It was the residence of the Bishops of Krakow which was built between 1637 and 1644 on a prominent location on Cathedral Hill. The construction of the palace was instigated and funded by Jakub Zadzik, the Bishop of Chelm and Chancellor of the Crown, who since 1635 till his death held the position of the Bishop of Krakow. The palace was probably designed by Giovanni Trevano while the interior painted decorations were carried out by the workshop of Tomasz Dolabella. His works included, among other things, ceilings which depicted contemporary events – the Trial of the Arians and the peace negotiations after the wars with Sweden and Russia. After the nationalisation of the bishop’s estates in 1789 the palace was the seat of various institutions. Stanislaw Staszic founded the Academic Mining School here. Since 1971 it has been the home of the National Museum. Permanent exhibits are held here with large scale conservation work being carried out at the same time. In a historic interior, going back to the original design, examples of Baroque furniture have been accumulated – wardrobes, chests of drawers, chairs and armchairs also tapestries and ceramics. The exhibition includes the Gallery of Polish Paintings and Decorative Art. A few years ago an Italian garden was opened at the rear of the palace. National Museum in Kielce (woj. Swietokrzyskie) www.mnki.pl