Magda Piasecka 2026-02-01

Essential museums in Poland for history

If you are interested in history or want your children to learn more about history in an accessible way, the following museums in Poland are definitely worth visiting.

There, you’ll not only gain a deeper understanding of Poland’s complex history but also learn about important events in European history that occurred on Polish territory.

Our post contains lots of practical tips, including information about what’s available in English and other languages, and about visiting museums with children (many of them offer special rooms and attractions even for small children!).

Museum of the Second World War (Gdańsk)

It is one of the newest museums in Poland, opened in 2017. The museum’s main exhibition (one of the largest historical museum exhibitions in the world) consists of three narrative blocks: “The Road to War”, “The Terror of War”, and “The Long Shadow of War”. The exhibitions illustrate the Polish experience of war against a wider European and global context.

Tips for visiting the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk 

  • Location: Muzeum II Wojny Światowej, plac Władysława Bartoszewskiego 1, 80-862 Gdańsk. Location on Google Maps.
  • The museum is located in the city center and is well-connected to other attractions in Gdańsk.
  • Underground parking is available on the museum grounds, accessible via Wałowa Street. Visitors to the museum who have purchased a ticket to the main exhibition (Wednesday-Sunday) receive free parking for three hours during museum opening hours; each additional hour incurs a fee.
  • If you have a budget, we recommend visiting the museum with a guide, especially if you are with children – the guide can adapt the pace and content of the museum tour to your family. On the museum’s website, you will find contact information for guides who work with the museum. Tours are available in various languages, including Polish, English, German, Italian, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, French, and Swedish.
  • You can visit the main exhibition with an audioguide (available in Polish, Ukrainian, English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Italian, Czech, and Lithuanian).
  • If you get hungry or want something to drink, the museum has a restaurant located in the Museum tower on level +4 and a bistro on level -3.
  • It is recommended to buy tickets online. You can buy tickets for a specific day and time. On Tuesdays, admission to the museum is free (however, you should factor in the queue before entering).
  • Website in Polish. Website in English.
  • Our article with tips for visiting the city of Gdańsk.

Visiting the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk with children

  • On levels -2 and -3, there are rooms for parents with children, equipped with a changing table and a chair for easy feeding.
  • All passageways are wide, allowing for comfortable stroller access.
  • Children aged 7 and under visit for free.
  • A cheaper family ticket is available for families (a maximum of 2 adults and 2 people under 18).
  • The Museum’s main exhibition is recommended for children ages 12+.
  • As part of the main exhibition at the Museum, a special space has been prepared for children under 12, entitled “Time travel” (“Podróż w czasie“). It consists of two parts. The first is a reconstruction of a Warsaw family’s apartment across three periods: September 3rd, 1939 – a few days after the outbreak of World War II; March 8th, 1943 – during the German occupation; and May 8th, 1945 – on the day of Germany’s surrender. The second element of this section of the exhibition, which serves as both an exhibition and an educational space, is a reconstruction of a classroom from the late 1930s. The children’s exhibition is part of the main exhibition. It is located at the beginning of the main exhibition and can be visited with a main exhibition ticket.

Photo source: Muzeum II Wojny Światowej w Gdańsku

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European Solidarity Centre (Gdańsk)

It’s a cultural institution commemorating the Solidarity revolution in Poland in the 1980s and the fall of communism in Europe.

It includes an interactive museum dedicated to modern Polish history, particularly the Solidarity movement. Solidarity (Solidarność) was a trade union founded in 1980 at the Gdańsk shipyard. The movement played a key role in the fall of communism in Poland and Europe. Solidarity’s leader, Lech Wałęsa, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983.

The most valuable exhibit is the 21 Demand Boards (Tablice 21 Postulatów), included in UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” international project list, containing the most valuable documents of global significance. On August 17, 1980, the strikers’ most important demands to the government were written on boards and then posted at Gate No. 2 of the occupied Shipyard. As a result of the Great Strike, Solidarity was founded.

