# Van Gogh & Vincent — Immersive Exhibition, Kraków (Full Content)

> Van Gogh & Vincent is the world's only permanent immersive exhibition recreating the life of Vincent van Gogh. Across 32 reconstructed rooms and 1,500 m² in a historic 19th-century building at Bracka 13 in central Kraków, Poland, visitors walk through the physical places where Vincent lived and worked — curated by Dr Wouter van der Veen, a leading Van Gogh scholar. The website is published in English (default) and Polish.

This is the expanded, single-document version of https://vangoghandvincent.pl/llms.txt — it inlines the full English content of every page so a language model can read the whole site in one pass. Canonical site: https://vangoghandvincent.pl

Last updated: 2026-07-12.

## About the exhibition

This is not a digital light show. There are no projected sunflowers, no video mapping. Van Gogh & Vincent is an immersive exhibition unlike any other — 32 meticulously reconstructed rooms that bring Vincent van Gogh's life to physical reality in a historic 19th-century building.

From the attic bedroom he shared with his brother Theo in Zundert, to the asylum corridors of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, to the famous Yellow House in Arles — every space has been researched and designed by Van Gogh scholar Wouter van der Veen.

You won't see Van Gogh's original paintings here. You'll experience something no gallery can offer: the places where he lived, struggled, and created. Walk through his bedrooms, his studios, the mines where he preached, the cafés where he debated. His life, made tangible.

The exhibition also features 9 Museum Editions — scientific reproductions of Van Gogh's masterpieces, created by the Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam) and Fujifilm. Each edition replicates the original painting to the micron: same dimensions, same colour fidelity, same texture and brushstroke relief. As close to the originals as it is possible to get.

The experience is produced by Hazis Vardar — creator of The World of Banksy, an immersive concept seen by over one million visitors across Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona, Brussels, Milan, Prague, and Dubai.

## Key facts
- 32 immersive rooms across 1,500 m² of historically faithful reconstructions.
- Seven chapters retracing Vincent's life, from Zundert to Auvers-sur-Oise.
- 9 Museum Editions — scientific reproductions created by the Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam) and Fujifilm.
- 500+ artworks and period objects displayed; 840 letters to Theo featured.
- No original Van Gogh paintings — the exhibition recreates his life, not a painting collection.
- Curated by Dr Wouter van der Veen, a leading Van Gogh scholar.
- Location: Bracka 13, 31-005 Kraków, Poland (historic 19th-century building in the Old Town).
- Open every day, 11:00–19:00, 365 days a year; last entry 18:00. Visit takes ~60–90 minutes.
- The building has stairs and is not wheelchair accessible.
- Website in English (default) and Polish.

## The Exhibition — Vincent van Gogh's life in 32 immersive rooms
URL: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en/exhibition

Everyone knows Van Gogh. The Sunflowers. The Starry Night. The severed ear. But who was Vincent van Gogh, really?

Before he ever touched a paintbrush, he spent years searching for his purpose — first as an art dealer in the galleries of The Hague, London and Paris, then as a preacher in the coal mines of Belgium. He only began painting at the age of 27. In just ten years, he created over 2,000 artworks, sold almost nothing during his lifetime, and wrote 840 letters to his brother Theo that are among the most extraordinary documents in art history.

This exhibition tells that complete story. Not through projections or screens, but through the physical places where Vincent lived, loved, suffered, and created. 32 rooms, each one a chapter. Curated with scientific precision by Dr Wouter van der Veen, a leading Van Gogh scholar.

Alongside the immersive journey, you'll encounter 9 Museum Editions — masterpiece reproductions created by the Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam) and Fujifilm, replicating the originals to the micron in size, colour, and brushstroke texture.

### Zundert: Where Vincent's Story Begins — 1853–1869, Rooms 1–6
Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on 30 March 1853 in Groot-Zundert, a small village in the Dutch province of North Brabant.

His father, Theodorus, was a Calvinist pastor. His world was one of duty, scripture, and the vast, flat landscape of the Brabant countryside. In this opening sequence, you'll step into the family parlour, the attic bedroom Vincent shared with his younger brother Theo, and the modest church where his father preached.

You'll sense the quietness — and the weight — of Vincent van Gogh's early years.

### The Hague, London, Paris: Van Gogh and the Art Business — 1869–1876, Rooms 7–9
At sixteen, Vincent joined Goupil & Cie — the world's leading art dealership, with galleries in The Hague, London, and Paris. It was a family affair: his uncle was a partner. Vincent proved himself a passionate, tireless employee, developing an encyclopaedic knowledge of European painting — from Corot and Daubigny to Millet and the old Dutch masters.

