Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk

The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk is one of the largest and most ambitious history museums in Europe, telling the story of the war in the very city where it began. Its tilted red tower beside the Radunia Canal marks an exhibition buried deep underground. Rather than focusing on battles and generals, it follows ordinary people — civilians, soldiers, victims and witnesses — across Poland, Europe and beyond. If you are visiting Gdańsk, it is one of the most rewarding things to do in the city.

About the museum

The museum opened on March 23, 2017, on Władysław Bartoszewski Square, a short walk from Gdańsk's historic Main Town. Its striking building, by the Gdynia-based studio Kwadrat, won an international competition. Above ground you see only the leaning tower, 40.5 m (133 ft) tall and clad in red concrete and glass. Below ground lies the main exhibition, reaching 14 m deep and covering about 5,000 m² (54,000 sq ft).

The location carries meaning. Next door stands the Polish Post Office of the former Free City of Danzig, whose staff fought German forces on September 1, 1939, the same morning the attack on Westerplatte began. The museum also runs the Westerplatte site, where a new branch is under construction.

What you'll see

The main exhibition is organized into three large narrative sections — "The Road to War," "The Horrors of War" and "The War's Long Shadow." Full-scale set pieces bring the story to life:

• a prewar Polish street with shop windows and posters, later transformed into a bombed-out city,
• a T-34 tank standing among the rubble of a ruined street,
• a freight wagon recalling deportations and transports to the camps,
• rooms on occupation, terror, the Holocaust, resistance and everyday life in wartime.

A ticket to the main exhibition also covers the children's exhibition. There is a temporary exhibition hall, a museum cinema, a restaurant with a café and a bistro.

Tickets and opening hours

As of October 2026:

• Monday: closed
• Tuesday: 10:00 am–4:00 pm (free admission)
• Wednesday–Sunday: 10:00 am–6:00 pm
• Ticket offices: Tuesday 9:30 am–2:30 pm; Wednesday–Sunday 9:30 am–5:00 pm
• Closed: November 1 and December 24, 25, 26 and 31, 2026

Prices in Polish złoty (PLN):

• Adult 33 PLN, reduced 23 PLN
• Family 72 PLN (up to 5 people: 1–2 adults with children up to age 19)
• Tickets bought in the last 30 minutes before the ticket office closes: 17 PLN adult, 12 PLN reduced
• Audio guide: 12 PLN
• Museum cinema: 18 PLN adult, 15 PLN reduced

The only authorized online seller is the official shop, bilety.muzeum1939.pl. A limited number of timed tickets are sold online and the rest at the ticket office, where you may have to queue. On free Tuesdays, tickets are collected at the ticket office only, with no reservations and a daily cap of 2,500 visitors.

How long to spend and is it worth it?

Allow at least 3 hours — many visitors stay longer. The museum recommends an audio guide, available in 14 languages including English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. It is absolutely worth it: few museums explain the war's impact on civilians so vividly, and the Polish perspective adds context often missing from Western accounts.

Note the 2026 renovation schedule: parts of the exhibition close temporarily — October 19–26 (section 3), November 2–9 (sections 4 and 5) and November 30–December 7 (section 6). Other sections remain open.

How to get there

The museum is at pl. Władysława Bartoszewskiego 1, about a 15-minute walk from Gdańsk Główny railway station and from Długa Street in the Main Town. Gdańsk is roughly 3 hours from Warsaw by express train, and the city's airport has flights from across Europe.

• Bus: lines 106, 130 and 208 stop at "Muzeum II Wojny Światowej." Line 106 continues to Westerplatte.
• Bike: a MEVO city-bike station and racks are right outside.
• Car: an underground garage (142 spaces, 10 accessible) is entered from ul. Wałowa, open 9:00 am–8:00 pm, max vehicle height 1.9 m. Wednesday–Sunday, main-exhibition ticket holders park free for 3 hours (then 10 PLN/hour). Card payment only.

Nearby are the Polish Post Office Museum, the Old Town Hall and the Main Town with Długa Street, the Neptune Fountain and the medieval Crane on the Motława River.