Museum of Technical Heritage in Gniezno

The Museum of Technical Heritage is a small private museum of motorcycles and old technology in the former cavalry barracks on Wrzesińska Street in Gniezno. It is run by enthusiasts from the ClassiC Gniezno Association, who restore the exhibits so that they keep their original look and are fully working. It makes a good change for families and motorbike fans after a day at the cathedral and Lech Hill.

What to see

The museum stages regular motorcycle exhibitions and displays of historic technology. Past shows have included "Polish Sokół Motorcycles – Glory and Nostalgia" and "Garage – What Rust Hides", along with the project "Collections of Gniezno Residents", in which local people show their own collections. Besides guided tours, the museum runs themed workshops where you can learn how machines and devices are built and how they work.

Dragoon and uhlan barracks

The complex on Wrzesińska Street was built in 1892 for the German 12th Dragoon Regiment, which was quartered here until 1914. Squadron blocks line the street, and further back stood five stables, three of them connected to covered riding halls. In December 1918 the barracks became an important place for forming units of the Greater Poland Uprising, and later uhlans and artillerymen were stationed here. In 2002 the town bought the complex; today most of the buildings are used by a university, the rest by various tenants.

Tripto tips

• Address: ul. Wrzesińska 49b/4, Gniezno; there is free parking at the museum.
• Opening hours: sources differ: either Tuesday–Thursday and Sunday 11:00–16:00, or Saturdays and Sundays 11:00–17:00 with weekday visits for groups only by prior arrangement (tel. +48 608 156 369). The museum has no website of its own and posts updates on Facebook, so check there or call before you go.
• Time: about an hour is enough for the visit, longer with a workshop.

The museum works best as an add-on to a day in Gniezno. Technology fans can combine it with the town's other railway and technical attractions, and the cathedral and the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State are a few minutes away by car.