But commerce alone could not satisfy him. A growing religious fervour was pulling him towards something deeper. Here you'll walk through a recreation of a 19th-century art gallery, surrounded by the very prints that shaped Van Gogh's visual imagination years before he ever picked up a brush.

### The Borinage: Van Gogh the Preacher — 1876–1880, Rooms 10–12
Vincent left the art trade to pursue a religious calling. He spent a full year in Amsterdam studying Latin, Greek, and the Scriptures, only to realise he was not suited for academic study. He then took a position as a lay evangelist in the coal mines of Belgium's Borinage region. There, he gave away his clothes and belongings, and descended into the mine shaft with the workers — 700 metres below the surface.

This is the darkest chapter of the exhibition — and of Van Gogh's life. The descent into the mine is both literal and metaphorical: a journey into despair that would ultimately lead to his artistic awakening. When Vincent emerged from the Borinage, he was no longer a preacher. He had begun to draw.

### The Hague & Nuenen: Van Gogh Becomes a Painter — 1880–1885, Rooms 13–16
In The Hague, Vincent lived with Sien Hoornik — a pregnant woman he tried to rescue from the streets. He set up his first real studio, taught himself perspective, and designed his own tools. Then, returning to his parents' village of Nuenen, he painted what he considered his first true masterpiece: The Potato Eaters (1885).

In these rooms, you'll see his handmade perspective frame, his paint-stained worktable, and the modest space where Van Gogh's artistic vision began to take shape. The palette is dark, earthy, raw — nothing like the explosion of colour that was still to come.

### Paris 1886–1888: The Birth of a New Palette — 1886–1888, Rooms 17–22
Paris changed everything. Living with Theo in Montmartre, Vincent discovered Japanese woodblock prints, met Toulouse-Lautrec, Gauguin, and Signac, studied at Atelier Cormon, and completely reinvented his style. The dark palette of Nuenen gave way to the vivid, expressive colour that would define Van Gogh's distinctive style.

He painted dozens of self-portraits and dozens of flower still lifes. He drank too much absinthe. He argued passionately about art in the cafés of Montmartre.

These rooms capture the energy, the colour, and the excess of Van Gogh's Parisian years — from the intimate studio to the smoky aftermath of a night that went too far.

### Arles & Saint-Rémy: Masterpieces and Madness — 1888–1890, Rooms 23–30
Arles. The Yellow House. The Sunflowers. The Bedroom. Van Gogh's Starry Night. These are the paintings that made Vincent van Gogh immortal — all created in just two years in the south of France.

But behind the masterpieces lay a man unravelling. The explosive confrontation with Gauguin. The severed ear. The hospital in Arles. The voluntary admission to the asylum at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, where Van Gogh continued to paint extraordinary works even as his illness deepened.

In these rooms, you'll feel the unbearable tension between creation and collapse — between the most productive period in art history and the fragile mind that produced it.

### Auvers-sur-Oise: 70 Days, 74 Paintings — 1890, Rooms 31–32
The final chapter. In the summer of 1890, Vincent arrived in Auvers-sur-Oise, a quiet village north of Paris, under the care of Dr. Paul Gachet. What followed was the most extraordinary burst of creativity in art history: 74 paintings in just 70 days.

He painted the church, the wheat fields, the village streets. He created elaborate drawings and wrote letters to Theo filled with a strange mix of hope, resilience and resignation. Then came the wheat field with crows, the walk along the tree roots — and the end, on 29 July 1890.

But Van Gogh's story doesn't end with his death. It was Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, Theo's widow, who dedicated her life to turning a pile of unsold canvases into one of the most celebrated legacies in the history of art. Without Johanna, there would be no Van Gogh as we know him.

## The Curator — Dr Wouter van der Veen
URL: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en/curator

President of the Van Gogh Academy. Former Scientific Director of the Institut Van Gogh, Auvers-sur-Oise. The researcher who discovered where Van Gogh painted Tree Roots — his final masterpiece.

Wouter van der Veen was born in 1974 in Doorwerth, a small village on the banks of the Rhine in the Netherlands. His family moved to France when he was ten, and he has lived between both countries ever since — a dual perspective that would prove essential to understanding Vincent van Gogh, a Dutchman whose artistic life unfolded almost entirely in France.

After studying Literature, Wouter landed his first professional role at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, where he was entrusted with a remarkable task: the transcription of Vincent's 350 French-language letters — covering the final four years of the painter's life, the years that made his legend.

