Muzeum – Miejsce Pamięci Palmiry

About the museum

Palmiry in the Kampinos Forest was the site of mass executions carried out by the German occupiers from 1939 to 1943 on residents of Warsaw and the surrounding area. After the war, in 1945–1948, the victims were exhumed and buried in the Palmiry cemetery, which together with the museum forms a national memorial site.

The museum's previous seat, more than thirty years old, was too small for its rich collections and did not allow the exhibits to be presented properly, so it was demolished and a new building was erected. The new seat has been open since 5 April 2011; it was designed by the architects Szczepan Wroński and Wojciech Conder of the WXCA studio. The austere modernist structure has four glass tubes with growing birch trees that commemorate the execution sites, and the cemetery can be seen through the glass walls. The building covers about 1,100 m² and combines a historical dimension with the natural values of the forest.

The permanent exhibition tells the story of the executions in Palmiry and throughout the Kampinos Forest, and of the exhumations and the creation of the cemetery. It shows lists of victims' names, biographies, photographs and mementos donated by families, German death certificates of prisoners, and objects from the exhumations that made it possible to identify the murdered. The exhibition was modernised in 2023.

Key themes

• Permanent exhibition on the executions in Palmiry and the Kampinos Forest, 1939–1943
• Objects from the exhumations that made it possible to identify the victims
• Building with four glass tubes and birch trees
• The Palmiry cemetery next to the museum
• Tyflographics with a sound system and signs in Braille

Permanent exhibition

• Egzekucje 1939–1943. Palmiry – Puszcza Kampinoska – Permanent exhibition on the executions in Palmiry and the Kampinos Forest, and on the exhumations and the creation of the cemetery, with victims' biographies and objects from the exhumations.

Operated by

Muzeum Warszawy

Admission & discounts

Admission to the Palmiry cemetery does not require a ticket.

Accessibility

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

The museum has a toilet adapted for people with disabilities, and between the museum and the cemetery there is a platform lift for wheelchairs. The ticket office has an induction loop. In and around the museum there are tyflographics with the YourWay sound system, the exhibition has information beacons, and there are signs in Braille.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

• Family tours & workshops

A family ticket (PLN 10) and museum lessons for schools are available; the place commemorates the victims of the executions during the Second World War.

Getting there & parking

It is also possible to get there by bicycle (Veturilo network), via forest roads through Truskaw or Sieraków, or by car along national road no. 7.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check

On site there is a shop with souvenirs and books (in October 2026 book and product sales are suspended due to stocktaking) and a vending machine with hot drinks and snacks; matches for lighting candles at the cemetery can be bought.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit