The Nicolaus Copernicus Museum is an institution that – understandably – puts Nicolaus Copernicus centre stage. From its inception, the Museum’s guiding principle has been to depict the life and work of this Renaissance polymath, to illustrate the response of future generations to the heliocentric theory, and to tell the history of astronomy. The Museum’s focus of interest also encompasses the history and old art of Warmia, the history of medicine, archaeology, modern astronomy and contemporary art inspired by Copernicus and the universe.
The Nicolaus Copernicus Museum occupies several buildings comprising the Cathedral Hill complex, of which the Former Bishops’ Palace (Museum’s Main Building) and Copernicus' Tower are primarily used for exhibition purposes. There is also the Museum's planetarium, located on the ground floor of the old belfry. However, there are other Museum's places situated outside Cathedral Hill, such as located on Stara Street, the former complex of the Holy Spirit Hospital (the seat of the Department of the History of Medicine), which is Poland’s only medieval hospital building whose shape has remained unaltered since the end of the 17th century. One and a half kilometres from Frombork on Góra Żurawia (Crane Hill) lies the Astronomical Observatory, which also houses the Museum’s Education Department, popularising astronomy and its history and, above all, the life and achievements of Nicolaus Copernicus.