Muzeum Warszawy

About the museum

The Museum of Warsaw was founded in 1936 as the Museum of Old Warsaw, a branch of the National Museum. Its seat became the tenement houses on the Old Town Market Square, purchased by the city magistrate in 1937–1938. After the outbreak of the Second World War, plans to move the collections were halted, and in 1944 the collections and the houses were destroyed. The museum was revived in 1948 under the name Historical Museum of the City of Warsaw and placed in eleven rebuilt Old Town tenement houses.

The main seat is now a complex of eleven historic tenement houses on the Old Town Market Square, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980. The museum also runs six branches and several other locations, including the Muzeum Warszawskiej Pragi, the Muzeum Woli, the Muzeum Farmacji, the Muzeum Drukarstwa, the Korczakianum and the Muzeum – Miejsce Pamięci Palmiry. From 2014, as part of the “OdNowa” (Renewal) project, the historic buildings were modernised, restored and digitised, and the museum was officially reopened in its new form on 26–28 May 2017.

The main exhibition consists of three parts: “Rzeczy warszawskie” (Warsaw Things), “Dane warszawskie” (Warsaw Data) and “Dzieje kamienic” (History of the Tenement Houses). 7,352 original objects were selected for it from a collection of about 300 thousand items and are shown in 21 thematic cabinets. Instead of a single story of the city, the exhibition offers the stories of things and their owners, and visitors choose their own route.

Highlights

• Main exhibition “Rzeczy warszawskie” – 7,352 original objects in 21 thematic cabinets
• Seat in eleven tenement houses on the Old Town Market Square (UNESCO)
• Cabinet of Warsaw Mermaids, Cabinet of Clocks and Cabinet of Views of Warsaw
• Observation point on the top floors
• Free admission to the permanent exhibition on Thursdays
• Quiet hours on Tuesdays

Permanent exhibitions

• Rzeczy warszawskie – Main exhibition with 7,352 original objects in 21 thematic cabinets, telling the history of Warsaw through the stories of things and people.
• Dane warszawskie – Part of the main exhibition presenting, through charts, maps and infographics, how Warsaw developed and who its residents are.
• Dzieje kamienic – Part of the main exhibition on the transformation of the northern side of the Old Town Market Square and the architecture of the individual tenement houses.

Founded

1936

Operated by

Miasto Stołeczne Warszawa

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every Thursday – the permanent exhibition is free (temporary exhibition for PLN 1).

Tickets are bought at the ticket office and online; buying online guarantees priority entry. Individual tickets entitle the holder to visit the Warsaw Praga Museum within seven days of the date on the ticket.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description

The wheelchair entrance is from ul. Nowomiejska 8. For wheelchairs, levels −1, 0, +1 and +2 are accessible; the higher floors (3–6) can only be reached by stairs, and the lift goes up to the second floor. Toilets are available on levels −1, 0 and +1. For visitors with visual impairments there are tactile plans, publications in large print and Braille, and audio guides with audio description. For deaf visitors there is a tablet guide with videos in Polish Sign Language; the ticket offices and the cinema have induction loops. Easy-to-read brochures and noise-cancelling headphones are available. Parking spaces for people with disabilities are on ul. Zapiecek, Kanonia, Podwale and Kilińskiego (no reservation).

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities

The museum runs museum lessons and meetings for families, and the game “Szyfr zegarmistrzów” (The Clockmakers’ Cipher) for young people and families with older children (16+). A convenient wheelchair entrance is from ul. Nowomiejska 8; a pushchair can be left in the cloakroom. A feeding corner with a baby-changing table is on level −1.

Getting there & parking

The main entrance is in tenement house no. 42 on the Old Town Market Square.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check

The building has a café and the “Syrena” cinema on level 0. The museum bookshop has been temporarily closed since 1 October.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

The museum rents out the historic interiors of tenement houses in the Old Town and in its other branches for conferences, workshops, dinners, film screenings and concerts. Contact: marketing@muzeumwarszawy.pl, +48 723 453 496.

Plan your visit