Museum sights in Warsaw
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Muzeum Pawilon-X
Muzeum Pawilon-X, which preserves a wing of the old political prison. The cells are labelled with the names of the more famous prisoners who were incarcerated here, the best known being Józef Piłsudski, who did time in cell No 25 on the 1st floor; another cell contains the anvil on which prisoners were made to forge their own shackles. Inside are paintings by Alexander Sochaczewski (1843–1923), a former inmate who, along with 20,000 other anti-Russian insurgents, was transported to the labour camps of Siberia in 1866. The paintings, such as the huge Pożegnanie Europy (Farewell to Europe), depict the suffering of his fellow prisoners. In the museum grounds is an origi…
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B
Pawiak Prison Museum
Built between 1830 and 1833, Pawiak was Poland’s most notorious political prison, once used for incarcerating the enemies of the Russian tsar. During WWII it became even more notorious as the Gestapo’s main prison facility – between 1939 and 1944 around 100,000 prisoners passed through its gates, of whom around 37,000 were executed on site and 60,000 transported to the gas chambers. It was blown up by the Nazis in 1944, but half of the mangled gateway, complete with rusting, original barbed wire, and three detention cells (which you can visit) survive, along with chilling memoirs of the horrors suffered by the inmates.
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C
Jewish Historical Institute
The Jewish Historical Institute, which houses a library and paintings, sculptures, and old religious objects related to Jewish culture. However it’s the exhibition on the Warsaw Ghetto that sticks with you when you leave. Black-and-white photos and 40 minutes of original film footage from the Ghetto hit home – images of the atrocious conditions Jews were forced to endure, with starvation and death part of everyday life, tell a disturbing tale.
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D
Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Opposite the Ghetto Monument is the site of the proposed Museum of the History of Polish Jews. The museum will be a multimedia and education centre, but as it’s still in the design stage it’s hard to know what will be included, or how the building will even look. At the time of writing, Finnish architects Lahdelma & Mahlamäki had been chosen for the design, and the entire project was expected to cost more than $US65 million.
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Muzeum Puszczy Kampinoskiej
Around 1km west of the tiny village of Kampinos is a large wooden house that is the Muzeum Puszczy Kampinoskiej. Inside, static displays wax lyrical on the park’s flora and fauna, while outside there’s a small exhibition (in English and Polish) on the country’s national parks and a group of forest buildings which collectively create a small skansen.
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E
Historical Museum of Warsaw
On the northern side of the Old Town square is the Historical Museum of Warsaw. It’s a worthwhile introduction to the city, capturing seminal moments in Warsaw’s history through photographs and documents. Its film covering the reconstruction of the city, screened several times daily (the English version is at noon), is fascinating.
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F
Warsaw Rising Museum
On the southwestern edge of the former ghetto stands the modern Warsaw Rising Museum. The museum is housed in a beautifully restored redbrick power station and it traces the history of the Rising through three levels of interactive displays, photographs, film archives and the personal accounts of those who survived.
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G
Museum of Caricature
A short detour along ul Kozia leads to the quirky Museum of Caricature. The museum holds around 15,000 original works by Polish and foreign caricaturists dating from the 18th century onwards, plus satirical and humorous books, magazines, and the like. Displays are rotated on a regular basis.
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H
Chopin Museum
The small museum has static displays related to the life of the great musician chopin; there are a few interesting pieces, such as Chopin’s last piano and death mask, but it’s really only for fans. Guides are available for 100zł (English guides must be booked in advance).
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Archaeological Museum
The northern end of the square is a busy intersection overlooked by the former Arsenal, a massive 17th-century building that now houses the Archaeological Museum. Its permanent exhibition on the prehistory of Poland is periodically enlivened by temporary displays.
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J
Museum of Independence
Stranded on a nearby traffic island in the middle of Al Solidarności is the Museum of Independence, which has a small room devoted to the Solidarity movement and stages temporary exhibitions related to Poland’s struggles for independence.
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K
Ethnographic Museum
The museum’s top floor provides a good introduction into the country’s rural heart, with a small but fine assembly of Polish folk art and crafts, but it’s the portrait shots of indigenous people from around the world that steal the show.
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National Museum
Containing almost 800,000 items in its permanent galleries, the National Museum is the largest museum in the country. It’s housed in a massive building, which is wheelchair accessible, at the western end of Al Jerozolimskie.
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M
Polish Army Museum
The Polish Army Museum, which presents the history of the Polish army from the creation of the Polish state until WWII. Heavy armour, tanks and fighter planes from WWII are displayed in the park adjoining the museum.
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Poster Museum
Its vaults house a massive 55,000 posters – one of the largest collections in the world – but only a fraction of this is shown at one time. Exhibitions change regularly, making it a museum to visit time and time again.
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O
Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum
Marie Curie was born in 1867 along ul Freta, and her former home now houses the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum, which chronicles the life and work of this distinguished scientist.
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P
Literature Museum
The Literature Museum features a permanent exhibition dedicated to Adam Mickiewicz, Poland’s most famous poet.
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