Muzeum Archeologiczne w Biskupinie

About the museum

The fortified settlement from the transition between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age on the peninsula of Lake Biskupin was discovered in the 1930s, when a local teacher noticed wooden stakes sticking out of the water. From 1934 the research was led by a team under Józef Kostrzewski. The exceptionally well-preserved wooden structures earned the site the name “Polish Pompeii”. Dendrochronological studies showed that the timber was felled between 747 and 722 BC.

The Archaeological Museum in Biskupin was founded in 1950 on the basis of the research facilities operating at the site. In 1956 it became a branch of the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw, and since 2000 it has been a local-government cultural institution run by the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. The Lake Biskupin peninsula and its surroundings have held the status of a Historic Monument since 1994.

The reserve covers about 38 hectares. Visitors can see a reconstruction of part of the fortified settlement with a bridge, a gate, sections of the rampart and rows of houses, as well as a long house of the first farmers from the Neolithic period, a camp of hunter-gatherers, box graves, a Piast-era village from the 10th–11th centuries and a historic Pałuki-style cottage. From May to September, educators and craftsmen demonstrating old trades work in the reconstructions. The museum pavilion hosts permanent and temporary exhibitions. The museum also carries out archaeological research, wood conservation and dendrochronology, and every September it organises the Archaeological Festival (Festyn Archeologiczny).

Highlights

• reconstruction of a fortified settlement from the transition between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age (about 2,700 years ago)
• “Osada pierwszych rolników” (Settlement of the First Farmers) with a Neolithic long house
• Piast-era village from the 10th–11th centuries and a Pałuki cottage
• museum pavilion with the exhibition “Świt historii nad Jeziorem Biskupińskim”
• demonstrations of old crafts in season and the annual Archaeological Festival

Permanent exhibitions

• Świt historii nad Jeziorem Biskupińskim – Exhibition in the museum pavilion on the prehistory of the Lake Biskupin area, supplemented by models and small reconstructions.
• Epoka pierwszych rolników – Exhibition in a building styled on a Neolithic long house, presenting the life of the first farmers in the Pałuki region.

Founded

1950

Operated by

Województwo Kujawsko-Pomorskie (samorządowa instytucja kultury)

Admission & discounts

Card payment is possible at the ticket offices of the Tourist Information Centre (Centrum Obsługi Ruchu Turystycznego). There is no cash machine in the reserve, and craftsmen’s products are usually bought with cash.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: not available
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Getting around the reserve can be difficult because of uneven wooden streets, floors made of rounded beams and wooden thresholds in the reconstructions, although most paths are paved. The steps above the narrow-gauge railway tracks can be bypassed by a special crossing – ask the porter at the reserve entrance. Accessible toilets are located by the car park, in the museum pavilion and at the Tourist Information Centre. A blind visitor may enter the exhibition with a guide dog, and groups can book sessions in which copies of artefacts can be touched. The pavilions have no induction loops, Braille signage or sign language interpreters.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum runs museum lessons, workshops and demonstrations for children and young people, and during events such as Children’s Day it prepares games, activities and art workshops. Parents with pushchairs can use a special crossing next to the narrow-gauge railway, but some paths in the reserve are uneven.

Getting there & parking

The museum lies about 1 km east of the village of Biskupin (Gmina Gąsawa) and about 5 km from the S5 expressway between Poznań and Bydgoszcz. Biskupin is on the Pałuki Cycle Route.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Souvenirs and books can be bought at the ticket offices of the Tourist Information Centre.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit