Art & Cultural Tourism in Poland
From the times of the Temple of Sybilla, the first museum in Poland created in Puławy, some 200 years have passed. Today’s museums have become increasingly very modern places with interactive facilities, which enlighten us about our world; they intrigue and can even provoke laughter. They are often established as a result of someone’s passion, some person so interested in the subject that he or she wanted to pass on this passion.
In the remarkable Museum of the Warsaw Rising the horror of those days is amplified by the sounds of the planes dropping bombs and the explosion of shells. The visitor to the museum can ‘call’ an insurgent, who will tell them their story; he pushes himself through the sewers; he tears off the pages of a calendar documenting the days of the Rising. In the Museum of Papermaking in Duszniki-Zdroj anyone can drain off the paper mass on a riddle then put it into the press to obtain their own sheet of paper-mache.
Museums lead us along many, different trails. Biographical museum with the lives of people known only perhaps from encyclopedias: Nicolaus Copernicus (Frombork), Nikifor (Krynica), Kornel Makuszynski (Zakopane) or Stanislaw Wyspianski (Krakow).
Ethnographical museums can revive forgotten customs, often in a practical manner, for example in the Museum of the Mazovian region in Sierpc clay pots are still manufactured, butter is churned by hand, carpets are woven on a loom, and during the harvest the wheat is stacked in sheafs in the fields and then threshed with flail.
Museums of industry, such as the Museum of the Textile Industry in Lodz, the Museum of Copper in Legnica or the Railway Museum in Jaworzyna Slaska are particularly fascinating. The latter will be appreciated particularly by steam train enthusiasts who will find several dozen elderly wagons and an impressive collection of locomotives in the museum.
Next to the very important National Museum, there are small, private museums established by those passionate about certain subjects. The Museum of Arms and Weapons in Swidnica was born out of the passion of Stanislaw Gabrys, a retired locksmith. From dolls, toy cars and other varied toys collected by Henryk Tomaszewski, the legendary founder of the Wroclaw Mime Theatre, the Museum of Toys was created. A small, funny Museum of Socrealism in Poznan recalls how street carbonated water vending machines must have looked like, and teaches the art of writing Party speeches.
POLIN MUSEUM OF HISTORY OF POLISH JEWS
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews stands in what once was the heart of Jewish Warsaw.
THE LIVING MUSEUM OF GINGERBREAD IN TORUN
Gothic architecture, Nicolaus Copernicus and Gingerbread make Torun a unique city to visit. And now you can bake your own gingerbread while you are there.
EXPERIENCE CHOPIN’S GENIUS THROUGH THE MULTIMEDIA
The uniqueness of the Fryderyk Chopin Museum in Warsaw lies in its exceptional blend of tradition and modernity.
THE EXPERYMENT SCIENCE CENTRE IN GDYNIA
The first interactive science centre of the Pomerania region. Its main aim is to popularize science in an unconventional way.
MUSEUMS FOR CHILDREN
The most significant Polish Museum of Fairy Tales is in Lodz. “Se-ma-for” is the place where the world can see our favourites like the Bear Uszatek, the Bear Colargol and the Penguin Pik-Pok. Today, “Se-ma-for” invites visitors to its…
ART AND ARTISTS IN ZAKOPANE EXHIBITION
The exhibition mainly presents the work of Zakopane’s colony of artists but also the work of artists connected with Zakopane for whom the Tatra Mountains and the mountain culture are an important inspiration.
THE PRZYPKOWSKI MUSEUM OF HOROLOGY
In Jedrzejow, in the town square, two 18th century buildings house a splendid collection of sundials which was founded and run by the Przypkowski Family.
NATIONAL MUSEUM IN KIELCE
The National Museum in Kielce is housed in a palace which once belonged to the Bishopric of Krakow . The palace, built by Jakub Zadzik between 1637 and 1641, is one of the best preserved architectural monuments in Poland dating back…
COPERNICUS SCIENCE CENTRE IN WARSAW
The Copernicus Science Centre is one of the largest and most modern institutions of this type in Europe. The aim of the Centre is to inspire curiosity, assist in the independent discovery of the world around us and help to teach and…
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM IN KRAKOW
The Krakow National Museum has a total of nine divisions, each having its own theme and atmosphere.
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM IN WROCLAW
The National Museum in Wroclaw was established on 28th of March 1947 as the State Museum in process of organization, on 11 July 1948 it was officially inaugurated to the public.
UNDERGROUND MUSEUM IN KRAKOW
A very unique museum underneath Rynek Glowny (Main Market Square) is opening in Krakow. The museum was built on the site of an archaeological excavation that unveiled secrets of Krakow’s evolution since its founding in the early…
OPEN AIR MUSEUMS – SAVED FROM OBLIVION
The first Polish open air museum was created in Wdzydze Kiszewskie in 1906. It was founded by the Gulgowski family who were avid lovers of Kashubian culture. Today it is not only a collection of ancient tools, furnishings and clothing…
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM IN WARSAW
The Warsaw National Museum contains masterpieces of Polish and international art which can be viewed every day except Monday. Its pride of place goes to the biggest collection in Poland of ancient art: a Greek vase with the image of…