Tips for visiting the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk 

  • Location: Europejskie Centrum Solidarności, plac  Solidarności 1, 80-863 Gdańsk. Location on Google Maps.
  • The museum is located 1 km from the Old Town. It is a distinctive brown building located next to the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers (a monument commemorating the shipyard workers killed in 1970 by the communist authorities); next to the museum building is the famous Gdańsk Shipyard Hall and one of the most recognizable places in Gdańsk – the former shipyard gate.
  • The museum has a paid underground parking lot: entrance is via Nowomiejska Street from Jana z Kolna Street or Ks. Jerzego Popiełuszki Street. Before exiting the parking lot, please pay at the parking machine. Payment is accepted by card only.
  • The museum has hourly entry limits for the permanent exhibition; it is recommended to purchase tickets online on the museum website (especially during the holidays, when there are the most visitors).
  • The ticket price for the permanent exhibition includes an audio guide for each visitor. There are three types of audio guides available: family track (visit time: approx. 1.5 hours; language versions: Polish, English, Ukrainian), for adults – full version (visit time: 2.5–3 hours, language versions: Polish, English, Belarusian, French, Spanish, German, Norwegian, Russian, Swedish, Ukrainian, Italian), for adults – short version (visit time: 1.5 hours, language versions: Polish, English).
  • The permanent exhibition can be visited with an included audioguide or with a guide (at an additional fee). On the museum’s website, you’ll find contact information for guides collaborating with the museum (multiple language options are available).
  • On the building’s roof (level 6) is an observation deck, 25 meters above ground level. The deck offers views of the former Gdańsk Shipyard and Gdańsk’s Old Town. Admission is free.
  • The museum building has a bistro (level 1) and a café (ground floor, next to the panoramic elevators).
  • Website in Polish. Website in English.
  • Our article with tips for visiting the city of Gdańsk.

Visiting the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk with children

  • Free admission for children ages 7 and under.
  • A cheaper family ticket (2+2 or 2+3) is available to families with children aged 19 or under. A group ticket must be purchased for each additional child.
  • On the museum’s ground floor, there is a space for parents with children up to 10 years old: “The Play Department” (Wydział Zabaw). It’s one of the most modern indoor educational playgrounds in Poland, featuring numerous interactive and educational attractions. It’s dedicated to children aged 10 and under. The attractions are tied to the maritime theme and designed to teach children about solidarity. You need to buy a separate ticket for the Play Department. It is recommended to purchase tickets online on the museum website (especially during the holidays, when there are the most visitors).
  • The museum building is wheelchair- and stroller-friendly, with several elevators available.

Photo source: Europejskie Centrum Solidarności

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Oskar Schindler’s Factory Museum (Kraków)

The museum is located in the former administrative building of Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory. Oskar Schindler was a German entrepreneur who, during World War II, saved more than a thousand Jews threatened with extermination by employing them in his factories.

His story gained worldwide recognition thanks to Steven Spielberg’s film “Schindler’s List” (starring Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley; music by John Williams). The movie won seven Academy Awards (Oscars). One of the movie’s filming locations was the Schindler’s Enamel Factory administrative building, now home to the museum (other “Schindler’s List” filming locations in Kraków include the former Jewish district of Kazimierz, Pilsudski Bridge, or St. Mary’s Basilica in the Market Square).

The museum exhibition tells the story of Krakow and the fate of its Polish and Jewish inhabitants during World War II. The exhibition also presents Oskar Schindler and the stories of the Krakow Jews he saved. Oskar Schindler’s heroic deed is commemorated in his office, preserved in the factory’s administrative building, which houses a symbolic “ark of survivors” made of thousands of pots reminiscent of those produced by his workers during the war.