### Academic Career & Publications
In 2007, Wouter earned his doctorate from Utrecht University with a thesis titled *Van Gogh, homme de Lettres*, exploring the literary sources that shaped Vincent's thinking and painting. He went on to lecture at the University of Strasbourg and founded Éditions Arthénon, an independent publishing house dedicated to making Van Gogh scholarship accessible to the widest possible audience.

### The Tree Roots Discovery
In 2020, Wouter made international headlines when he identified the exact location depicted in *Tree Roots* (Racines) — the painting Vincent was working on during his final hours on 27 July 1890. By cross-referencing a historic postcard with the painting's composition, he pinpointed a hillside on Rue Daubigny in Auvers-sur-Oise. The discovery was confirmed by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and reported by media worldwide.

### Designing Van Gogh & Vincent
For Van Gogh & Vincent at Bracka 13 in Kraków, Wouter has personally designed every room, selected every object, and written every exhibition text. The result is not a standard exhibition. It is the most intimate and historically rigorous reconstruction of Vincent van Gogh's life ever created.

### Credentials
- PhD, Utrecht University (2007) — Van Gogh, homme de Lettres
- President, Van Gogh Academy
- Former Scientific Director, Institut Van Gogh, Auvers-sur-Oise (2012–2022)
- Former Associate Professor, University of Strasbourg
- Author of 6+ published books on Van Gogh
- Founder, Éditions Arthénon (2004)

## Plan Your Visit
URL: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en/visit

Open 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
- Opening hours: 11:00 – 19:00 daily. Last entry: 18:00.
- Location: Bracka 13, 31-005 Kraków, Poland — in the heart of Kraków's Old Town, a short walk from the Main Square (Rynek Główny).
- Visit duration: approximately 60–90 minutes.
- Accessibility: the building has stairs and is not wheelchair accessible. We apologise for any inconvenience.
- Photography: photography for personal use is welcome throughout the exhibition. No flash, no tripods.
- Cloakroom: a free cloakroom is available at the entrance.

### Tickets & pricing
One price, every day — weekdays and weekends alike. Buy online (recommended) or at the entrance.

Individual tickets:
- Adults (18+): 60 zł
- Students (under 26, valid Polish student ID or ISIC card): 45 zł
- Children (6–17): 45 zł
- Seniors (65+): 45 zł
- Children under 6: Free

Groups & family:
- Adult groups (10+, advance booking required): 45 zł / person
- School groups (10+, advance booking required): 45 zł / person
- Family ticket (2 parents + at least 2 children under 18, or 1 parent + at least 3 children under 18): 180 zł

VIP offer — Flexible Entry: 210 zł (includes 150 zł of exhibition-themed souvenirs).
- Valid for one calendar month (e.g. January, February, March…)
- One-time entry within the chosen month
- Skip-the-line — direct access to scanning
- Mystery box with exhibition-themed gifts

Tickets are also available at the entrance, but we recommend buying online — in case of queues, online tickets are scanned out of order. Official online ticketing (Eventim): https://www.eventim.pl/noapp/eventseries/4151826/?affiliate=B3K

### House rules
A few rules to protect the exhibition and your fellow visitors: no food or drink; no liquids — even water; no smoking or vaping; no alcohol or intoxicants; no weapons; no instruments or radios; no selfie sticks or tripods; large bags must be left at the ticket office; do not touch exhibits; no running or pushing.

### Visiting with children
- Children must be accompanied by an adult (16+) at all times.
- Parents and caregivers are responsible for children's behaviour and safety.
- Climbing or standing on exhibits is not allowed.

### Pets
Due to the enclosed nature of our exhibition space, pets are not allowed inside — this is for your pet's comfort as much as for the protection of the exhibits. Certified assistance dogs are welcome.

### Parking
The exhibition does not own or operate a parking lot. Several privately run car parks are available nearby, and street parking is possible on surrounding streets. We recommend public transport — the exhibition is a short walk from the Main Square (Rynek Główny).

## Schools & Groups
URL: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en/groups

Bring your team, group or class for a unique journey through the life of Vincent van Gogh.

School group bookings are reviewed case by case. For the safety of students and to preserve the visitor experience, we require strict supervision (at least one adult per 10 students) and confirm feasibility with each school individually before any date is secured. 1 accompanying adult is admitted free of charge per school group of 10 students.

- Timetable for groups: Monday – Sunday, 11:15 – 17:30 (other times available on request).
- Group types: Schools (primary, secondary and high school visits, subject to case-by-case validation; strict supervision required); Universities (art history, literature, and cultural studies programmes); Tour Groups (travel agencies and organised group visits); Associations (cultural associations, art clubs, and community groups).

