Warsaw Uprising Museum

It's a really cool place, that's for sure, but if you want to actually spend time reading everything (and there is a LOAD to read), it's not really... accommodating. A load of sounds, very dark, many bright/contrasting lights. I walked in knowing nothing and fine and walked out still knowing nothing with a headache. But the layout is very visually interesting, and I bet the texts are very good, but I gave up on reading them after the first few 'stations' because I genuinely couldn't focus 🤷‍♂️

To begin, Warsaw's diverse collection of museums is a significant attraction, and this particular museum is one that I highly recommend visiting with an audio guide. The Uprising Museum and Uprising Monument are located in two separate locations. It's worth noting that admission to this museum is free on Thursdays. The Warsaw Rising Museum's purpose is to honor the memory of the Warsaw Uprising's participants and victims, document the history of the Polish Underground State, and recount the story of the city's 63-day resistance against Nazi occupation during WWII. The museum features extensive video evidence documenting the atrocities that occurred. The exhibition commences with a timeline of events and then proceeds to a room used to educate children. I was stunned. Additionally, I found that I was unprepared for some of the video evidence. Towards the end of the exhibition, there was a video marked 'drastic scenes.' I was unable to view it. I experienced a panic attack. I met a gentleman whose face was severely swollen. He cried throughout the entire exhibition. One aspect that I had not previously realized until viewing the videos is the significant pride displayed by those individuals perpetrating such brutality.

Very good museum about the Warsaw Uprising; educational and really well made. The guides were professional and knowledgeable on the subject, as well as each of the partisans and insurgents stories really touched my heart. It’s amazing to see such bravery while being crushed under the weight of hostilities and brutal suppression.

Amazing museum. We got there around two hours before closing and still couldn’t get through it all! We did stop often to read the signs. It really gives a sense of how that terrible period was like with commentary that is still relevant today. Good price and clean place. Took a tram nearby to the old town.

One of the best museums ive ever been to. Informative and graphic at points really hits home the struggles and efforts of the WP. There are also sporadic sections with the ghettos and impacts on the Jewish community. Kudos to the museum for innovative ways of hiding the more graphic imagery in little concrete Wells or high up in peep holes. 10/10

The museum exhibits a wealth of pictures and artifacts relating to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. The star of the show is the film footage of the battles on going in the city and how civilians tried to cope with the dire situation they faced. The museum has an unusual layout which I think reflects what must have been the chaos of urban warfare.

From the very first moments inside, the atmosphere pulls you in. The sound of sirens, the voices of insurgents, the flickering lights — everything is designed to make you feel what Warsaw went through in 1944. It’s immersive and emotional, yet incredibly respectful. What struck me most is how the museum tells the story not only of soldiers, but of ordinary citizens: children, doctors, couriers, people who turned everyday life into an act of resistance. The exhibits are powerful — real weapons, uniforms, letters, and the heartbreaking personal stories behind them. It’s a place that demands silence and reflection. You walk out with a heavy heart, but also with admiration for the resilience of those who fought for freedom against impossible odds. An essential visit for anyone who wants to understand not only Warsaw, but the true meaning of resistance.

Fantastic way to learn about the history of Poland leading up to the Warsaw Uprising. There are a lot of displays to read, most are in Polish and English. The audioguide would be useful simply due to the number of items on display. Plan to go in the morning if you want to avoid the crowds. You’re likely to spend 2+ hours in the museum.

What a neat museum. We spent a couple hours here reading all of the plaques and exploring all of the nooks and crannies. It was super informative and eye-opening. I was fine without a guide (and I don't speak any polish) but I could see how having one or listening to an audio tour would be helpful.

Interesting museum! Very impressed with the design and how realistic portions of the exhibits look. It was very crowded though and we got no help or suggestions how to properly look at everything.