Tips for visiting the Schindler’s Factory Museum in Kraków

  • Location: Fabryka Emalia Oskara Schindlera, Lipowa 4 Street, 30-702 Kraków. Location on Google Maps.
  • The museum is located 2.5 km from Market Square. From the center of Krakow, you can get there by tram in 20 minutes. A visit to the Schindler’s Factory Museum can be combined with a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art, located just 100 m away (website in English).
  • The exhibition is designed with descriptions in Polish and English.
  • The museum offers guided tours in English for individual visitors from Tuesday to Sunday at 10 am, 12 pm, and 4 pm (tickets for the English tour can be purchased online for a selected day and time).
  • Tickets go on sale online 90 days before the tour date (on the museum’s website).
  • On Mondays, admission to the museum is free (tickets cannot be booked in advance on free days; tickets are available at the box office on the day of the visit).
  • The museum is extremely popular among visitors to Krakow, and for a long time, ticket availability was problematic. The ticket sales system was controversial. It was virtually impossible to purchase tickets online on the museum’s website—tickets that appeared online were sold out within seconds. Visitors most often chose guided tours offered by tour operators (who held museum tickets), though these were much more expensive. As of January 2026, the museum has implemented changes (tickets assigned to a specific person who must show a photo ID at the entrance), and tickets are now available on the museum website. However, it is worth buying them in advance.
  • Website in Polish. Website in English.
  • Our article with tips for visiting the city of Kraków.

Visiting the Schindler’s Factory Museum in Kraków with children

  • A cheaper family ticket is available: 2 adults + 2 children up to 16 years old; 1 adult + 3 children up to 16 years old; 1 adult + 2 children up to 16 years old; or 2 adults + 1 child up to 16 years old.
  • Free admission for children ages 7 and under.
  • Students are entitled to reduced tickets.
  • The museum does not specify a recommended age for visiting children. The decision rests with the parents, who know the child’s sensitivity and level of maturity.

Photo source: Fabryka Emalia Oskara Schindlera

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Auschwitz Memorial in Oświęcim (near Kraków)

Auschwitz Memorial is located in the town of Oświęcim, in southern Poland. After the Third Reich attacked Poland, Oświęcim was incorporated into Germany (in October 1939). At that time, the Polish name of the town, Oświęcim, was changed to the German one – Auschwitz. In June 1940, the Third Reich established a concentration camp on the outskirts of Oświęcim, which they named Auschwitz. Two and a half kilometers from Auschwitz is the village of Brzezinka (the occupiers gave it the German name Birkenau), where in 1942 the second part of the camp was established, called Auschwitz II-Birkenau.

To answer our readers’ questions about visiting the Auschwitz Memorial, we wrote a post that addresses common questions and offers practical tips from our visit with a teenager.

Our Guide to visiting Auschwitz covers:

  • How to get to Auschwitz by car, train, or plane
  • How to get to Auschwitz from Kraków
  • What is Auschwitz, Birkenau, Oświęcim, and Brzezinka?
  • How can you visit the Auschwitz Memorial? In what languages ​​are guided tours of the Auschwitz Memorial available?
  • How does a tour of the Auschwitz Memorial with a museum guide/educator work step by step
  • Can I visit the Auschwitz Memorial without booking an admission ticket in advance?
  • Visiting the Auschwitz Memorial with children

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The Wolf’s Lair – the headquarters of Adolf Hitler (Mazury region)

The Wolf’s Lair (in Polish “Wilczy Szaniec”, in German “Wolfsschanze”) is one of the most famous sites of World War II – Adolf Hitler’s main headquarters (in German “Führerhauptquartier”), a guarded “forest city.” Located in northeastern Poland, it is a popular destination among tourists visiting Masuria, the famous Polish lake region.

Construction began in 1940. The location was determined by strategic considerations: proximity to the Soviet Union border, well-developed fortifications in East Prussia, and dense forests that provided natural camouflage. Hitler arrived at Wolf’s Lair on June 24, 1941, two days after the beginning of Operation Barbarossa (the German invasion of the Soviet Union). He spent continuously over 800 days there (faced by the approaching Red Army, Hitler abandoned Wolf’s Lair on November 20, 1944).

Over 250 hectares of land, 200 structures were erected—from massive reinforced concrete shelters to barracks and guardhouses. The headquarters was a self-sufficient center, equipped with facilities such as an airport, a railway station, a sewage system, communications, a cinema, a hairdresser, and a teahouse. In 1944, approximately 2,000 people lived in the quarters.

It was here that an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Hitler took place on July 20, 1944. A few months later, with the Red Army approaching, the headquarters was abandoned, and many of the buildings were blown up.

