The Tatra Museum

This museum turned out to be a real gem — much more interesting than we expected. It is one of the oldest regional museums in Poland, founded in 1888 to showcase the culture and art of the Podhale region. The exhibitions are spread over several floors: the ground floor features a historical and ethnographic section, the first floor is dedicated to natural history, the second floor hosts temporary exhibitions, and the third is reserved for staff. The displays are rich and thoughtfully arranged, with many interactive elements that bring the experience to life. One of the highlights is the reconstruction of a traditional highlander house interior — visitors can listen (in Polish or English) to stories about the layout, furnishings, customs, and everyday life in the “white” and “black” rooms. The narration, accompanied by traditional music, helps vividly imagine what life was really like in such a home. The natural history section is equally engaging, offering insight into the geology, flora, and fauna of the Tatra Mountains. While we’re usually not fans of stuffed animals, the taxidermy here is of high quality and gives a close-up look at the region’s wildlife — including bears, wolves, lynx, and birds of prey. Overall, this is a very well-curated museum and definitely worth a visit, whether you're interested in regional culture or simply looking for a deeper understanding of the Tatra region.

As I read from another comment, I strongly recommend to visit the Tatra Museum before you do anything else in Zakopane. A brief overview of the lives and the history of Podhale region. Get an idea of why this place is so much different from other places in Poland.

Great details about Zakopane town and Tatra national park. Loved the exhibition on geology and wildlife in the tatra national park. Went on Thursday, Oct 9th and the entry was free!

I highly recommend to visit this museum in the beginning of your trip to Zakopane! It's the perfect introduction to Tatra region culture and wildlife. We really enjoyed the whole experience and learned a lot. Staff was very friendly and helpful :)

We decided to visit it to understand a bit about the Tatra mountains. It was a pleasant surprise. 1. They have cloak rooms, and lockers that helped us to store our rainwear. 2. The audio guides(purchased separately/not included in ticket) helped us immensely. 3. 99% artifacts had English translation. 4. They have arranged the artifacts on two floors. First floor showcases history of Zakopane, the second floor showcases Tatra mountains. 5. The staff was polite and efficient. While we liked the Zakopane history section, we loved the Tatra exhibition. The stones are arranged in chronological order and gives a glimpse of how the geology evolved. The two videos on large screens are helpful in case you don't have audio guides. The best part was juxtaposition of animals(exhibits) and leaves in ascending order of altitude. Geology enthusiasts can spend an entire day here, while noobs like me can easily invest 3h.

Bit boring like a museum should be, but informative. Up stairs is a nice little coffee place.

Very informative museum. Modern and good exhibition. I would definitely recommend the audioguide. One of the best, maybe even the best, audioguide I ever used. That might be personal, of course.

Very beautiful museum about the Zakopane region and Tatra mountains. Well renovated collection and interesting stories.