It's a small museum, you need to turn off of the Main Street to get to the entrance, when you enter you'll be directed to the small building in the back of the courtyard to purchase your ticket. They've got everything for sale that you might be interested in, and the museum itself is interesting, insightful, and very touching. 10/10. Everyday. You get an inspired picture of what the resistance was about, a wonderful walk through of events, ideas, and viewing memorabilia from the event. Pictures, movies, and interviews are on display for you to see and absorb, and each display gives you a personalized view of the person, people, or event that happened. You learn a lot and experience just as much! A wonderful use of my time, and I'm insanely glad that I had the opportunity to see this. This is one of my top 2 in museums I've been to world wide.

Excellent museum. Very informative. Spend a few bucks and get the audio tour. There are large tours that move thru, but just wait a minute and let them pass.

Well done museum. Detailed documentation on a part of history that gets limited exposure outside of Poland. English interpretative content was well done. Free on Mondays. Probably budget an hour or two to see everything. A museum worth checking out.

This is the main museum dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising in Poland. It is just a few blocks away from the huge skyscraper section of the city which makes you feel like you are in Manhattan. When you enter the museum grounds, there is an outdoor courtyard area and it can be a little confusing. On the left you will see the lockers to put your bags for the duration of your visit to the museum. They require a 5 zł deposit (coin) which you will get back when you collect your items. I was able to get change for this from the ticket center. The ticket center is the small building directly across the courtyard from the entrance. And then on the right when you enter, there is the museum entrance. The price for the museum was pretty fair, I can't remember the exact cost though but it was somewhere in the ballpark of about 40 zł. The museum is pretty cool inside, with a dark, industrial sort of layout. There are many different exhibits that walk through the history of the uprising, there are some video footage areas, and there was even a small 3D movie theatre. The staff were all very friendly, but the layout was a little confusing for me, and it was a bit hard to figure out where to go next. Overall, the museum was pretty cool and I loved learning about such an important historical event.

Fantastic museum. I entered not having much expectation or known much about this part of the history. With artifacts presented in different types of media (documents, speeches, videos, historical objects, VR headset), I have learned much more about Warsaw and Poland being wedged in between Nazi Germany and the Soviet "liberator". When I mentioned to the local, they said it's definitely worth the visit. The observation tower gave a good view of the surrounding from a higher vantage point, however, it's obstructed by nearby office buildings. I like that everything has English subtitles or accompanied texts. It also doesn't shy away from sensitive materials, like those videos that show blood or dead body. But with kids in mind, those materials always have a high partition to shield them from being exposed to these clips. Extra points for being one of the very few museums to stay open on Monday while most Warsaw museums are closed.

What an amazing museum. Well laid out with a very industrial atmosphere, you're taken on a journey through the Warsaw Uprising at the end of the war. I took the English audio tour, and listened to every stop (there are around 50). Well worth the time, I was there about two hours. The exhibits were engaging and poignant, and really drew me in and helped me experience them. Note that during the day (on a weekday), there are school groups there, so it was a bit crowded. No matter though, as the tour brings you into your own world while you visit. I learned so much and highly recommend a visit if you're in town.

Don't miss the Warsaw (Up)Rising Museum (Museum Powstania Warszawskiego) about a moment in time (1944) when the Polish people rose up to oppose their Nazi occupiers. Any uprisers who survived the Nazi, were most likely later perished under the iron fist of the Soviets. This is not a "fun" museum but not to be missed if you have any interest in history and human nature. Soviets would not even permit planes from the West dropping critical supplies to land. It only gets worse. Museum is located 5 min walk west of the Hilton Hotel and accessible via bus (105, 109, 178) or tram too. About 1 mile walk from city center. Tells the stories through pictures and narrative (Polish and English) of Polish opposing their evil occupiers. On a personal note, I was pleased to see so many young people seeking to understand a dark moment in history. In private conversation, the Polish feeling is that the West abandoned them (during the uprising and then afterwards) and allowed continued suffering after the Nazi occupiers were gone. The Soviets were worse in so many ways. This museum tells that story. Allow 2 hours minimum and probably closer to 3 hours. There is also a wall outside of the 11,000 names confirmed killed during the uprising. A chilling reminder. Tip I: Don't miss the 6 mins movie (only 24 seats, so you can judge the wait in line), at small extra cost, of a flyover of Warsaw after 99% percent of the city was de-populated at war's end. Makes New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina look like a 5 Star Hotel. Only a slight exaggeration. Tip II: Admission is free on Sunday. Tip III: Ticket window doesn't accept US Credit cards lacking security chip with PIN, so bring cash. This is common frustration in Warsaw. So bring cash from the ATM

Great place to learn polish history that other world history books don't usually talk about. Recommended by local friends and so glad we came.

