Museums
an underground, interactive exhibition about the Spirit of the Mountains and the legends of the Karkonosze, set up where a skeleton was found
Museums
the Henryk Tomaszewski collection in a historic railway station, almost three hundred years of toy history
screens and projections about the Karkonosze instead of display cases, and a coffee tasting from the museum's own roastery included in the ticket
Museums
two floors of technical models made of Lego bricks, built by modelling enthusiasts
Museums
the history of luge and bobsleigh in the Karkonosze, in a historic 18th-century Umgebinde (Upper Lusatian) house
Museums
over 100 historic consoles and computers, with some available to play on original hardware
a small display of wax figures with fairy-tale characters and icons of popular culture
Museums in Karpacz cover toys, retro game consoles, Lego bricks and the Karkonosze in multimedia. See which ones to pick on a rainy day.
The oldest collection belongs to the Toy Museum at Kolejowa 3. It sits in the historic former railway station, and the museum has been here since May 2012. The collection began in 1995 from the private holdings of Henryk Tomaszewski, a mime and founder of the Wrocław Pantomime Theatre. It spans almost three hundred years of toys, from 18th-century nativity figures to 19th-century porcelain dolls.
A shorter stop is the Museum of Fairy-Tale Wax Figures at Mickiewicza 2. Storybook characters stand next to pop-culture icons. It is a small exhibition, more a break from a walk than a destination in itself, and it is open all year. Older children and teenagers will enjoy the technical museums below.
Two exhibitions share one building. The Video Game Console Museum opened on 27 June 2015. It holds over 100 consoles and computers, and about a dozen machines are free to play on original hardware. The oldest console in the collection is the 1975 Philips Tele-Spiel, and there is also the Polish Ameprod TVG10. Next door is the Private Museum of Technology and Lego Brick Constructions, with two floors of technical models built from bricks. Both are easy to combine into one longer visit.
Karkonoskie Tajemnice (Giant Mountains Mysteries) is an underground, interactive exhibition about the Mountain Spirit and local legends. It stands where builders found a skeleton in March 2011, later moved to the Hauptmann museum in Szklarska Poręba. The alternative is the Multimedia Museum of the Karkonosze: instead of glass cases you get screens, projections and installations about the history and nature of the mountains, with coffee from its own roastery included in the ticket.
Fans of hiking history will like the Museum of Sport and Tourism, set in an 18th-century half-timbered house and open since 1974. For something outdoors, head into the mountains around Karpacz or see museums across the region.
