Muzeum Historii Polski Ludowej

About the museum

The Dwór Nowa Ruda farm estate was built in 1890 by the German von Ballestrem family. After the war the estate was taken over by the State Treasury and turned into a state farm (PGR); after the state farms were liquidated, the buildings gradually fell into ruin. In 2002 the site was still heavily dilapidated.

The PRL Museum (Muzeum PRL-u) opened here on 4 June 2010, on the anniversary of the first partially free elections, with the exhibition “Zaczynamy od końca…” (“We Start from the End…”). The museum is run by the Fundacja Minionej Epoki (Foundation of the Bygone Era), and since 2023 it has operated under the name Muzeum Historii Polski Ludowej (Museum of the History of the Polish People’s Republic). Visitors walk through reconstructed interiors and spaces from the time of the Polish People’s Republic.

The exhibition includes, among others, the “Kapsuła czasu” (“Time Capsule”) with a flat and everyday objects, the office of the First Secretary with a propaganda room, a gallery of copies of socialist-realist paintings from 1949–1955, an exhibition of vehicles (cars, scooters, motorcycles, police and fire-brigade vans), and a park of monuments from the PRL era. The museum runs museum lessons and rents out its halls for conferences and corporate events.

Highlights

• “Kapsuła czasu” (“Time Capsule”) – interiors and everyday objects of the PRL era
• Office of the First Secretary and a propaganda room
• Park of monuments from the PRL era
• Exhibition of period vehicles, including police and fire-brigade vans
• Socialist Realism Gallery with copies of paintings from 1949–1955
• Retrodisco

Permanent exhibitions

• Kapsuła czasu – Recreated interiors and everyday objects from the PRL era, from a flat to the office of the First Secretary with a propaganda room.
• Park pomników – Collection of monuments from the PRL era, moved to the museum grounds.
• Motoryzacja i Galeria Socrealizmu – Vehicles from the PRL era and copies of several dozen socialist-realist paintings from 1949–1955.

Founded

2010

Operated by

Fundacja Minionej Epoki

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum runs museum lessons for schools; children under 6 enter free of charge, and younger visitors can see what life was like without mobile phones and computers.

Getting there & parking

The museum lies among fields in the Nowa Ruda district, in the former farm estate Dwór Nowa Ruda.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

A Painting Gallery and a Photography Gallery with full conference facilities (chairs, tables, projector, sound system) are available; reservations via the museum’s website.

Plan your visit