Tips for visiting The Wolf’s Lair – the headquarters of Adolf Hitler (Poland’s Mazury region)

  • Location: Wilczy Szaniec, Gierłoż 5, 11-400 Kętrzyn. Location on Google Maps.
  • Tickets are available only on-site; no online purchases or advance bookings. Wolf’s Lair is one of the most popular attractions in Masuria. During the holiday season (July-August), it can be crowded. To avoid crowds, it is best to start visiting the museum immediately after the opening.
  • Tours take place along marked paths and walking routes. The facility is accessible to people with disabilities.
  • Please note that all the most important shelters and bunkers were blown up in 1945. While visiting the Wolf’s Lair, we only see ruins.
  • The facility also has a café, toilets and showers, a room for parents and children, a souvenir shop, and an information point.
  • On the premises of the Wolf’s Lair, there is a campsite and a hotel with a restaurant, located in the former residential quarters of the Third Reich Security Service.
  • The easiest way to get there is by car. Paid parking is available for coaches, cars, motorcycles, and bicycles.
  • The facility is open year-round, 7 days a week, including holidays.
  • Paid audio guides are available for rent (approximately 2 hours). Available languages: Polish, English, German, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Czech, and Polish sign language.
  • If you have a budget, we recommend visiting the museum with a guide, especially if you are with children – the guide can adapt the pace and content of the museum tour to your family. On the museum’s website, you will find contact information for guides who work with the museum.
  • It is possible to rent a ride in historic military vehicles around the Wolf’s Lair and the surrounding area. Details in Polish.
  • Website in Polish.
  • Our article with tips for visiting the Masuria region.

Visiting The Wolf’s Lair with children

  • Wolf’s Lair is often visited by families with children during their visits to Masuria. It’s best to tailor your visit (and the scope of the historical information provided) to the child’s age and sensitivity.
  • Marked tourist paths are accessible to parents with prams and people with limited mobility.
  • There is no family ticket. Children aged 6 and under receive free admission. Reduced tickets are available to school students up to 18 years of age and university students up to 26 years of age.

Photo source: Ośrodek Edukacji Historyczno-Przyrodniczej “Wilczy Szaniec”, Nadleśnictwa Srokowo

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POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews (Warsaw)

The Museum gives a unique opportunity not only to discover the history of Jewish people in Warsaw and Poland (in Poland in 1939, there were over 3 million Jews, 9.14% of the total population). It also helps to understand the Jewish community, its culture, and its migration patterns across Europe.

The Museum is located in the Muranów district of Warsaw (part of Śródmieście and Wola), which in the interwar times (1918 – 1939) was mainly inhabited by the Jewish people. In Warsaw, in 1939, there were 375,000 Jews, 30% of the city’s population. At that time, only New Your City had a bigger Jewish diaspora.

The Core Exhibition (opened in 2014) covers 1000 years of the history of Polish Jews, from the Middle Ages, and is divided into 8 galleries. The first gallery, which introduces visitors to the exhibition, is called the Forest (Las) and is the most metaphorical. You can learn there why the Museum is called POLIN. The next galleries cover certain periods chronologically, starting with the First Encounters (960–1500) and ending with the Postwar Years (1944 to the present).

Tips for visiting the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews

Visiting the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews with children

  • Click here to read our featured story about visiting the POLIN Museum with children.
  • Free admission: children up to the age of 7.
  • Museum for 1 zloty: 1 PLN. For children aged 7-18. Upon presentation of a valid student card from a Polish school.
  • There are cheaper family tickets (2 adults and 4 children).
  • The Polin Museum is one of the newest museums in Warsaw, with a modern exhibition featuring interactive reconstructions, models, installations, and lots of video projections – all very appealing to kids. Children can learn a lot since they can touch almost anything.
  • The Museum recommends that children under 12 not visit the Holocaust gallery. Mostly due to its difficult subject matter, the artifacts are not visually drastic (compared to the Auschwitz Museum). The tour was developed so that visitors with children can skip the 7th gallery – Holocaust (1939–1945). After leaving the 6th gallery – a very interesting one: On the Jewish Street (1918–1939) – you can either turn left and enter the Holocaust gallery or turn right and leave the exhibition.
  • An audio guide dedicated to families (children aged 6-12). Audio guides for families are available in Polish and English. The tour with audio guides for families is shorter, lasting about 1,5 hour (it does not include the “Holocaust” and “Postwar Years” galleries). It’s recommended that parents rent the same family audio guide for themselves (not the adult version), as it will guide them and the kids along the same route, ensuring the whole family has the same stops on tour. More in English about the family audio guides.
  • Detective Audiogame: “You’ve Got an Assignment” (Masz zlecenie). It is a combination of experiences known from escape rooms and the challenges that genealogists face in their work. The audio game is primarily intended for visitors aged 15-19, although escape room enthusiasts will also find it interesting. It’s available in two language versions: Polish and English. There’s no time limit. Audio games can be borrowed from the museum ticket office when purchasing an admission ticket. More in English about the Audiogame.
  • In the Museum, there is a kids-dedicated space called King Matt’s Family Education Area (in Polish: Miejsce edukacji rodzinnej “U króla Maciusia”). It’s free on weekends (except for some family workshops). To see the current program and opening hours for a given weekend, visit the museum website. It’s dedicated to parents with children aged 0-10. Here you can draw, play, read, and make music.
  • On level -1, there is a room where you can feed your baby in a quiet environment.

