolved, and the church with the monastery were confiscated by the State Treasury to be used as prison and jail cells. In 1954, Kraków authorities donated the complex to serve the needs of the Archaeological Museum in Kraków. The history of the buildings became the topic of subsequent exhibitions.