Absorbing and moving. As a detailed snapshot of a defining moment in Polish history it succeeds. There is nothing upbeat or cheery about this museum: everything is presented in a sober, but engaging and fascinating way, with personal touches to assure that the human element is not lost. There are many relics on display with English labelling to make it accessible. The flow on the first floor is logical, but it gets a bit muddy on the other floors. The audio guide is informative, but it doesn't provide very good guidance. It is arguably challenging for younger children due to some of the more disturbing content, but I was surprised (and pleased) to see many school groups in attendance. I spent 2-3 hours here and enjoyed the learning experience.

This museum came highly recommended. It was very busy the day I went and even though the exhibit was interesting, it was hard to follow the thread of the story. The museum had a couple floors and it was hard to follow the timeline of events in the right order .

I had a lot of hopes to see excellent history in this place. Unfortunately the layout of displays and overall items in the museum did not meet my expectations - actually this is first museum I left not satisfied. Facts: Most of items in glass cabinets are in dark areas- light beam set up is very poor - reflections on glass prevents you from viewing most of case contents Signs inside of cabinets are too small and of course placed in dark areas so it's almost impossible to see contents. Lack of proper signs as how to move through museum - only few such signs were on walls. Many binocular type of viewing is there - but when there is a lot of people in line it takes forever to get to it Cinema - took us 35 min to get in to see 15 min movie With heavy heart I left not satisfied - after spending so much money on this museum - I am not happy, but again this is only my opinion. Again each viewer shall not depends on my opinion and should see the museum for himself (herself) to witness memory of those terrible days. During our visit we viewed 10 other museums and our 4 person family agreed that this is the museum where the design dropped the ball. History of Warsaw Uprising is so important in our history and this requires a lot of quality design to transfer those days.

It's hard to ignore Poland's and, particularly, Warsaw's inter- and post-World War II history, the evidence is seen on every corner, building, and historical landmark in the city. The former trams power station is divided into 3 floors depicting the German occupation of Warsaw, the uprising and its aftermath. The tour winds its way from the ground floor, up to the mezzanine, back down to the first floor, and ends at the Hall of the Liberator. Read the individual stories of Poles as they tried to fight against the Nazi and Soviet regimes, their persecution and heroic actions of those who survived. Make sure to check out the park outside and the memorial wall listing the names of more than 10,000 Poles who gave their lives in service to their country during the uprising. One of my favorite exhibitions is a steel monument, from inside which the sounds of a heartbeat and battle emanate symbolizing life in the uprising, on the ground floor that passes through all the floors of the building and makes up the heart of the museum. Hearing the steady heartbeat gave me chills as I moved from one part of the museum to another. It is a powerful experience that shouldn't be missed. Closed Tuesdays. Admission Sundays is FREE. Regular admission price is 18zł. Audioguides are an additional 10zł. Please keep in mind that this museum is incredibly comprehensive and will require several hours to go through.

This might have been one of my highlights during my visit to Warsaw. I did the audio tour, which was pretty easy. I'm a big history nerd so this was up my alley. But honestly learning about the Polish resistance to the Nazi's and all of the devastation caused during WWII it was a fascinating look to see it from the perspective of the Polish people who experienced it. I spend a couple of hours at a nice leisurely pace just looking at stuff reading what was in English. Although the history of Poland in WWII is rather somber, I was so glad to learn a bit more about their involvement in WWII. Certainly if there's a time I get back to Poland I'd come and visit this place again.

