Keep Cool at the Palace of the Commonwealth. Visit the National Library’s Treasury Free of Charge
On hot summer days, visitors are invited to enjoy the air-conditioned interiors of the Palace of the Commonwealth. Its permanent exhibition offers free access to the most precious treasures of Polish written heritage held in the collections of the National Library.
The Palace of the Commonwealth, located at 3/5 Krasińskich Square, is open to the public free of charge every day except Tuesdays, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The historic rooms display medieval manuscripts, early printed books, maps, musical scores and handwritten works by outstanding authors. Visitors can see priceless treasures of Polish written heritage and culture, including the Holy Cross Sermons, the Florian Psalter, manuscripts of the chronicles by Gallus Anonymous and Wincenty Kadłubek, works by European illuminators, as well as literary manuscripts by Jan Kochanowski, Juliusz Słowacki, Adam Mickiewicz, Cyprian Kamil Norwid, Zbigniew Herbert and Czesław Miłosz. The exhibition also features exceptional monuments of musical culture, including manuscripts by Fryderyk Chopin and Henryk Mikołaj Górecki.
The exhibits on display are associated with some of the most important figures and events in Polish history, literature and culture. A visit to the National Library’s Treasury offers not only an opportunity to encounter priceless objects of national heritage, but also a welcome respite from the summer heat in the cool, air-conditioned interiors of the historic Palace.