Museum of Polish Arms

The Museum of Polish Arms in Kołobrzeg (pronounced roughly “koh-WOB-zhek”) is one of Poland's leading military history museums and one of the top things to do in this Baltic spa town. Its main branch in the town center combines a chronological exhibition of Polish arms and uniforms with an outdoor park of tanks, guns and aircraft, plus a 15th-century Gothic merchant's house. With close to 130,000 visitors a year, it ranks among the busiest museums in the country.

Where it is and why it matters

Kołobrzeg lies on Poland's Baltic coast in West Pomerania, about 230 km northeast of Berlin. Until 1945 it was the German town of Kolberg; in March 1945 it saw heavy fighting in which units of the Polish 1st Army took part, and the town was almost completely destroyed. The museum, founded in 1963, grew out of that history: since 1966 it has focused on military history, and its current pavilion opened on March 17, 1980, for the 35th anniversary of the battle. Expect a Polish national perspective on the wars of the 20th century.

What to see inside

The main exhibition, “History of Polish Arms,” runs chronologically from the Middle Ages through the 16th–19th centuries to the interwar Polish Army and World War II. Highlights include:

• what the museum describes as Poland's richest collection of Polish soldiers' uniforms from World War I and World War II, including the Polish Legions, General Haller's “Blue Army” and the Greater Poland Army,
• an Enigma cipher machine,
• a Sokół 600 motorcycle, the Polish UR wz. 35 anti-tank rifle and VIS pistols.

Tanks, guns and aircraft outdoors

More than 70 vehicles, aircraft, armored vehicles and artillery pieces fill the technology hall and the open-air display. Look for the Soviet IS-2 heavy tank and the ISU-152 self-propelled gun, both described on the museum's website. Kids usually love this part, so it works well as the finale of a visit.

Part of the complex is the Merchant's House, the only surviving late-Gothic townhouse in the region and a stop on the European Route of Brick Gothic. It hosts temporary exhibitions.

Opening hours and tickets (as of October 2026)

• October 1 – April 30: Tuesday–Sunday 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. On Mondays only the outdoor display is open (9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.; outside cashier hours, entry via a turnstile with a ticket machine until dusk).
• May–June and September: daily 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; July–August: daily 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
• Last admission 30 minutes before closing.
• One branch: 32 PLN (reduced 22 PLN, family 80 PLN). A combined ticket for three branches costs 64 PLN (reduced 44 PLN). Children under 7 enter free. Outdoor-only ticket: 10 PLN, valid when the main exhibition is closed.
• An audio guide in English (also Polish and German) costs 10 PLN; a guided tour in English costs 200 PLN per hour.

Who it is for

Families will find the outdoor park the easiest win, while history buffs can spend hours with the uniforms and small arms. Most of the exhibition is indoors, which makes it a good rainy-day or winter option in a resort that stays busy with spa guests all year. Labels are mainly in Polish, so the English audio guide is worth the extra 10 PLN. The museum's website does not describe wheelchair access; call ahead if you need it.

Allow about 1.5–2 hours for the main exhibition and the outdoor park. The combined ticket also covers the Kołobrzeg City Museum in the Braunschweig Palace (local history) and the Maritime Open-Air Museum with two warships in the port, so you can spend a full museum day in town. The museum also runs a Cold War Museum in a former Soviet nuclear warhead store at Podborsko, about 50 km away, with a separate ticket.

Getting there

The museum is right in the center, a few minutes' walk from St. Mary's Basilica and the town hall, so you will most likely arrive on foot. Kołobrzeg has a train station with services from Szczecin, Poznań, Warsaw and Kraków (the fastest connection from Kraków takes around 8.5 hours). The nearest major airport is Szczecin-Goleniów, about 100 km away. Is it worth visiting? If you are interested in Polish or European military history, definitely; casual visitors will enjoy the outdoor park and the Gothic house even on a short stop.