This quiet little spot is one of the jewels of Krakow, whether or not you’re an architecture buff is not to be missed. Built in 1492-7, this is one of the best preserved medieval university buildings in the whole of Europe and in its day a lively centre of Renaissance culture, with Copernicus himself being among its alumni. The exquisite, balconied courtyard has a cloister with star vaulting and carved columns and in the centre there is a Baroque well-head decorated with the arms of Poland, Krakow, Queen Jadwiga and King Wladyslaw Jagiello. On the ground floor is the paraphernalia-stuffed Alchemy room and a stairway leading to the main rooms, which are on the first floor. The luxuriously furnished and panelled Aula (hall) was completed in the early 16th century and the Stuba Communis (common room) has a fine view of the street, star vault and spiral staircase.

During WW II the Nazis did their usual thing and closed the university down, renaming it the Institute for the Study of the Eastern Territories and eventually carrying off a selection of the building’s prized possessions. However, since the war it’s been used as a museum of the university and its collections, and there are still plenty of important historic objects to be seen here. These include four 14-15th century university maces, prints, furniture and painted portraits of various kings and professors who, in these parts, almost amount to the same thing. Though it’s right in the middle of the Old Town, and very much on the tourist route, this remains a calm, quiet and inspiring place in which to really get a sense of Krakow’s Polish Renaissance heritage.