Willa Żabińskich

About the museum

The villa was built in 1931 as the official residence of the director of the Warsaw Zoological Garden. Jan Żabiński lived there with his wife Antonina and their son Ryszard, and in 1944 the family welcomed a daughter, Teresa. The building was the only one on the zoo grounds not destroyed during the war, and very few changes have been made to it since; it is surrounded by a garden in the French style with a ginkgo planted by Jan Żabiński.

During the German occupation several hundred people, mainly Jews who had escaped from the Warsaw Ghetto, found shelter in the villa and on the zoo grounds. The Żabiński family hid them in the cellars and in the rooms of the house, and Antonina played pieces on the piano that served as a warning signal for those in hiding. After the war, the people who had been saved gave testimony to Yad Vashem, and Jan and Antonina Żabiński were awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations.

The interiors have been restored to the atmosphere of the 1930s according to a design by the set designer Iza Chełkowska. Visitors see, among other things, display cases with insects from the collection of the entomologist Szymon Tenenbaum, the library and the director’s study, a drawing room with a piano and, in the cellars, a wall with the names of the people who were hidden and a memorial room for Magdalena Gross. Two films about the pre-war Jewish district and about the Żabiński family’s relations are also shown in the cellars.

Key themes

• guided visits only, including the cellars where Jews were hidden
• interiors with the atmosphere of the 1930s
• display cases with insects from the collection of Szymon Tenenbaum
• drawing room with the piano on which Antonina Żabińska played warning signals
• Magdalena Gross memorial room and films in the cellars

Permanent exhibition

• Wnętrza Willi Żabińskich – Reconstructed living interiors from the 1930s, the insect collection of Szymon Tenenbaum and the cellars with a memorial to those hidden by the Żabiński family, visited with a guide.

Operated by

Miejski Ogród Zoologiczny im. Antoniny i Jana Żabińskich w Warszawie

Admission & discounts

The fee of PLN 10 per person for a guided visit to the villa is charged in addition; the villa is on the grounds of the Warsaw Zoo, which requires a separate entrance ticket. People with a disability certificate enter the zoo free of charge, together with one accompanying person, after collecting a ticket for PLN 0.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The accessibility information mainly concerns the grounds of the Warsaw Zoo: all three entrances are adapted for wheelchair users, the car parks at ul. Ratuszowa and Most Gdański each have two spaces for people with disabilities, and from May to mid-October a wheelchair can be borrowed free of charge. The zoo allows entry with an assistance dog. Detailed information on the accessibility of the villa itself (cellars, stairs) has not been published.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

• Family tours & workshops

Children under 10 visit the villa free of charge; as the tour deals with hiding Jews during the occupation, younger children must be accompanied by an adult. There is an accessible playground on the zoo grounds.

Getting there & parking

The zoo entrances are from ul. Ratuszowa, ul. Jagiellońska and Most Gdański (ul. Starzyńskiego); from ul. Wybrzeże Helskie there is only an exit.

Amenities & dining

There are food outlets on the zoo grounds.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit