National Museum of Technology in Warsaw

In the south-west wing of the Palace of Culture and Science stands the oldest car in Poland, a Cudell from 1899, and next to it an Oldsmobile Curved Dash, the world's first mass-produced automobile. The National Museum of Technology is the largest museum of its kind in the country, covering everything from Roman carts and steam engines to Polish computers and the history of radio. Its collections have been here since 1955, and after a break of several years the museum is welcoming visitors again.

History: the museum that almost disappeared

The tradition goes back to 1875, when the Museum of Industry and Agriculture was founded in Warsaw. In 1929 the engineer Kazimierz Jackowski set up the Museum of Technology and Industry and ran it until he was murdered in the Katyń massacre in 1940. The war scattered the collections, and a new museum, run by the Polish Federation of Engineering Associations (NOT), opened in 1955 in the newly built Palace of Culture.

In 2016 the museum lost its subsidies, and in June 2017 it was closed because of debts. The Warsaw heritage conservator secured the collection, and the same year the National Museum of Technology was established. The first galleries opened in January 2022, with further permanent exhibitions at the end of that year.

What to see

• The history of transport by sea, land and air, with the Cudell, an Adler from 1901, the Polish Mikrus microcar and the prototype Smyk, plus more than 20 motorcycles including Polish Sokół, WSK and SHL models.
• The history of computers, including Polish designs.
• The contribution of Poles to the world's technical and scientific heritage.
• Energy sources and the history of fossil fuels, with a section on Ignacy Łukasiewicz, inventor of the modern kerosene lamp.
• The history of radio and television and an exhibition on space research.
• A planetarium, for a small extra charge.

Interesting facts

The collection taken over from the old museum includes Kazimierz Prószyński's aeroscope, regarded as the first hand-held film camera with automatic drive, a calculating machine built by the Warsaw clockmaker Izrael Abraham Staffel, and Jacek Karpiński's K-202 computer. Before the 2017 closure the museum's debt for renting rooms in the Palace had reached PLN 2.8 million.

Tripto tip

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday 9:00–18:00, last entry at 17:15. A standard ticket costs PLN 30, reduced PLN 20, family tickets from PLN 70, and children under 7 go free. On Tuesdays entry to the permanent exhibitions is free, but you need to collect a free pass at the ticket desk. The address is Plac Defilad 1; the nearest stops are the Centrum and Świętokrzyska metro stations and Warszawa Śródmieście railway station. The building has no air conditioning, which can be noticeable in summer. The cloakroom is free. Allow 2–3 hours, and afterwards you can ride up to the Palace of Culture's viewing terrace.