The Nicolaus Copernicus Museum (Muzeum Mikołaja Kopernika in Polish) is set in Frombork, a seafront town on the lagoon of the Vistula River in northern Poland. It was here that Renaissance genius and astronomer Copernicus lived and worked for years until his death in 1543, leading to this museum complex’s focus.
Centered around Cathedral Hill, multiple structures and exhibits make up the museum, including Copernicus’ second burial site, the Gothic-Baroque Bishops’ Palace and Copernicus’ Tower, where he developed in his observatory the then-revolutionary theory that the earth moved around the sun. Constructed in the 14th century, the tower has been rebuilt multiple times and today houses a reconstruction of Copernicus’ sparsely furnished study.
Also refurbished after being razed by a fire, Bishops’ Palace features a permanent exhibition on Copernicus’ life, displaying early telescopes as well as a collection of stained-glass from the cathedral. The Belfry offers a planetarium with regular 3D shows, a gallery of modern art and Poland’s only functioning Foucault’s pendulum, which measures the rotation of the earth.
Practical Info
Frombork is located about 90 minutes east of Gdansk and is often visited on day trips and tours to northern Poland. The museum is located at Katedralna 8, and admission to the Bishops’ Palace costs PLN 6 for adults and PLN 3 for seniors, students and children under 18. The museum’s ticket office is in the complex’s 14th-century Southern Gate.
