Located right in the heart of the Nowa Huta (just off the Central Square), NCK (as it's known locally) hosts artistic and cultural events targeted mostly at the district's inhabitants, but also Cracovians as a whole. With multiple galleries and performance spaces across multiple buildings, a bit of everything happens here - photography, dance, craft fairs, art exhibits, theatre performances, workshops, and more. Of perhaps most interest to tourists are two separate permanent art galleries devoted to controversial 20th century Polish artists, Zdzisław Beksiński and Jerzy Duda-Gracz, which we absolutely recommend, and each year NCK is the only place in Poland where you can see the presitigious World Press Photo exhibition.

The building is also surrounded by artwork, including murals and graffiti art, plus an open-air gallery on the large terrace at the back of the building, where you'll also find a large bronze statue of the legendary Wawel Dragon cheekily dubbed 'Smok Nowohucki.' In summer, this terrace overlooking the Nowa Huta Meadows is great spot to get some food thanks to the trendy ground-floor restaurant serving cocktails, Neapolitan pizza and burgers, while the space in front of the building operates as a food truck park, and there's even a playground nearby. In winter there's also an ice rink out front, making NCK the centre of cultural life in Nowa Huta all year-round.