Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Warsaw Rising Museum

Warszawa.Warsaw Uprising Museum. Photo by User:Piotrus-Wikimedia

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Warsaw Rising Museum

The Warsaw Rising Museum is in the Wola district of Warsaw, Poland is dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.

 It’s a unique place that helps visitors understand contemporary Warsaw. It has interactive exhibition and displays showing how events happened chronologically.

Learn more about Warsaw Rising Museum in these top 10 fascinating facts.

1. The Museum is Dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944

The Warsaw Uprising of 1944 was a two-month battle carried out by Polish freedom fighters to liberate their country from the Nazis. The so-called people’s army began its assault at exactly 17:00 on August 1, 1994, known as W-hour.

The bloody battle resulted in over 20,000 civilian deaths and the almost destruction of the city. The Polish fighters expected assistance from allied nations, but with no help- the operation failed and they surrendered to the Nazis.

2. The Museum Was Established in 1983

Warszawa.Warsaw Uprising Museum. Photo by User:Piotrus-Wikimedia

The museum’s institution was established in 1983, but construction work was undertaken for many years. The Warsaw Rising museum was officially opened on July 31, 2004.

Its official opening marked the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the uprising in Warsaw. The museum is a tribute of Warsaw residents to those who fought and died for independent Poland and its free capital.

The museum is open every time from 10 am to 6 pm daily. Every Sunday, there are no charges to enter the museum.

The museum is easily accessible, and one can use bus lines 102, 105, and 190 or tram lines 1, 11, 22 and 24 which stop near the museum. There is also a metro station in Rondo Daszynskiego station on metro line II.

3. Freedom Park at the Warsaw Uprising Museum

In freedom park, you will find many exhibitions displaying the Warsaw uprising. Here you will find a replica of the Kubus armored car manufactured by the insurgents of the Powisle district of Warsaw during the uprising.

There is a memorial wall at the park inscribed with over 10,000 names of insurgents who died during the uprising. Also, the street murals  are inspired by the Warsaw Uprising, a remnant of the statue of Jozef Poniatowski blown up by Germans and over 30 posters with colorized photographs taken during the uprising.

4. There is a Monter Bell Commemorating General Antoni Chrusciel

Along the memorial wall of freedom, the park is a monter bell weighing 230kg dedicated to General Antonio Chrusciel. The bell is inscribed with his face image.

General Antonio Chrusciel was the de facto commander of all the armed forces of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 and the Polish army’s chief of staff.

Antonia Chrusciel and General Bor-Komorowski ordered the total mobilization of Home Army forces for 17:00 the following day when the Warsaw Uprising started.

5. The Exhibition in Warsaw Rising Museum is Organized in a Chronological Order

Warsaw Rising Museum exhibitions are organized in chronological order, but it’s pretty easy to take the wrong turn and end up at the end of the tour.

Once you visit, you should always follow the signs to the next section. It’s always a good idea to take the audio guide to help you with your orientation. If you don’t take the audio guide, you can still follow the audio guide numbers on the wall.

The museum is portioned into five subsequent sections, directing visitors through a journey from the beginning of the war until the aftermath and the Soviet invasion.

6. The Museum has a Replica of Liberator B-24J

Replica of the B-24 Liberator – Warsaw Uprising Museum. Photo by Jorge Láscar –Wikimedia

A full-size replica of the liberator B-24J bomber is found in the museum; it’s the only model in the world of the Liberator B24J. It is one of the main attractions in the museum.

The Liberator B-24J bombers were used in front during aerial battles of World War II. It supported fighters in Warsaw during the Warsaw Uprising and also used to bring supplies to Warsaw city.

During the Warsaw Uprising, it was taken down on the night of August above Warsaw. There is a memorial dedicated to the crew who died inside it.

7. The Museum Exhibition

The Warsaw Rising Museum exhibition covers all the aspects of the Warsaw Uprising. You will find exhibits over several floors, audio and video: interactive displays, photographs, written accounts, artifacts and testimonies of how life was during the Uprising.

There is a section of an exhibition showing the first days of the Uprising and the terrible living conditions that Varsovians had to suffer, a replica of Warsaw mermaid found in Warsaw Old Town Square Market and the sewage replica, where soldiers used to hide.

Kino Palladium is a small cinema showing a continuous stream of original footage taken by insurgent philographers in 1994. It was used to produce newsreels that were shown in Warsaw’s Palladium cinema during the Uprising and many more exhibitions.

8. There is an Exhibition Section for September Events During Warsaw Uprising

Liberator Hall at the Warsaw Uprising Museum. Photo byr Adrian Grycuk-Wikimedia

This section exhibition shows the fights that took place in September in Warsaw. The exhibition continues with the fall of the Uprising and the creation of the Polish Committee of National Liberation.

The Polish Committee of National Liberation was a puppet government fully controlled by the Soviet Union and the complete surrender and exodus of the Warsaw population.

9. The Warsaw Rising Museum Now Operates Warsaw Fotoplastikon

The Warsaw Fotoplastikon is a stereoscopic theatre based on the Kaiserpanorama system of rotating stereoscopic images located in Warsaw, Poland. It was established in 1901 and started its operation in 1905.

It is the oldest stereoscopic theater in Europe, still in business at its original location. It operates as a branch of the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising. In 2008 Chudy leased the device along with a collection of 3,00 slides to the museum.

In December 2012, the museum bought the equipment and continued operating in its original location. Fotoplastikon gained an additional room next to its original location adjacent to the Hoserow courtyard. It now works as an off-site branch at 51 Jerusalem Avenue.

10. There is a Multimedia Exhibition in the Museum

The multimedia exhibition gives the atmosphere of the Uprising, showing the military history of the 63 days of fighting and everyday civilian population and describing the post-war communist terror.

As you walk around the pavements, you will listen to the stories of the soldiers and understand how soldiers operated through the sewers felt and you will see a birds-eye view of the flattened city in the film City of Ruins.