When my husband and I visited Poland in September 2004 – this museum had just opened. Every time we are in Poland we make it a point to visit Warsaw. And every time we try to do and see something new. During this visit we really wanted to see the new museum. We new it will be very interesting; at the same time very sad…If you like European history, you should definitely put it on your list of places to see if you ever are in Warsaw.

The Warsaw Uprising Museum (Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego, officially translated into English as the Warsaw Rising Museum), located in the district of Wola in Warsaw, Poland, is a museum dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.

The institution of the Museum was established in 1983, but no construction work took place for many years, and the museum finally opened on July 31, 2004, marking the 60th anniversary of the Uprising.

The Museum sponsors research into the history of the Uprising, and the history and possessions of the Polish Underground State. It collects and maintains hundreds of artifacts, ranging from weapons used by the insurgents to love letters, in order to present a full picture of the people involved. The Museum’s stated goals include the creation of an archive of historical information on the Uprising and the recording of the stories and memories of the still living Uprising participants.

The Museum is a tribute of Warsaw’s residents to those who fought and died for independent Poland and its free capital. The exhibition depicts fighting and everyday life during the Rising, keeping occupation terror in the background. Complexity of the international situation at the time of the Rising is portrayed, including the post-war years of the Communist regime and the fate of Insurgents in the People’s Republic of Poland (PRL). With the total area of more than 3000 m2, 800 exhibition items, approximately 1500 photographs, films and sound recordings, history of the days preceding the Rising is told.  Visitors are guided through the subsequent stages of the Rising until the time when the Insurgents left Warsaw.

You walk through and everything seems so real that you shiver…One of the highlights is a wall, separate from the main building, known as the heart of the museum and including sounds of battle and heart beats emanating from it.

More things to see there:

• A 1:1 replica of a B-24 Liberator;
• A replica of the Kubuś armored car;
• Contemporary themed cantina;
• Interactive displays with footage and video, creating a high level of immersion;
• A replica of the Palladium Cinema, playing footage taken by the Polish insurgents’ own cameramen and originally shown at the original Palladium Cinema in Warsaw during the Uprising;
• A scale model of the Warsaw sewer system;
• A memorial wall with all the casualties of the Uprising.

The museum is dedicated to all facets of the Warsaw Uprising. Exhibits are full of photographs, written accounts and other testimonies of how life was during 1944. Some sections include:

• Children’s section: insurgent uniforms, activities, models;
• Hangar; B-24 Liberator: Warsaw airdrops, information videos;
• Nazi section: German-occupied Poland, sewers;
• Communist section: Communist-occupied Poland, puppet government;
• Multi-cultural opposition and “Western hesitation“: accounts of many ethnicities fighting the Nazis and words of protest from George Orwell over the Western hesitation.

In one of the buildings there is a book store where you can find very interesting books for adults and kids as well.

Museum is opened every day, but Tuesday. Tickets are between 3-7 Zl (about $1-2). On Sundays admission is free.

If you are in Warsaw – this could be a very interesting place to see. It took us about 4 hours to see everything there, so make sure and plan your day.

Do następnego razu! (Till next time…)