Convent of the Norbertine Sisters

Convent of the Norbertine Sisters tickets: which one to buy

The Norbertine convent sits on the bank of the Vistula at Zwierzyniec, on the western edge of Krakow below the Kosciuszko mound, and it is passed by everyone who walks or cycles the riverside path out of the centre. The community is enclosed, so the convent itself is not open, but the church attached to it is, and entry is free. Walking and cycling tours of the river include it;

the path from Wawel takes about thirty minutes on foot and ten by bicycle and is flat the whole way. The mound above, raised in the 1820s in honour of Kosciuszko, is ticketed and gives a panorama over the city. Public transport reaches the convent in fifteen minutes from the centre. The church closes between services, so the hours are irregular. There is no ticket office and no shop, so bring what you need for the walk.

Visiting Convent of the Norbertine Sisters: what to see

The Norbertine sisters were established here in the twelfth century, which makes this one of the oldest religious communities in Poland still living on its original site. The buildings were burned during the Swedish wars and rebuilt afterwards, so what stands now is largely baroque behind medieval walls: a long white range along the river, a defensive outer wall, and the church with its plain front and a tower.

The interior is baroque, with a painted vault and a high altar in dark wood and gilt, and a grille separating the nuns' choir from the public nave, which is the most telling detail in the building. The community is known across Poland for one thing above all: the Lajkonik, a costumed rider in Tartar dress who sets out from the convent each year and processes into the centre of Krakow, a custom several centuries old. A stone gateway on the river side carries the arms of the abbesses who rebuilt the house.

Convent of the Norbertine Sisters opening hours and the best time to go

The Lajkonik procession takes place eight days after Corpus Christi, in late spring or early summer, and is the one date worth arranging a visit around; the rider leaves the convent in the afternoon and takes several hours to reach the main square, striking onlookers with a mace for luck along the way. Otherwise the riverside is at its best in spring and early autumn, when the path is busy with cyclists and the meadows opposite are green.

The church is open around services, mainly in the morning and early evening. Winter brings mist off the river and very few people. The mound and the fort beside it are a twenty-minute climb from here. Twenty minutes in the church is enough, and the walk is the larger part of the visit. Bicycle hire is easy in the centre and the riverside path runs unbroken from Wawel to the convent.