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Most Popular Museums in Poland

In the whole world there are plenty of fascinating and interesting museums. Everybody knows Luvr in Paris, MoMa in New York or National Gallery in London. But did you know that Poland has also some amazing ones? Thanks to the difficult history, talented artists and powerful kings, after many decades and centuries, you can now admire their work and legacy.

  1. The Museum of the Palace of King Jan III in Wilanów – if you are visiting Warsaw it is a great opportunity to visit this museum. It is not only a magnificent building with lots of sculptures and painting. It has a wonderful and big garden, which is an ideal spot for a long walk during the summer season. Every year almost 3 million people visit this museum!
  2. The Royal Łazienki Museum – its mesmerizing gardens have appeared in many books and novels. Thanks to its location in the Warsaw city center, locals come here often to relax after a long day in work. Museum is combined here with a lot of attractions, there are organized many concerts, exhibitions and meeting. You can also sail a real gondola on the pond in front of the Palace on the Island. For sport amateurs there is a stable where you can have a horse ride. Definitely a magical place!
  3. Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in Oświęcim. This museum is well-known also abroad. It is a reminder of the horrible war experiences. To visit this museum you have to prepare yourself.It is not easy to be here but is worth it. It is a place which warns you, that people are capable of the worst in the name of an ideology.
  4. Wawel Royal Castle in Cracow – while visiting Cracow, this is ‘a must”. You won’t find here giant gardens (like in Wilanów), but a chapel, courtyard and a cathedral which will take your breath away. The Cathedral is a very important place, because it is filled with priceless works of art, including tombstones of kings. An absolute masterpiece of Renaissance art is also the Sigismund Chapel. Entering the walled castle complex is a journey in time – you can feel the spirit of a really ancient age.
  5. The Cracow Saltworks Museum in Wieliczka is something you have probably never experienced. The Wieliczka Salt Mine was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978 as one of the first 12 objects in the world. The deepest corridor of the Wieliczka mine is located 327 meters underground, and the total length of all underground pavements reaches 300 kilometers. Visiting the Wieliczka mine, you can see not only pits but also real works of art, like salt sculptures or chapels. Fun fact – in the Chapel of Saint Kinga you can even get married.

As you can see, museum don’t have to be boring and visited only in rainy days. They are fun, beautiful and perfect for families. You can enjoy yourself in their gardens or just stop by to slow down a bit and focus on the moment.

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18 nominations from Poland in the Mies van der Rohe Award 2019!

The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award is a Prize organized by the European Union and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, “to acknowledge and reward quality architectural production in Europe’.

The Prize was created in 1987 as a partnership between the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe. Competition is open to all the works completed in Europe within the two-year period before the granting of the Prize.

383 projects from 38 countries – this is a list of the nominees for the Mies van der Rohe European award 2019. This year, 18 objects from Poland were fighting for the main prize.  All the projects nominated this year are pretty amazing, but we have chosen our favorites. They are not only beautiful in the way they are designed and built, but they are very functional.

You can for example send your kids to this super modern school which looks like straight from Hollywood films. Akademeia High School in Warsaw, designed by Medusa Group is a one of a kind studying area in Poland. It focuses on educating young people in order to help them achieve the highest qualifications and get into the best universities in the world.

“By the way House” is the second of our top favorites. Designed by KWK Promes studio, located in central Poland on a beautiful, huge field above the river bank. The owner’s wish was not only to make the best use of the existing landscape conditions, but also to move the interior from the current apartment. The owners wanted mainly to have a private and intimate leaving area, so the house is in the center of the plot, and the living area is on the first floor.

Building of the District Court in Siedlce is a mix of the seriousness and calmness of ancient buildings. Thanks to the restrained form the building looks enormously majestic. In the interior, architects contrasted architectural concrete with transparent glass details. The harmony effect was obtained by combining empty spaces filled with light and full, simple forms.

Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk is built on a lot at Władysław Bartoszewski Square near the center of the city. It is located in a symbolic architectural space, 200 metres from the historic Polish Post Office in Gdańsk and 3 kilometers across the water from Westerplatte Peninsula, both of which were attacked in September 1939.

NAWA – the sculpture of Oskar Zięta on the Daliowa Island in Wrocław is a part of the events related with the celebration of the European Capital of Culture. It refers to the main slogan – “metamorphosis of culture”. Its form is an artistic interpretation of the constant transformation of the city. NAWA is an ultra-light, but solid construction consisting of 35 steel arches forming a gate through which you can walk.

The lucky nominees were 18 objects, but we have chosen (subjectively) 5 of them. Polish architects and architecture companies grow rapidly showing that our country represent the world level.

 

picture source: EUMiesAward website

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