A must experience museum. Ensure you have at least two hours if you plan on doing the headset tour. If you do choose the headset tour (inside the museum store), make sure to start back out in the cloak room. Many reviews say this museum layout is confusing, but the map in the cloak room shows how you go through one wing of the museum on the first floor, then take the elevator (or stairs) to the top floor and continue. I love Poland even more after visiting this museum, imagine fighting two superpowers simultaneously where you live. What a terrible history for them, but what an amazing tribute.

The caveats first-get there early-it fills up fairly quickly and the line can be extensive to buy tickets and then there is a line letting people in which does not move quickly. There is a senior discount if you are a senior and you must ask for the audio guide-there is an extra charge but the experience moves much faster as opposed to reading the bilingual plaques with 5 people in front of you. There is free admission on Sunday. There is also a souvenir shop-mostly books. There is a 3D movie [short] and a longer black and white film which is worth seeing documenting the involvement of the Polish resistance to the Nazis during WW2 from the perspective of the people involved. There is somewhat of a bottleneck as you enter and you must ask for the audio-it is not volunteered. Signage is poor as to which direction you should be moving to get the full experience. Despite these caveats, it is well worth doing. If you have time to kill, [they open at 10a] Frankiels-a coffee shop opens down the block and the young girl we met spoke English and was very helpful.

Free admission on Sunday meant a nice outing for me and the host family I'm living with here in Warsaw. It also meant that the museum was very busy! I have two complaints that keep the museum from being 5 stars. So I'll say them now and get them out of the way. 1- the lighting is overall too dark. I realize that this is supposed to help create a feel for the seriousness of the subject matter... But when you consider that the English explanations are written in gray and not in white as the Polish ones... It's really difficult to read. And also the floors are somewhat uneven in places so that's hard to see too. 2- I think the organization of the exhibit is somewhat unorganized. When you finish with the first floor, there is an option to go up via elevator or go off to a large room on the right. Here there is a movie on display, a 3d video experience, a large airplane suspended from the ceiling, and some small displays. From this point if you didn't go up the elevator you are completely out of order. Taking the stairs from this other room is not the way to go, because then you have skipped a lot of events in the timeline in fact I'd finished seeing the exhibit and felt totally confused by a seemingly segmented history, until the kids dragged me up to what I thought was a "reading room" to an entire third level of the exhibit. Ok... Aside from these two complaints I did enjoy the museum. I think it is a fascinating piece of history that few people outside of Poland know anything but about. There is something about the tenacity of the people of this city that has kept it going throughout history, and despite being completely destroyed it is amazing. This museum highlights this tenacity and pride I think and it is important to visit and learn about this history. I think it would be a good idea to have more of the exhibit showcase the rebuilding of the city after this event and the destruction of Warsaw. It would be very interesting for foreign visitors I think. As it stands now, this is a very interesting place. You'll learn a lot. And I highly recommend it.

This museum is laid out so poorly- very confusing And disorganized. The clerk in the museum was surly and rude- telling me she did not have any more headphones and just stand and wait. Very bad customer service-I would fire her for her attitude alone. Look at pictures, not worth a visit

I think this place should not be missed while visiting Warsaw. Museum covers an important part of not just Polish but world's history during WWII. It's very interactive, modern place that practically transforms you in time. It covers the topic in encompassing detail, very educational, will give you tremendous information about Poland's struggles, courage and tragedy during those times. Most of items around museum are marked in both Polish and English. Multilingual audio guides are available for even more detailed description.

I like the dynamic of this museum because the tours direction is not boring at all and what seems a small building is very well used in vertical terms. Get an audio tour, its easier (because there is A LOT to read so audio can be faster and more interesting) and only 10zl. The 3D movie, is only worth it because its 2zl. It lasts around 3-6min and shows, literally, the ruins of Warsaw after the war. A wake up call actually. This museum is full of history, even if its only about a short period of time, concentrated about war and devastation...But for sure its very elucidate about Polish history and suffering and their perspective about it. SUNDAY: FREE ENTRANCE!