Photo source: Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN

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The Warsaw Rising Museum (Warsaw)

The museum commemorates the Warsaw Rising (Powstanie Warszawskie) – an armed uprising against the German forces occupying Warsaw. It broke out on August 1, 1944 (if you’re in Warsaw on August 1, you’ll hear sirens at 5 pm – it’s customary for everyone to pause for a minute to honor those who died during the uprising) and lasted until October 2, 1944.

The uprising was ultimately crushed, leading to immense loss of life (Polish army losses amounted to approximately 16,000 killed and missing, 20,000 wounded, and 15,000 taken prisoner; between 150,000 and 200,000 civilian inhabitants of Warsaw died) and the near-total destruction of Warsaw (including hundreds of priceless monuments).

The museum is located in a former tram power station, a monument to early-20th-century industrial architecture. The main elements of the museum’s modern interactive exhibition are large-format photographs, monitors, and computers.

Tips for visiting the Warsaw Rising Museum

  • Location: Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego, Grzybowska 79 Street, 00-844 Warszawa. Location on Google Maps.
  • The museum is located two kilometers from the Palace of Culture and Science/Warsaw’s city center. You can get there by metro (line M2, Rondo Daszyńskiego stop).
  • In December 2025, a contract was signed to expand the Warsaw Uprising Museum, with completion scheduled for spring 2029.
  • The museum does not have its own parking lot for passenger cars. The museum is in a paid parking zone; visitors can also park in private lots, such as the Warsaw Spire building.
  • Online tickets can be purchased in advance for a selected day and time on the museum’s official website. On Thursdays, admission to the Museum is free.
  • All exhibition texts are available in Polish and English.
  • Paid audio guides are available in the following languages: English, French, Greek, Spanish, German, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Italian.
  • Website in Polish. Website in English.
  • Our articles with tips for visiting the city of Warsaw: Warsaw in winter; Warsaw in spring; Warsaw in summer; Warsaw in autumn.

Visiting the Warsaw Rising Museum with children

  • The museum is adapted to the needs of parents of small children – the museum can accommodate strollers, there are special toilets for parents with small children, you can take an elevator to the exhibition located on other floors, there is a café to take a break, and the museum gift shop has an offer aimed at children (e.g. model making, coloring books, comics, and illustrated books).
  • The exhibition has been designed to be accessible to visitors of all ages. However, given the sensitive nature of the subject matter, parents should decide whether to visit the museum with their children, depending on their children’s sensitivity. The museum recommends a full tour of the exhibition for those over 13 years of age, although it’s worth noting that some elements of the Museum’s permanent exhibition, such as the printing house, the communications room, the Liberator plane, and the canal replica, will appeal especially to children.
  • A room dedicated to children under 13 years of age: “Little Insurgent Room” (Sala Małego Powstańca). This is a place where parents can leave their children in the care of educators and volunteers while they visit the museum exhibition. The Little Insurgent Room is open on weekdays (3 pm – 6 pm) and on weekends from 10 am to 6 pm (except when workshops are taking place there, for which registration is required).
  • There is no family ticket. Children aged 7 and under visit for free. Reduced tickets are available to school students.

Photo source: Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego

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