Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego

About the museum

The Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego (Warsaw Rising Museum) opened in 2004, on the sixtieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Uprising. It occupies a former tram power station from the early 20th century, an example of industrial architecture in Wola, at the junction of ul. Przyokopowa and ul. Grzybowska. The aim of the institution is to document, research and promote the history of the fighting for Warsaw in 1944 and the memory of its participants.

The exhibition is multimedia in character: its main elements are large-format photographs, monitors, recordings and stage design, and visitors move over granite cobbles among reconstructed ruins of the city. The heart of the museum is a steel monument running through all floors, with the chronology of the Uprising engraved on it and the sound of a beating heart. The route runs chronologically from the occupation and “W” Hour, through the fighting of August and everyday life, to the fall of the Uprising and the exodus of the population.

The museum also has working printing presses from the 1940s, an arrangement of a sewer channel, the Palladium cinema with newsreels, and a 1:1 replica of the Liberator B-24J bomber. A separate place is the Sala Małego Powstańca (Little Insurgent Room), intended for children. The admission ticket also includes a screening of the 3D film “Miasto ruin” (City of Ruins), a digital reconstruction of destroyed Warsaw.

Around the building stretches the Park Wolności (Freedom Park) with the Mur Pamięci (Wall of Remembrance), on which the names of nearly eleven thousand fallen insurgents are engraved. The museum also includes branches: the Cele Bezpieki (Security Police Cells) on Aleje Ujazdowskie and the Fotoplastikon Warszawski (Warsaw Photoplasticon) on Aleje Jerozolimskie. Preparations for the expansion of the museum are currently under way.

Highlights

• Steel monument with the chronology of the Uprising through all floors
• 1:1 replica of the Liberator B-24J aircraft
• Sewer channel arrangement and working printing presses
• 3D film “Miasto ruin” – digital reconstruction of Warsaw
• Mur Pamięci (Wall of Remembrance) in Park Wolności
• Sala Małego Powstańca (Little Insurgent Room) for children

Permanent exhibitions

• Ekspozycja stała Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego – Chronological route from the occupation and “W” Hour through the fighting of August 1944 to the fall of the Uprising, with the monument, the sewer channel and the Liberator replica.
• Film 3D „Miasto ruin” – Screening included in the admission ticket: a digital reconstruction of Warsaw destroyed during the Second World War.
• Sala Małego Powstańca – A space for children with an insurgent puppet theatre, replicas of old toys and games.

Founded

2004

Director

Jan Ołdakowski

Visitors per year

approx. 416,000

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every Thursday – free admission (free passes are issued at the ticket office on the day of the visit).

The admission ticket includes the screening of the 3D film “Miasto ruin”. Free admission also applies, among others, to Warsaw Uprising insurgents, veterans, members of ICOM and ICOMOS, staff of museums in the State Register of Museums, journalists with a press card and holders of the Karta Polaka (Polish Card).

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: not available

The exhibition in the multi-level building is fully accessible to wheelchair users: lifts and platforms lead to all floors and to adapted toilets. The granite paving is uneven, and staff help to overcome the barriers. A wheelchair can be borrowed. Two disabled parking spaces are in front of the gate from ul. Przyokopowa. Assistance dogs may enter all buildings. The sound track does not include audio description, so blind visitors should visit with a carer or guide; a large part of the exhibits can be touched. A Polish Sign Language interpreter is available if ordered in advance (tel. 22 539 79 33, ekspozycja@1944.pl). An induction loop works in the Cele Bezpieki.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 13+

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Playground / play area

A complete tour of the exhibition is recommended for people over 13, because the subject is difficult and moving; some elements (the printing house, the communications room, the Liberator aircraft, the channel) will interest visitors of any age. The Sala Małego Powstańca, with a puppet theatre, toys and games, is intended for children – children under 13 may stay there in the care of educators (on weekdays 15:00–18:00, at weekends 10:00–18:00). Pushchairs may be taken into the museum, and there are toilets for parents with small children.

Getting there & parking

Reconstruction work on ul. Grzybowska is disrupting traffic, so groups should plan their coach parking in advance. There are bicycle racks in the courtyard.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Museum café and museum shops. Backpacks and large bags are stored in luggage lockers in the courtyard (deposit PLN 5 in a coin).

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit