Municipal Toy Museum in Karpacz

Henryk Tomaszewski, founder of the Wrocław Pantomime Theatre, brought toys home from every tour – dolls, teddy bears, figurines. That travelling collection became the Municipal Toy Museum in Karpacz, housed since 2012 in the restored former railway station. The exhibits span roughly 200 years of toy history, from 18th-century nativity figures to popular 20th-century toys from Japan, Mexico and Australia.

History: a mime's gift to the town

Tomaszewski lived in Karpacz from 1968. In 1994 he donated his collection to the municipality, and the same year the town council named him an honoured citizen of Karpacz. The museum was established by a council resolution of 28 February 1995, with strong support from local residents. Until 2011 the collection was shown on ul. Karkonoska in Upper Karpacz; since May 2012 it has been in the lower part of town, in the former station at ul. Kolejowa 3. Tomaszewski died on 23 September 2001; his ashes rest in the cemetery by the Vang Stave Church.

What to see

• Toys from Tomaszewski's collection – 18th-century nativity figures, 19th-century dolls, fire engines, LEGO bricks and miniature dolls' houses with furniture.
• Fairy-tale displays – the cases and shelves were designed and hand-painted by Kazimierz Wiśniak; inside, dolls "go" to school, take a walk and sit down to dinner.
• Railway Tradition Room – railway memorabilia, mostly on loan from the Museum of Industry and Railways in Jaworzyna Śląska, plus gifts from locals and visitors.
• Temporary exhibitions, often based on collections belonging to people from Karpacz and the surrounding area.

Did you know?

Tomaszewski's friend, the poet Tadeusz Różewicz, visited the museum and wrote a poem about it, "Visiting Henryk Tomaszewski at the Toy Museum". The founder himself said every toy carries an "inexplicable second life", and that imagination matters more than historical value. The building has its own story: the railway reached Karpacz on 29 June 1895, and the station was reportedly built on the edge of town because the restaurateur Fritz Exner objected, fearing for the inns below it. Passenger trains stopped in 2000 and returned on 13 June 2025 – so you can once again reach the museum by train.

Opening hours and prices (as of October 2026)

• Tuesday–Friday 9:00–16:30, Saturday–Sunday 10:00–17:30; closed on Mondays and on 1 Jan, 6 Jan, Easter Sunday, Corpus Christi, 1 Nov, 11 Nov and 25 Dec.
• Tickets: standard PLN 25, reduced PLN 15, temporary exhibition PLN 10, family 2+2 PLN 72, 2+3 PLN 85. Group discounts do not apply on Wednesdays.
• Address: ul. Kolejowa 3, 58-540 Karpacz, tel. +48 75 76 18 523.

Tripto tip

About an hour is enough, which makes the museum a good plan for a rainy day in the Karkonosze (Giant Mountains). With children, allow extra time at Wiśniak's display cases – they are full of tiny scenes. If you come by train, you step out practically at the door. Combine the visit with the Vang Stave Church in Upper Karpacz, where the founder of the collection is buried.