How to book — include the following in your email:
- Number of people (for school groups, indicate how many students and teachers will visit).
- Preferred date and time of visit (if your slot is unavailable, we will offer the closest available time).
- Payment method — at the counter (cash or card) or bank transfer to our account (we recommend paying in advance so we can prepare your tickets before the visit).
- For school groups, also include the school name, city, and the contact details of the teacher booking the tickets.
- If you need an invoice, please let us know in advance. Once your reservation is confirmed, you will receive an email confirmation.

## Press Kit
URL: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en/press

Everything journalists, partners and editors need to cover Van Gogh & Vincent — including a downloadable press kit (PDF) and a dedicated press contact for media enquiries.

## Frequently Asked Questions
URL: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en/faq

### What is Van Gogh & Vincent?
Van Gogh & Vincent is the world's only permanent immersive exhibition recreating the life of Vincent van Gogh. Across 32 rooms and 1,500 m², you walk through physical reconstructions of the places where Vincent lived, worked, and created — from his childhood home in Zundert to the Auberge Ravoux in Auvers-sur-Oise. It is curated by Dr Wouter van der Veen, a leading Van Gogh scholar.

### Is this a digital light show?
No. Van Gogh & Vincent is not a digital light show, projection experience, or video mapping installation. It is a physical, immersive exhibition where every space has been meticulously reconstructed using furniture, objects, and environments from Van Gogh's life. The exhibition also features 9 Museum Editions — scientific reproductions of Van Gogh's masterpieces created by the Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam) and Fujifilm.

### What are the opening hours?
The exhibition is open every day from 11:00 to 19:00. Last entry is at 18:00.

### Where is the exhibition located?
Van Gogh & Vincent is located at Bracka 13, in the heart of Kraków's Old Town, a short walk from the Main Square (Rynek Główny), in a historic 19th-century building.

### How long does the visit take?
A typical visit takes approximately 60 to 90 minutes. You are free to move at your own pace through the 32 rooms.

### Is the exhibition wheelchair accessible?
Unfortunately, the building has stairs and is not wheelchair accessible. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience.

### Can I take photos?
Yes, photography for personal use is welcome throughout the exhibition. Please do not use flash or tripods.

### Are there original Van Gogh paintings?
By design, no original Van Goghs — and this is a deliberate choice. Van Gogh & Vincent is not a traditional painting collection: it recreates the physical places of Vincent's life across 32 rooms and 1,500 m² of immersive reconstructions. At the heart of the experience are 9 Museum Editions — scientific reproductions created by the Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam) and Fujifilm, accurate to the micron in dimensions, colour, and even brushstroke texture. These are not prints: they offer the closest experience to the originals available outside the handful of institutions that hold them. The exhibition does, however, include original works and period documents from artists who were Van Gogh's contemporaries — letters, ephemera, and pieces by those who shared his world.

### Can I book for a group or school?
Yes, we welcome school visits and group bookings. Please visit our Schools & Groups page or contact us directly to arrange your visit.

## Practical information & contact
- Address: Bracka 13, 31-005 Kraków, Poland (historic 19th-century building in the Old Town, near Rynek Główny).
- Opening hours: 11:00–19:00 every day, 365 days a year; last entry 18:00.
- Visit duration: approximately 60–90 minutes.
- Accessibility: the building has stairs and is not wheelchair accessible.
- Languages: website and signage in English and Polish.
- Contact: info@vangoghandvincent.pl
- Social: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vangoghandvincent), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/vangoghandvincent), TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@vangoghandvincent).
- Tickets: https://www.eventim.pl/noapp/eventseries/4151826/?affiliate=B3K

## All pages
English (default locale, /en prefix):
- Home: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en
- The Exhibition: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en/exhibition
- The Curator: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en/curator
- Plan Your Visit: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en/visit
- Schools & Groups: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en/groups
- FAQ: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en/faq
- Press Kit: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en/press
- Privacy Policy: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en/privacy-policy
- Legal Notice: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/en/legal

Polish (/pl prefix, translated slugs):
- Strona główna: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/pl
- Wystawa: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/pl/wystawa
- Kurator: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/pl/kurator
- Wizyta: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/pl/wizyta
- Szkoły i grupy: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/pl/szkoly
- FAQ: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/pl/faq
- Dla prasy: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/pl/dla-prasy
- Polityka prywatności: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/pl/polityka-prywatnosci
- Informacje prawne: https://vangoghandvincent.pl/pl/informacje-prawne