Muzeum Narodowe w Poznaniu

About the museum

The National Museum in Poznań traces its origins to institutions founded in Greater Poland from the mid-19th century. Its basis was the Museum of Polish and Slavic Antiquities, founded in 1857 by the Society of the Friends of Learning, and later the Mielżyński Museum. From 1904 the collections were displayed in a newly built eclectic building on today’s Aleje Marcinkowskiego, then the Kaiser Friedrich Museum.

The real predecessor of the present institution was the Wielkopolska Museum, officially opened in 1920 in the same building. Its prestige was built on the collection of Atanazy Raczyński and an ethnographic collection donated by the Folklore Society. In 1950 the Wielkopolska Museum was renamed the National Museum in Poznań; after the war the collections were expanded with contemporary art, musical instruments, posters and militaria.

The Gallery of Painting and Sculpture today consists of the historic building from 1904 and a new wing. It presents Polish art from the Middle Ages to the present day, with a collection of coffin portraits, works by Jacek Malczewski, Stanisław Wyspiański and Jan Matejko, as well as Western European art, including the only collection of Spanish painting in Poland, with paintings by Zurbarán and Ribera. The museum has eight branches, among them the Museum of Musical Instruments, the Museum of World Cultures and the Town Hall – Museum of Poznań.

Highlights

• Collection of coffin portraits from the period of Polish Baroque
• Works by Malczewski, Wyspiański and Matejko
• The only collection of Spanish painting in Poland (Zurbarán, Ribera)
• Dutch, Flemish and Netherlandish painting
• Art of the 20th century, including Andrzej Wróblewski and Tadeusz Kantor

Permanent exhibition

• Galeria Malarstwa i Rzeźby – A permanent presentation of Polish art from the Middle Ages to the 21st century and of Western European art, in the historic 1904 building and the new wing.

Founded

1857

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission on Tuesdays.

The museum honours the Large Family Card (Karta Dużej Rodziny) and the Poznań Tourist Card (Poznańska Karta Turystyczna).

Accessibility

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

The Gallery of Painting and Sculpture is almost entirely architecturally accessible (apart from the Gallery of Ancient Art). A threshold-free ramp leads to the building, the doors open automatically, but the lifts have neither Braille buttons nor voice announcements. The toilet for people with disabilities on the ground floor has a call system and a changing table, and there are two disabled parking spaces in front of the building. Induction loops operate at the ticket office, in the shop and in the secretariat, and portable FM loops are used during guided tours. The building has a quiet room, and noise-cancelling headphones can be borrowed in the cloakroom.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Baby changing facilities

The toilet on the ground floor has a changing table for babies. The museum organises activities for children, for example the series “Razem przed obrazem” (Together in Front of the Painting).

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check

The building houses a café, a small shop and a cloakroom.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit