Gdansk’s most prominent tourist attraction, the Museum of Second World War has formally reopened to the public following an almost 3-month closure. Gdansk has long been a tourist hotspot, not only for its stunning architecture and rich history but also for the fact that it was the city where the first shots of WW II were fired.
Located beside the Raduni Canal, the Museum is 40.5 meters high and tilted toward the ground at a dramatic slant angle. It features trapezoid-shaped facades, three of which are clad with red concrete, making it a visually appealing sight to behold. The design of the building is meant to reflect the connection between the past, present, and future. The past refers to the underground, the present refers to the square surrounding the building, the future refers to the part of the building above the ground.
The core of the Museum is a 5,000 square meters permanent exhibition located 14 meters under the ground that is composed of three main narrative blocks – “The Road to War”, “The Terror of War” and “The Long Shadow of War”. In order to reflect the profound effects of war on different aspects, these three areas are divided into 18 sections that each of parts focuses on different themes with a remarkable range of exhibits and arranged in chronological order.
The museum has large collections of artifacts, many of them personal effects donated by private individuals, that bring the personal tragedies of World War II to life. You can even walk into a huge mock-up of an interwar Warsaw street, spot a Sherman tank standing between the dilapidated walls, and see a room filled with thousands of endless photo portraits of those who perished in the Holocaust.
The Museum of Second World War was extremely informative that it will take at least 3 hours to cover it all, while for war buffs, it’s easy to spend a whole day there. The museum is such an impressive place that objectively reflects the tragic experience of WW II and full of remarkable artifacts, which are also combined with modern technology and elaborate dioramas. It defiantly worths a visit and you will be blown away by the experience!
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