Muzeum Pamięci Sybiru
Modern museum in a former military warehouse on the deportations of Poles to the depths of Russia and the Soviet Union, with the Katyn Monument.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Muzeum Pamięci Sybiru (Museum of Siberian Memory) began operating as an independent institution on 1 January 2017. Its roots go back to 1989, when a monument and a memorial room dedicated to the deportees were set up at one of Białystok's parishes. In 2010 the city of Białystok allocated a two-hectare plot at ul. Węglowa for the museum, and in 2012 a building permit was obtained.
The design by the studio “Arkon” of Jan Kabacik preserved a former military warehouse from the 1930s, which houses the exhibition, and added a modern wing with conference and education rooms and offices. The concept for the permanent exhibition was developed by the Belgian studio Tempora, selected in a competition in 2014. Construction began in 2018, and in August 2019 a Russian freight wagon was placed inside the building, now serving as the main entrance to the exhibition. The museum opened to visitors in 2021.
The permanent exhibition covers over 2,000 m² and tells the story of Poles in Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union: of those who were deported and of those who left voluntarily. The ground floor, titled “Koniec pewnego świata” (The End of a Certain World), uses sound and image to evoke the world before the war and its destruction. The upper floor, “Sybir” (Siberia), is a white, empty space telling of deportation to Siberia and to the steppes of Kazakhstan, and the exhibition ends with portraits of Siberian deportees and their descendants. A separate room houses the Katyn Monument, with the names of those murdered.
The building also houses an audiovisual hall, a museum shop and the Mozaika restaurant. In 2020 the Monument to the Heroic Siberian Mothers was unveiled.
Key themes
- Permanent exhibition of over 2,000 m² on the fate of deportees
- Russian freight wagon as the entrance to the exhibition
- White space “Sybir” on the upper floor
- Katyn Monument with a list of the names of the victims
- Monument to the Heroic Siberian Mothers
- Mozaika restaurant in the museum building
Permanent exhibition
- Wystawa stała Muzeum Pamięci Sybiru – Exhibition over 2,000 m² on Poles in Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union, made up of “The End of a Certain World”, “Sybir” and the Katyn Monument.
- Founded
- 2017
- Operated by
- Muzeum Pamięci Sybiru
- Director
- prof. Wojciech Śleszyński
Admission & discounts
| Adults | 25 zł |
|---|---|
| Reduced | 20 złpupils, students and doctoral students, people over 65, pensioners, disability pensioners and people with disabilities together with their carers, teachers, veterans, holders of the ISIC and Euro26 cards, honorary blood donors, and people with selected decorations (on presentation of a document) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 6 · Children under 7 enter free of charge. |
| Seniors | 20 złReduced ticket for people over 65, pensioners and disability pensioners. |
| Visitors with disabilities | 20 złReduced ticket for people with disabilities together with their carers. |
| Students & apprentices | 20 złReduced ticket on presentation of a student ID. |
| Groups (12+ people) | 20 zł per personGroup ticket per person (groups of 12–25 people). |
| Visit with audio guide | 10 złSurcharge on the ticket price. |
| Visit with multimedia guide | 20 złSurcharge on the ticket price. |
| Author meeting | 15 złReduced ticket PLN 10. |
Free admission: Wednesday – free admission to the permanent exhibition for individual visitors (there are no guided tours on Wednesdays).
Children under 7 and also, among others, volunteers, journalists, members of the Association of Siberian Deportees, veterans and holders of the Karta Polaka (Pole's Card) also enter free of charge. One carer per 15 participants of workshops and school trips enters free. Tickets can be bought online or at the ticket office; a reduced ticket is not honoured without a document.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description
The museum is adapted to the needs of people with disabilities: the building and exhibition entrances are accessible, lifts serve the whole exhibition, and the ground floor has an accessible toilet with a baby-changing table. Wheelchairs and walking aids (crutches, walkers) can be borrowed free of charge. Induction loops are installed at the ticket office, in the audiovisual hall and at six points in the permanent exhibition; neck loops are available during guided tours. An audio guide with audio description and an audio guide with translation into Polish Sign Language (PJM) are available to visitors. The exhibition includes 3D-printed models of exhibits. Noise-cancelling headphones can be borrowed free of charge at the ticket office, and a quiet rest room is available. Assistance dogs are welcome.
Kids & families
Only partly suitable for kids
| Time needed | approx. 2 hrs |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
- Family tours & workshops
- Baby changing facilities
The exhibition deals with deportations and crimes, so it is more suitable for older children. The museum organises workshops, and noise-cancelling headphones for children and adults can be borrowed free of charge in the exhibition. A changing table is in the ground-floor toilet.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Wasilkowska/Traugutta
Buses 3, 6, 9, 13, 16, 100 and 108. From the city centre, get off at the Wasilkowska/Traugutta stop (521); towards the centre, use the Wasilkowska/Andersa stop (524).
By car
Free parking
Free car park for visitors, open during museum hours; entrance from ul. Wacława Siedleckiego. There are bicycle racks by the building, and the nearest city bike station (Wasilkowska/Rondo) is about 650 m from the museum.
- Accessible parking
The museum is just under 2 km from the city centre.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museum shop
The Mozaika restaurant on the ground floor (dishes with duck, vegetarian and vegan options, coffee and desserts, and a terrace in season) is also open outside museum hours. The museum shop operates both in the building and online.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | The museum recommends arriving at least 2 hours before closing. Visits with an audio guide, a multimedia guide, a guided tour by a museum curator or an external guide are available. Audio and video recording in the exhibitions requires the permission of the museum director. |
