Muzea: Wrocław

Museums in Wrocław: the Racławice Panorama, National Museum, Hydropolis, a bunker for art and small collections. Pick one for a rainy day.

Which museum in Wrocław should you see first?

For a first visit, take the Racławice Panorama. The painting of the Battle of Racławice was made in 1893-1894 under the direction of Jan Styka and Wojciech Kossak, and you view it from a central platform, surrounded by the canvas on all sides. It is a branch of the National Museum in Wrocław, one of the main museums in Lower Silesia. Its main building on Powstańców Warszawy Square holds over 200,000 paintings and sculptures, mainly Silesian art.

The second stop you should not skip is the Town Hall on the Market Square. This late Gothic building was raised in stages over about 250 years, and today it houses the Museum of Bourgeois Art with the Gallery of Famous Wrocławians. Third is the Royal Palace: a Baroque residence of the Prussian Hohenzollerns in 1750-1918, now the City Museum with the multimedia exhibition "1000 Years of Wrocław". The same building holds the Museum of Medal Art, the only museum in Poland devoted to medals and decorations, with about 50,000 items.

Where can you learn the history of Wrocław and the region?

The Depot History Centre in Grabiszyn occupies a brick former tram depot from the late 19th century and tells the postwar story of the city in the exhibition "Wrocław 1945-2016". Older history is at the Archaeological Museum, which shows collections from the Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages. It shares the City Arsenal with the Museum of Militaria, devoted to weapons. The Arsenal, built in 1459, is one of the few fully preserved medieval buildings in the city.

Three smaller addresses round this out. In the Pan Tadeusz Museum, in the Golden Sun tenement, you can see the only surviving manuscript of Mickiewicz's poem. The Ethnographic Museum shows Lower Silesian folk art in the former Summer Palace of the Bishops of Wrocław. And the University of Wrocław Museum opens historic halls, including the Leopoldina Hall and the Oratorium Marianum, plus a viewing terrace on the Mathematical Tower.

Where can you see contemporary art and galleries?

The Wrocław Contemporary Museum in Szczepin is housed in an above-ground air-raid shelter from 1942 designed by Richard Konwiarz. It is the only such institution in Poland, hence the nickname "a shelter for art". Another contemporary art venue is the Four Domes Pavilion, a reinforced-concrete pavilion from 1912-1913 next to the Centennial Hall, now a branch of the National Museum.

Beyond museums there are many galleries. BWA Wrocław runs several exhibition spaces, including one at the Wrocław Główny station. The WRO Art Centre at 7 Widok Street occupies a former coffee roastery and focuses on new media. Bulvary in Nadodrze offers over 4,200 square metres of exhibitions and events, and OP ENHEIM sits in a Baroque tenement, the former Oppenheim House on Solny Square. Also look in at the Małgosia Gallery on Odrzańska Street and the Tętno gallery, which pairs exhibitions with an online shop. A separate stop is the Neon Gallery: a courtyard at 46 Ruska Street with 30 vintage neon signs from the 1960s and 1970s.

Which science museums and unusual collections are worth checking?

Hydropolis is an education centre about water in a former underground reservoir of the city waterworks on Na Grobli Street. The reservoir from 1890-1892 covers 4,600 square metres, and the centre is the only one of its kind in Poland. The Museum of Architecture in the former Bernardine complex is the only one of its kind in the country, with over 20,000 exhibits. Retro fans should visit the Museum of Games and Computers of a Bygone Era in the Świebodzki station building. Its collection includes over 200 computers and consoles and about 500 handheld consoles.

Natural-science fans have the Herbarium on Bem Square, with the oldest herbarium in Poland, assembled in the 17th century by Sylvius Boccone, and the Geological Museum in Nadodrze, with over 20,000 specimens related to the geology of the Sudetes. The Museum of Pharmacy has operated since 2011 in a tenement that housed a pharmacy from the 13th century to 1951. The Museum of Man on Kuźnicza Street has been closed since 2020, with no reopening date.

Which museums suit kids or couples?

Almost everything on this list carries the "Na deszcz" (rainy day) tag. With children, the Town Hall, the Royal Palace, the Museum of Architecture, the Museum of Games and the Museum of Illusions work best; the last one has interactive installations and optical illusions in the Old Town. Couples also get the Małgosia Gallery, WRO and OP ENHEIM. For more ideas see Wrocław on a rainy day and Wrocław for families.

What is the Museum of Cemetery Art?

It is a branch of the City Museum of Wrocław located in the Old Jewish Cemetery on Ślężna Street. The cemetery was founded in 1856, and the first burial took place on 17 November of that year. About 12,000 gravestones stand here. This is a place of remembrance, so visit it quietly and with respect for the dead.

Frequently asked questions

Which museum in Wrocław is best for a rainy day?

Almost all on the list carry the "Na deszcz" tag. The National Museum, the Royal Palace and the Town Hall offer the most to see in one place.

Where can you see the Racławice Panorama?

In the Panorama building, a branch of the National Museum. You view the painting from a central platform; check hours and tickets with the organiser.

Is the Museum of Man open?

No. It has been closed since 2020, with no reopening date given.

Where is the museum of architecture in Wrocław?

In the former Bernardine complex on Bernardyńska Street. It is the only museum of architecture in Poland.