Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Wenecja

The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Wenecja (say "veh-NETS-yah") is an open-air collection of 600 mm gauge locomotives and rolling stock in the Pałuki lake district of central Poland, described by its operator as one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Seventeen steam engines sit on real tracks next to the ruins of a medieval castle, making it one of the best things to do around Biskupin and Żnin, especially with kids.

Where it is

Wenecja is a small village (its name is simply Polish for Venice) on a strip of land between three lakes, a few miles south of the town of Żnin ("zhneen") in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region. The nearest cities are Bydgoszcz (about 44 km to Żnin, roughly 40 minutes by car) and Poznań (about 86 km to nearby Biskupin, around 1 hour 10 minutes). Both have airports. From Warsaw, plan on about three and a half hours by car. There is no mainline train service to Żnin, so a car is by far the easiest option.

History in brief

The museum opened on October 1, 1972, as a branch of the Pałuki Regional Museum (Muzeum Ziemi Pałuckiej) in Żnin. Most of the collection came from the local light railways of the region. The museum proved so popular that it helped bring back passenger trips on the old narrow gauge line, which restarted as a tourist railway on May 23, 1976. The "Wenecja Muzeum" stop is right at the gate.

What to see

The site is laid out like a small country junction:

• 17 historic steam locomotives, the oldest built in 1899 and several dating from World War I, including a tiny engine built in 1935 in Nivelles, Belgium
• passenger and freight cars plus hand-powered and motorized draisines
• an old waiting room, a crossing keeper's hut with a barrier gate, switches and points
• a water crane for refilling boilers and a turntable for turning engines around
• a former mail car that now works as a postcard shop

You can step inside some of the cars and cabs. There is a playground on site, and the brick walls of the 14th-century castle ruins rise just beyond the tracks.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, if you are already heading to the Biskupin archaeological open-air museum: the two pair naturally into a day trip. Allow about an hour for the railway yard, or up to two hours if you add the castle ruins (included in the same ticket). Paths are flat and paved, so strollers are fine, though carriage steps are high. Most exhibits are outdoors. Labels are mainly in Polish, and guided tours are offered in Polish.

Tickets and opening hours (as of October 2026)

• October to April: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last tickets 3:30 p.m.), closed Mondays
• May to September: daily, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (last tickets 5 p.m.)
• Combined ticket for the museum and castle ruins: 20 PLN standard, 16 PLN reduced; children under 4 free
• Parking at the museum: 10 PLN per car per day
• Phone: +48 505 647 850, email wenecja@mzp.gminaznin.pl

Prices are in Polish zloty (PLN). A simple hostel operates on the museum grounds.

Getting there by narrow gauge train

In summer, the most scenic way to arrive is the Żnin narrow gauge railway (Żnin – Wenecja – Biskupin – Gąsawa). The 2026 season has ended; the operator says trains return in May. In 2026, they ran on selected days in May and June, Wednesday to Sunday in July and August, and during the September archaeology festival in Biskupin. The 2027 timetable has not been published yet.

Nearby

• Wenecja castle ruins, a short walk away, on the same ticket
• Biskupin Archaeological Museum, a reconstructed Iron Age lakeside settlement and one of Poland's best-known prehistoric sites
• Żnin, with its Gothic town hall tower