Museum of Polish Arms

The Museum of Polish Arms in Kołobrzeg was founded on 8 May 1963 and is listed in the State Register of Museums. Since 1966 its profile has been mainly military-historical: from the arms of the early Polish state to equipment of both world wars, with the main exhibition "History of Polish Arms" and several branches in the town and the area.

From the basilica tower to its own walls

The first exhibition opened on 8 May 1966 in the tower of the Mariacka basilica. When the church was returned to the Catholic Church in 1974, the collections moved first to an open-air display on Emilia Gierczak street (from 1977) and, on 17 March 1980, to the museum's own building for the main exhibition. The concept of that display was prepared by the then director, Hieronim Kroczyński.

What you will see

In the main exhibition at 5 Emilia Gierczak street you will find uniforms and equipment from the times of the Polish Kingdom and the national uprisings through both world wars, including the uniform of a Greater Poland insurgent. In the technology hall and in the open-air display stand vehicles, aircraft, artillery and armoured weapons — including a drivable T-34-85 tank and a German Panzerkampfwagen IV. The history of the town is presented by the Kołobrzeg City Museum in the early-19th-century, empire-style Braunschweig Palace.

Branches in the port and beyond

In the fishing port operates the Maritime Open-Air Museum (opened 14 August 2013) with the patrol vessel "Fala" and the missile cutter "Władysławowo", both open to visitors. The Cold War Museum in Podborsko is housed in a former atomic ammunition depot, while the aviation and military technology branch sits in a hangar in Rogowo. Opening hours of the branches vary, so check them separately before your visit; a tour pairs well with a walk around the port and the seaside promenade.