*COVID-19 update: The Nowa Huta Museum reopened on May 12, with two exhibits available: My 2nd Home? Lenin Steelworks, and Nuclear Threat: Shelters of Nowa Huta. Other exhibits remain closed at this time.

Formerly the 'PRL Museum,' this large museum inside the former Kino Światowid - a local landmark in socialist realism architecture, completed in 1957 - is now a branch of the Museum of Kraków (hence the name change). Though still primarily occupied with the communist era, the museum is now more broadly dedicated to the life and culture of Nowa Huta both today and yesterday. The current temporary exhibit, 'przeMieszczanie. Nowohucianin,' concentrates on contemporary residents of Nowa Huta and their personal connections to the district. The former cinema's vast cellars hold the intriguing exhibit 'Nuclear Threat: Shelters of Nowa Huta' - part of the Nowa Huta Underground project (a second branch is located at Os. Szkolnym 37; tickets are good for both). The largest of some 250 such shelters beneath NH, here you'll learn about the very organised and intricate plan Poland had for dealing with a potential nuclear attack during the Cold War, and the role every citizen would play in such an event. If you're from the West, it's akin to mild culture shock. Within easy walking distance from Plac Centralny, if you've made the trip out to NH there's no reason not to make a stop here. With plenty of exhibition space over three levels, it's worth noting that a visit can easily occupy several hours.