European Ribbon

📖 Introduction

The National Museum in Warsaw was established in 1862 under the Public Education Act in the Kingdom of Poland. Initially, it shared a building with the School of Fine Arts and housed works exclusively by foreign artists. However, in 1916, the city took over the museum with the vision of creating a space for both foreign and Polish art across various domains, including military themes.

The impressive modernist building, designed by Tadeusz Tołwiński, was constructed after World War I. Construction occurred intermittently from 1927 to 1938, during which the museum gradually transferred its collections to the new facility. Unfortunately, in September 1939, during the defense of Warsaw, the building suffered damage.

Just before World War II, in 1936, an exceptional director named Professor Stanisław Lorentz assumed leadership of the museum, serving for an impressive 47 years. Thanks to Professor Lorentz, the National Museum was the best-prepared cultural institution in Poland in case of war. As early as spring 1939, he and his colleagues began securing and hiding the most valuable artworks. Despite the bombings of Warsaw, they continued their work, often risking their lives to transport and protect these treasures. Their efforts proved crucial because, in November 1939, representatives of Governor-General Hans Frank unlawfully looted the assets of the Polish state. Meanwhile, Warsaw’s museum staff meticulously inventoried the collections, striving to delay the looting actions.

During the German occupation, the museum was renamed “Museum der Stadt Warschau” and served as a repository for both larger public collections and private collections, as directed by the occupying authorities.

After the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, the National Museum building in Warsaw was taken over by German SS units. From August 3, 1944, the building was occupied by the military. Unfortunately, due to looting and acts of vandalism by German soldiers, the museum suffered significant losses. It is estimated that the wartime losses for the National Museum in Warsaw amounted to approximately 12,000 objects, representing about 10% of the pre-war collection.

Following the war, the museum was nationalized, and Professor Stanisław Lorentz led successful efforts to recover lost collections and acquire new exhibits. The ever-expanding collection necessitated the expansion of the museum building, which occurred between the late 1960s and 1970s, based on the design by Karol Golawski and Stefan Koziński. In the new millennium, the museum underwent further modernization and renovations, hosting numerous international exhibitions. Additionally, it showcased its collections as guest exhibits in other institutions, including the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre in Paris, as well as the 🔗 Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

🚶🏻‍♀️Visit

The main building of the museum features exhibitions spread across two extensive floors. It begins with the Ancient Art Collections, established in 1938. Among these, visitors can explore the Egyptian gallery, showcasing artifacts from various periods of this ancient civilization. The gallery is divided into two levels: the lower floor displays items related to burial customs, while the upper floor features sculptures and artistic crafts, including religious artifacts.

Continuing, we encounter the East Christian Art Collections, which include the largest exhibition of Nubian culture in Europe—the Faras Gallery. Further along, the museum presents collections of medieval and oriental art.

The true gem of the museum, however, lies in its 19th-century art section. Opened in 1992, it spans nine halls and nine cabinets, housing works from the 16th century to 1914. Here, visitors can admire masterpieces by renowned Polish artists such as Jan Matejko, Olga Boznańska, Józef Chełmoński, and Jacek Malczewski, among others. Alongside Polish works, selected pieces by foreign artists—French, Dutch, and Russian—created during comparable periods are also on display.

Yet, if the “Mona Lisa” symbolizes the Louvre in Paris, then for the National Museum in Warsaw, it is “The Battle of Grunwald” by Jan Matejko. Painted in 1878, this immense canvas measuring 426 cm x 987 cm (167.72 inches wide and 388.74 inches high) depicts the triumphant moment of the Polish-Lithuanian forces in the 1410 Battle of Grunwald against the Teutonic Knights. The national-patriotic canvas miraculously survived World War II, thanks to the fact that it was swiftly rolled up, packed into special crates, and transported from Warsaw toward Lublin. The painting was successfully hidden through the dedication and sacrifice of individuals, including Professor Władysław Woyda. Despite initial attempts at bribery and later threats from the Gestapo, he did not reveal the artwork’s hiding place. After the war, the painting was unearthed from a special sarcophagus in one of the villages near Lublin, underwent restoration, and found a permanent place in the National Museum’s exhibition.

✔ Planner

• Cash registers 🎫 are located at the entrance from Aleje Jerozolimskie 3. Tickets can also be purchased 🌐 on-line.
• On Tuesdays, admission is free 🆓 for everyone, and on other days, it’s free for children up to 7 years old.
• The museum provides 🌐 online audio guides for permanent exhibitions 📳
• Youth and students up to 26 years old can purchase a ‘1 złoty ticket’, available exclusively at the museum’s ticket counter.