National Museum in Warsaw

The National Museum in Warsaw (Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie, often shortened to MNW) is one of Poland's largest museums and the biggest art collection in the capital. It spans ancient Egypt and the medieval wall paintings of Faras in Nubia, Gothic altarpieces, and Jan Matejko's colossal "Battle of Grunwald," Poland's most famous history painting. Housed in a monumental 1930s building on Jerozolimskie Avenue in central Warsaw, it is the place to see the masterpieces of Polish art, and admission to the permanent galleries is free on Tuesdays.

Where it is

The museum's main building is at Al. Jerozolimskie 3, a few minutes' walk from the Nowy Świat shopping street and the de Gaulle roundabout with its famous artificial palm tree. Warsaw Chopin Airport is about 10 km away, and the Old Town is roughly a 25-minute walk.

History

The museum was founded on May 20, 1862, as the Museum of Fine Arts and became the National Museum in 1916, when the city took it over. Its modernist building, designed by Tadeusz Tołwiński and Antoni Dygat, went up between 1927 and 1938 and officially opened on June 18, 1938. For decades the east wing housed the Polish Army Museum; that museum moved to the Warsaw Citadel in 2023, and the National Museum has been taking over the freed space. Older guidebooks often describe the two together, but today they are separate institutions in different places.

Things to see: the permanent galleries

According to the museum, the following galleries are currently open:

• Gallery of Ancient Art, including Egyptian sarcophagi and objects from the classical world.
• Faras Gallery, described as the largest display of Nubian art in Europe. Its wall paintings come from the cathedral at Faras in today's Sudan, rescued in the 1960s by a Polish expedition led by Professor Kazimierz Michałowski ahead of the flooding of the Nile valley by the Aswan High Dam; more than 60 paintings came to Warsaw. The gallery opened in 1972 and was redesigned in 2014.
• Gallery of Medieval Art, with sculpture, altarpieces and panel paintings.
• Gallery of Old Masters, with painting and decorative arts from earlier centuries, Polish and foreign.
• Gallery of 19th-Century Art, home to Jan Matejko's huge "Battle of Grunwald" (1875–1878), a photography room and, currently, a display of works by Olga Boznańska, one of Poland's finest portrait painters.
• Gallery of Polish Design, an overview of Polish design and applied art.

The Gallery of 20th and 21st Century Art is closed for rearrangement, so check its status before your visit. In fall 2026 the museum is also showing a temporary exhibition on the German painter Adolph Menzel.

How long to spend here

For the highlights (Faras, medieval art and the 19th century) allow 2–3 hours; the whole museum is a half-day visit. A free audio guide for your phone is available through the museum's online service, and a headset for the 19th-century gallery costs PLN 10. "Quiet hours" for visitors sensitive to noise and crowds run on the second and third Wednesday of each month from 4 pm to 6 pm. Families can borrow activity backpacks for exploring the museum with children.

Opening hours and tickets (as of October 2026)

Hours: Tuesday–Thursday 10 am–6 pm, Friday 10 am–8 pm, Saturday–Sunday 10 am–6 pm; closed Monday. Ticket desks close 45 minutes before closing time.

Permanent galleries: PLN 30 regular, PLN 15 reduced, free for children under 7. Visitors aged 8–26 can buy a PLN 1 ticket (box office only). A combined ticket with the museum's branches costs PLN 60/40.

Temporary exhibition (Menzel): PLN 35, reduced PLN 25, family PLN 55.

Discounts: entry to the permanent galleries is free on Tuesdays, and on Fridays from 5 pm to 8 pm most tickets are half price. The Warsaw Pass gives free entry. Buy at the desk or at bilety.mnw.art.pl; prices are in Polish złoty (PLN).

Is it worth visiting?

Yes. The Faras Gallery alone is unlike anything else in Europe, and "Battle of Grunwald" is a painting every Pole knows from school. It is also an excellent rainy-day or winter option, with long Friday hours and cheap entry for under-26s.

How to get there

The nearest metro stations are Nowy Świat-Uniwersytet (M2) and Centrum (M1), each about 10–15 minutes on foot. Many trams and buses run along Jerozolimskie Avenue. Central Warsaw is a paid parking zone, so public transport is the better choice.

Branches and nearby

The museum's branches include the Xawery Dunikowski Museum of Sculpture at Królikarnia, the Poster Museum at Wilanów, the Museum at Nieborów and Arkadia and the Museum of Interiors at Otwock Wielki. Near the main building:

• Nowy Świat street and the de Gaulle roundabout, a few minutes away.
• Copernicus Science Centre and the Vistula Boulevards, about 20 minutes on foot down the escarpment.