Dom Urodzenia Fryderyka Chopina i Park w Żelazowej Woli

About the museum

The Dom Urodzenia Fryderyka Chopina was built around 1800 as the left wing of the manor of Kacper and Ludwika Skarbek, who had bought the village at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1806 Mikołaj Chopin, tutor to the Skarbek children, married Justyna Krzyżanowska, and the couple settled in this wing. Fryderyk Chopin was born here on 1 March (according to other accounts 22 February) 1810; that autumn the family moved to Warsaw, but in later years the composer returned to Żelazowa Wola for summer stays.

The main Skarbek manor house burned down in 1812, but the wings survived. After the death of Michał Skarbek in 1834, the estate was sold to the Szubert family. In the 1860s the wing was renovated and a porch was added, which changed its original appearance; from 1879 it served as an outbuilding. In 1928 groups from Warsaw and Sochaczew bought the wing together with about three hectares of land. Reconstruction began in 1931 under the architect Julian Żakowski; the house was ceremonially opened on 17 October 1931 and opened to visitors in June 1939. The park was revitalised in 1932–1937 to a design by Franciszek Krzywda-Polkowski.

After wartime damage, a reconstruction and a new layout of the interiors were prepared in 1948. Today the house and park are run by the Narodowy Instytut Fryderyka Chopina (National Fryderyk Chopin Institute) as a branch of the Fryderyk Chopin Museum. A new permanent exhibition opened in May 2015; it includes soundscapes in the Pokój Skarbków and the Pokój Chopinów, and the composer’s music is played in all rooms. From May to September, Chopin recitals take place every Saturday and Sunday.

Highlights

• The manor wing where Fryderyk Chopin was born
• Permanent exhibition with soundscapes in the Pokój Skarbków and the Pokój Chopinów
• Chopin recitals on Saturdays and Sundays from May to September
• Historic park with illumination and about 1.5 km of paths accessible to wheelchairs
• Reception pavilion with a temporary exhibition, museum shop and cinema

Permanent exhibition

• Wystawa stała w Domu Urodzenia Fryderyka Chopina – Exhibition in the Skarbek manor wing with the Pokój Skarbków, the Pokój Chopinów and the Pokój Muzyczny, enriched with soundscapes and the composer’s music.

Founded

1931

Operated by

Narodowy Instytut Fryderyka Chopina

Admission & discounts

Free admission: On Mondays admission to the Birthplace House and the park is free.

Exemption from the fee also applies, among others, to holders of ISIC, ITIC and IYTC cards, music-studies students, journalists and holders of the Karta Polaka. Tickets bought in advance can be refunded no later than 48 hours before the visit. A wedding photo session in the park costs PLN 250 plus tickets, and a commemorative photo session PLN 150 plus tickets.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The private paid car park is 80–90 m from the museum and has three spaces for people with disabilities; the route to the main entrance crosses a signalised crossing and involves a high kerb, while the kerb in front of the entrance is lowered. Wheelchair users can enter through the gate in the historic Main Gate after calling staff with the bell. The museum has four adult wheelchairs at the reception pavilion and a portable ramp, and about 1.5 km of paths in the park are adapted for wheelchairs. Accessible toilets are in the reception pavilion, the cinema and the building in the park. Blind and partially sighted visitors can borrow a book with large-print descriptions and tactile maps, and a set of tactile graphics; assistance dogs are welcome. The ticket office, information point and shop have induction loops, and at the ticket office a Polish Sign Language (PJM) interpreter can be requested online.

Kids & families

A family ticket is available (PLN 80, up to 6 people; the park alone PLN 50). Children up to the age of 7 enter free of charge.

Getting there & parking

From Warsaw by car, take voivodeship road 580 via Leszno and Kampinos, or national road 92 via Ożarów Mazowiecki and Błonie, turning off at Kożuszki Parcel. From motorway A2, take the exit “Wiskitki”, then road 705 to DK92. From Sochaczew it is about 7 km by bicycle (around 30 minutes); there are bicycle racks on the museum grounds, but bicycles may not be taken into the park. People over 70 travel free on line 42; a single ticket costs PLN 4.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The museum shop in the reception pavilion is open during the museum’s opening hours.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 76 guests.

The cinema hall (138 m², 76 seats) and the foyer (151 m²) are available for hire, as is the summer stage by the pond (about 250 m²), where a wedding ceremony can be held. The museum does not guarantee parking for organisers or participants. Commissioned recitals in the Birthplace House (up to 35 people, up to 75 in the cinema hall) cost from PLN 5,000 gross.

Plan your visit