Description: The oldest building in Krakow's University Campus is Collegium Maius (Great College).The site was purchased in 1400 by King Jagiello. Fragments of the large 14th century limestone kamienica survive on the corner of Anny Street and Jagiellonska Street. Over the next 70 years, the university bought the remaining buildings on what was the Jewish market square and joined them together. In 1492-7 they were unified in Gothic style in red brick and pale limestone. The covered walkway of the courtyard was typical of medieval universities, as was the projecting windowed balcony, designed to light the refectory lantern.
The building has been renovated many times. A particularly invasive 19th century neo-Gothic makeover was changed by extensive alterations in the 1950s and 1960s. The Nazis plundered almost all the interiors, now mostly reconstructed from photographs using period artefacts from elsewhere.
The well at the centre of the courtyard shows the coats of arms of Krakow, Poland, Lithuania and Anjou. The 'Professors' Steps' run above the spot where treasure (presumably hidden by Jews) was found in 1494. It included a giant black diamond, which now adorns the reliquary containing St Stanislaw's head in Wawel Cathedral.
At 11am and 1 pm every day, the modern clock over the Portal booms out the student hymn Gaudeamus Igitur and little figures from the university's history trundle around a walkway.
The middle floor of the Great College serves as a museum. Its treasures include royal sceptres, an Oscar, a Nobel Prize, moon rock, the first Globe to show North America and astronomical instruments belonging to Copernicus. There are rooms showing the lifestyles of professors' throughout the centuries and the ceremonial halls ar still used to greet visiting dignitaries and to grant doctorates.
The tour is standard and generally takes about 30 minutes. Booking in advance is recommended. I purchased my ticket from the office which is at the entrance from the top floor of the courtyard. Check that the tour you are paying for is in the correct language as they change from day to day as do the times of the tours.
The museum is open Mon-Fri, 11am - 3pm. On Saturday from 11am - 2pm.
There are a few rooms on the ground floor of Collegium Maius that allow visitors to perform a few experiments of their own, If you like joining in and having a go then I suggest you purchase a ticket at the gift shop opposite the entrance. It is a lot of fun - here you can experiment with sound waves and astronomy sits side by side with computers and GPS. One room is dedicated to alchemy, with retorts, flasks, pots, magical diagrams, strange powders and dead animals.
The Ancient and Modern Science rooms are open Mon - Sat from 10am until 2.30pm.
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