This place was intense. Very modern, you walk in to the first room and hear a thumping sound, which I believe represents the beating heart of the rebellion. You can put your ear up to holes in the wall and hear gunfire, screaming, and other sounds associated with the Warsaw Uprising. There is a great 3D tour of post-war Warsaw where there was literally not a bridge or building left standing. Another very cool exhibit was racks and racks of makeshift guns, and videos of the now elderly men who made them talking about their experiences. The museum tries to shield children from seeing the more gruesome stuff by making you look into wells that contain video screens (if memory serves, the wells simulate the sewers people moved around in), but I would probably not bring kids here. I am 27 and got rattled by what I saw. Not sure kids would be able to sleep when they got home. You can spend days in this museum. It is small but there is a lot to see. Nice cafe on the upper level when you want to take a break. The only bad thing is buying tickets - very long line and only one cashier.

This is an amazing museum about the uprising in Warsaw. There are a lot of different, interesting pieces of history and you can really learn a lot. I would suggest paying for an audio guide if you want to learn even more. I also recommend checking the bird's eye video of the Warsaw ruins at the end of the museum too.

Went in for free on a Sunday and it was a very informative museum. They have little explanations in English also available which is helpful. It's a very interactive museum with so much information in there. They've clearly done their research. I would just recommend not reading every single panel as I do think they've overdone it a bit on the detail. It's also a little difficult to follow chronologically but you get a good overall picture at the end.

I really enjoyed this museum. Very interactive and filled with tons of artifacts from the war. There were a lot of kids on field trips and my bf doesn't care for museums so we kind of went through it real fast, but I would love to go again in the future and actually absorb some of the info. I would say it was like facts and info was being thrown at you from all directions, but if you take the time and actually read you could learn a lot here.

Great place to see lot of history. It's also free on Sundays but have to wait for about 45-60 minutes to get in. They're adding some new exhibits, hopefully it improves the flow of traffic at times I went out of order without realizing!

Don't waste your time here in a Sunday, free admission means you'll spend more time in line than looking at anything. Most of what can be seen here or at least what I wasted two hours to see can be seen at the Jewish museum. The ticket prices is 2zł or at least that's price the free ticket says it would have been. If this place is easier to see when you have to pay, the 50¢ is worth it!

The heart beats at the entrance were memorable. The museum listed some factual stories about ww2 and Polish uprising but I still needed to read wiki.

If you visit Warsaw, you need to visit this museum. Terrifying and beautiful at the same time.

I haven´t visited such a sophisticated, yet rough exposition before. It is precised in every detail. Photographs, films, panels, little interactive secrets, palpable historical evidences of the lives of the soldiers as well as civilians. The intensity of the experience made me feel as I was brouht by a time machine to that dramatic era of August-October 1944. I feel this is still a top-topic for Polish nation, such as "Pražské povstání in May 1945" for Czechs but yet more intensive. The creators of the exhibition did a great job, and even a visitor can feel you have something to be proud of. After I had left the site I shivered with emotions and had to think about humanity and everyday life not only in Warsaw a little bit more deeper. The most memorable experiences for me: the gorgeous Liberator plane (how could this winged mammoth fly? Was it really so large?) and the 3D view of Warsaw in ruins... No other words needed.

Very impressive to see. Some of the footage shown is so impressive it makes you shiver.

I don't understand all the high reviews of this museum. Though the museum is certainly interesting, and the topic important to learn about, I found the whole layout of the museum confusing and irritating. I didn't know which floor, and which building, to visit in which order and what to follow. There is a printed map brochure which I tried to use, which listed area numbers and titles, but those area numbers and totals were nowhere to be seen in the museum. There were a bunch of numbers posted on the wall however, but those numbers did not coordinate with the printed map. I later learned that those numbers are for the audio guide. I actually got so frustrated and disgusted, that I left after less than an hour. This is in direct contrast to the POLIN museum which I visited yesterday, and spent five hours at.