Ulica Pomorska

About the museum

The building at ul. Pomorska 2 was erected in 1931–1936 as a hostel for young people from Silesia, known as the Dom Śląski (Silesian House). From 13 September 1939 to 17 January 1945 it housed the headquarters of the security police and the SD for the Kraków district, including the Gestapo. Prisoners were interrogated on the first and second floors and held in the cellars; the interrogations were combined with cruel torture, which sometimes caused disability or death. The number of people held is not known, but it ran into the thousands.

After the war the building was handed over to the Liga Obrony Kraju (National Defence League). Since 1981 it has been the only place of national memory from the Second World War in Kraków under museum care. Inscriptions left by prisoners in 1943–1945 survive on the walls of three cells. In November 2006, in cooperation with the Rawelin Association, the wartime air-raid shelters were opened to visitors.

The permanent exhibition “Krakowianie wobec terroru 1939–1945–1956” (Kraków Residents Facing Terror) consists of three parts: the activity of the Towarzystwo Obrony Zachodnich Kresów Polski (Society for the Defence of the Western Borderlands of Poland) and the history of the Silesian House; the fates of selected victims of German terror during the occupation and in the years 1945–1956; and the attitudes of residents towards the imposed communist authority. Visitors will see documents, family relics, photographs, a reconstructed interrogation room, recordings of witnesses and the virtual archive of the MHK, with several thousand biographies of victims of Nazi and Stalinist terror.

Key themes

• Preserved Gestapo cells with prisoners’ inscriptions from 1943–1945
• Exhibition “Krakowianie wobec terroru 1939–1945–1956”
• Reconstructed interrogation room
• Witness recordings and the virtual MHK archive
• The only place of national memory from the Second World War in Kraków under museum care

Permanent exhibition

• Krakowianie wobec terroru 1939–1945–1956 – The permanent exhibition in the former Gestapo headquarters shows the fates of victims of German terror and the attitudes of Kraków residents towards the communist authority after 1945; visitors see documents, a reconstructed interrogation room and preserved cells.

Founded

1981

Operated by

Muzeum Krakowa

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Wednesdays – free admission (free tickets online or at the ticket office while places last).

The ticket to the Fabryka Emalia Oskara Schindlera (Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory) is also valid for Pomorska and for the Apteka pod Orłem (Pharmacy Under the Eagle) within 7 days of the date on the ticket.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The building has narrow stairs and no lift or ramp. The exhibition is housed in a building with architectural barriers: there are stairs and level changes on one floor, and the former cells in the cellar are reached by narrow stairs and are very cramped. There is no toilet for people with disabilities in the building. The museum welcomes people with disabilities accompanied by assistance dogs.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

The museum does not state a minimum age for visitors; the educational workshops are aimed at pupils of grades IV–VIII and secondary schools. A family ticket applies.

Getting there & parking

The building stands at ul. Pomorska 2.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit