Museums & Galleries What was once a Tsarist prison assumed a doubly sinister function under the Nazis. Some 100,000 Polish political prisoners were held here, 37,000 of which were executed on-site. Split in two sections, cells are found on one side, while on the other the full story of the invasion and occupation. Of interest, a brilliant interactive display of wartime Warsaw. Poster Museum in Wilanów ul. St. Kostki Potockiego 10/16 With a collection that touches the 55,000 mark, here’s the biggest poster museum in the world – and also the original. Art spans the period from 1892 till 2002, and while the majority is Polish orientated works on display also include those by Dali and Warhol. The State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw ul. Kredytowa 1,
www.ethnomuseum.website.pl Established in 1888 the 76,000 strong collection here is not the dull ensemble you may anticipate: just check the utterly bizarre straw costumes for proof. Polish folk costume, glassware, paintings and even Easter eggs feature prominently, but so do other countries. Museum of Technology Palace of Culture, pl. Defilad 1, www.muzeum-techniki.waw.pl The very opposite of the newfangled Copernicus Centre, here’s a place that embraces the old way of doing things. On show an eccentric – occasionally ludicrous – collection of junk that ranges from 8-bit computers to a German ‘Enigma’ machine. Warsaw Uprising Museum ul. Grzybowska 79, www.1944.pl Cope with the crowds to discover the definitive story of
the Uprising. Exhibits range from a full size replica of a liberator plane, to a sewer beneath the cinema screen and a slice of bread preserved from 1944. And don’t miss the ‘City of Ruins’, a five minute 3D film which takes you on an aerial journey over devastated Warsaw. Outside, check the Nazi bunker behind the office, the panoramic view tower and the original statue of Prince Poniatowski – now a ripped metal hulk. Zachęta National Art Gallery pl. Małachowskiego 3, www.zacheta.art.pl One of the most famed galleries in the country, with a plethora of international and Polish modern art to peruse. Featuring in the collection are works by Toulouse-Lautrec, Cezanne, Ernst and Picasso, as well as luminaries of the Polish art scene such as Tadeusz Kantor, Alina
Szapocznikow, Katarzyna Kozyra and Zbigniew Libera. Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw ul. Pańska 3, www.artmuseum.pl From Oct 6th onwards view Ryan Gander’s three meter installation “Really shiny things that don’t mean anything.” Also running will be “Sculpture Undone” by Alina Szapocznikow (till Jan 8th), and “Moscow Auditorium” (till Oct 16th).
Need to Know Museum hours (and prices) change way too often for our liking, so check individual websites for the latest story. Note that most will choose Monday to close, and that many hold ‘visitor days’ once a week whereby admission prices are waived.
Insider’s Pick Zofia Chometowska, Fundacja Archeologii Fotografii
Dom Spotkań z Historią ul. Karowa 20, tel. 22 255 0500, www.dsh.waw.pl. Open Tues-Fri 10:00-20:00, Sat-Sun 11:00-20:00.
“ However speaking loud and clear, and without any language barriers, are the thematic photo exhibitions” Above, The new exhibition “The Chronicle Workwoman” begins on September 29th.
With an unwieldy name like Dom Spotkań z Historią, this presenter of Central and Eastern European 20th Century history may seem like the preserve of academic intellectuals and history geeks. The name certainly put off my retro-phobic juniors. But drop in for one of its photo exhibitions, and you’ll keep this modest-sized property in view whenever you’re strolling by the Bristol Hotel. Recently founded in 2006, its mission is to present modern history as narrated by the testimonies of different interest groups and various nationalities. The focus is on post-war, a period when textbook versions were doctored and slanted by the communist authorities. The regular meetings and discussions in Polish are of limited relevance to foreigners unless you speak the local lingo. However speaking loud and clear, and without any language barriers, are the thematic photo exhibitions. The current storyline is Warsaw under reconstruction, a fantastic exhibition depicting the post-war rebuilding of the Old Town and the rise of “socialist architecture”. Each black and white photo is accompanied by extensive captions and notes in Polish and English. Previous exhibitions included themes such as daily life under communism, and went well beyond the usual snapshots of empty shelves. Though the on-site bookshop sells mainly Polish books, there are many picture-rich titles telling engaging stories, such as “Ikony PRL” (Icons of the People’s Republic of Poland) with photos of Mick Jagger in Hala Kongresowa during his first concert behind the Iron Curtain. Entrance is free, so all the more reason for getting hooked on eye-contacts with history. (KC)
www.warsawinsider.pl
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