Temporary exhibitions
We encourage you to visit the temporary exhibitions that are on show both in the MSWW building and in the square in front of our institution.
‘THE POMERANIAN CRIME OF 1939’
The exhibition is dedicated to a planned and mass extermination action carried out in the area of Pomerania along the Vistula and Kujawy. The victims were predominantly Polish and Jewish citizens, representing diverse social layers: clergy, intellectuals, workers, and landowners. Mentally ill individuals were also subjected to the massacres. The perpetrators were members of various German police formations, the Wehrmacht, and to a large extent, representatives of the German national minority who were members of the Volksdeutsche Selbstschutz.
GUARDHOUSE NO. 5 AT WESTERPLATTE
The exhibition presents the history of Guardhouse No. 5, which was a part of the Polish Military Transit Depot defense system. On display are selected items acquired during archaeological research conducted at Westerplatte by the Archaeological Department of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk. These artifacts contribute to the exhibition's narrative, providing an opportunity to engage with authentic items found on the battlefield.
‘STRONG ARM – SERVING THE HOMELAND. A HISTORY OF POLISH FALCONRY IN AMERICA
The exhibition presented at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk is an expanded version of the exhibition titled "Ramię krzep – Ojczyźnie służ” (Strong Arm – Serving the Homeland). It commemorates the 135th anniversary of the founding of Polish Falcons in America, previously showcased from September 2022 to the end of March of the current year at the Kazimierz Pułaski Museum in Warka. The exhibition has been expanded and supplemented with modules that delve into the history and activities of Polish Falcons in America, covering topics such as the organization's beginnings, military aspects, and armed activities during World War I, promotion of physical development, activities during World War II, and maintaining connections with Poland. Visitors have the opportunity to see previously unseen uniforms and sports artifacts.
‘FACE OF COURAGE: WITOLD PILECKI (1901-1948)’
This biographical installation presents the life of one of the greatest Polish heroes – Captain Witold Pilecki, a man of extraordinary destiny. He was the grandson of an insurgent from the January Uprising, a scout, an artist, a participant in the Battle of Warsaw, a landowner, a philanthropist, a happy husband, and a good father. He defended Poland in 1939, was a member of the resistance movement, fought in the Warsaw Uprising, and served as a soldier in Anders' Army. After the war, he returned to the country to create underground independence movements against the Soviets.
See temporary exhibitions previously organized by the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk:
‘WOLA 1944: ERASURE. GENOCIDE AND THE CASE OF REINEFARTH’
The exhibition sheds light on German crimes committed against the civilian population in the early days of the Warsaw Uprising and the unsuccessful attempts to hold the German commanding officer, Heinz Reinefarth, accountable. Between August 5th and 7th, 1944, following the orders of Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler, the Germans murdered between 15,000 and 60,000 people: men, women, and children.
DO NOT WASTE INDEPENDENCE. SILVER FROM THE NATIONAL DEFENSE FUND
The exhibition is part of a nationwide project coordinated by the National Museum in Poznań. Its main goal is to present to a wide audience silver memorabilia collected from within Polish society by the Polish authorities as part of a nationwide collection conducted in the years 1936-1939 under the National Defense Fund (FON).
‘DESTROY POLAND! MATERIAL LOSSES DURING THE GERMAN OCCUPATION 1939-1945’
On February 28th, a ceremonial opening of the exhibition board ‘Destroy Poland! Material Losses During the German Occupation 1939-1945" took place at the headquarters of the European Parliament in Brussels. The exhibition was prepared by the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk.
‘THE GREAT FAMINE IN KAZAKHSTAN (ASZHARSHYLYK). UNKNOWN HISTORY.’
The exhibition tells the story of the Great Famine in Soviet Kazakhstan. The Great Famine in Kazakhstan became a demographic catastrophe for the republic. In the years 1930-1933, as a result of collectivization, dekulakization – repression of the Kulaks, repression, and famine, at least 1.2 million people died, approximately 1/3 of the country's population. This tragedy had a long-lasting impact on the history and demography of the Kazakhs, and its course is only now being studied.
‘WITKACY – LOST WORK’
The exhibition presents 12 works by the artist, originating from the collection of the Central Pomerania Museum in Słupsk and from the National Museum in Krakow. Alongside drawings and portraits executed in the technique of pastels on paper, the exhibition also features some of Witkacy's earliest works, such as The Temptation of St. Anthony I and Composition with a Dancer. Additionally, the exhibition showcases personal memorabilia including private correspondence, especially with Jan Leszczyński, a philosopher at the Jagiellonian University and a friend of the artist.
BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH. STORIES OF AID DURING THE HOLOCAUST
The exhibition presents stories from twelve European countries of individuals who provided assistance to persecuted Jews during World War II, as well as the accounts of the survivors. Giving voice to both rescuers and the rescued, the exhibition guides visitors through a narrative of acts of great courage and extraordinary will to survive.
‘Looking People Straight in the Eye ...’ – Exhibition Dedicated to Prime Minister Jan Olszewski
The exhibition introduces the figure of a scout from the so-called Gray Ranks of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association , a defender in political trials during the People's Republic of Poland (PRL), and a politician who led the first post-World War II Polish government elected by the Sejm through free elections. Individual information panels present Jan Olszewski's biography from childhood in a railway family, a family connected for generations with the tradition of independence, to the words spoken on his deathbed: "I am not obliged to surrender."
NOT ONLY THE TRIAL... NUREMBERG AND POWS 1939–1945
The exhibition "Das Reichsparteitagsgelände im Krieg. Gefangenschaft, Massenmord und Zwangsarbeit / Not only the trial... Nuremberg and POWs 1939–1945" is the result of an international project carried out by the Documentation Center of the Nazi Party Rallies in Nuremberg in partnership with the Central Museum of Prisoners of War.
Archaeological exhibition ‘When days are fulfilled ... the burials of the Polish defenders of Westerplatte
The exhibition presents the profiles of nine of the defenders of the Military Transit Depot at Westerplatte, who fell during the battle which took place between the 1st and 7th of September 1939. The exhibition is one of the elements in the process of restoring the memory of these heroes. Individual biographies of the defenders are accompanied by selected items that were discovered on the bodies of the Polish fallen found during archaeological research conducted at Westerplatte in 2019.
"Will, Faith and Fight. 80th anniversary of the departure of the army of General Władysław Anders from the Soviet Union "
A two-part exhibition entitled "Will, Faith and Fight" shows the dramatic fate of Polish citizens who were exiled in the Soviet Union in 1939–1942.
"Hiroshima-Nagasaki. The atomic bomb."
The exhibition "Hiroshima-Nagasaki. The atomic bomb." describes the event and the effects of dropping a nuclear bomb on Japanese cities - Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Strength in sport. History of the Gedania Sports Club
At the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, thanks to cooperation with both institutions and private individuals from all over the country, as well as the involvement of authors and curators, we have prepared an exhibition devoted to the Gedania Sports Club on the hundredth anniversary of its creation.
On Broad Waters. The Tale of the Polish Maritime Club
The exhibition ‘On Broad Waters. A Tale of the Polish Maritime Club’ is the fascinating story of the Gdańsk sailing club with pre-war traditions. The exhibition presents the history of the Polish Maritime Club (PMC) from the inception of the organization, through the first post-war years and the functioning of the club in the period of the Polish People's Republic, up until today.
Mexico and Poland: a common path. General Władysław Sikorski's visit to Mexico in 1942’ - photo exhibition at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk
The exhibition included 40 photographs from the National Archives of Mexico and the National Digital Archives in Poland. It narrated the visit of General Sikorski to Mexico in 1942. This event was one of the most important moments in the history of relations between Mexico and Poland and contributed to the admission of Polish refugees to Mexico and the creation of Santa Rosa in the vicinity of León in Guanajuoato. Santa Rosa became a safe haven for 1,453 Polish refugees, mainly women and children, who between 1943-1947 found refuge there and a chance for a new life.
1945-2022. The history of the cross at Westerplatte
As part of the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the restoration of the memorial cross at Westerplatte, the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk have prepared a panel exhibition titled ‘1945-2022. The history of the cross at Westerplatte’. The exhibition is dedicated to presenting the fate of this religious symbol at the site of the former Military Transit Depot in Westerplatte. The narrative, as if through a lens, shows the realities of shaping the memory of Polish heroes during the Communist era, and at the same time presents the struggles between the then ruling authorities and the Catholic Church.
The Ostaszków exhibition, mailbox no. 37
Dedicated to the tragic fate of the Polish inmates of one of the special camps of the Soviet NKVD organisation, to commemorate the murdered victims, together with the Institute of National Remembrance, we present an exhibition titled ‘Ostaszków, mailbox no. 37’
TADEUSZ PIETRZYKOWSKI - A WARRIOR WITH THE SOUL OF AN ARTIST
The exhibition consists of 29 works of art by Tadeusz Pietrzykowski, made using various techniques and covering many topics. The exhibition at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk will be on display until August 31st this year, and admission is free. The initial announcement of the project was made during a presentation of reproductions of the works of this famous Polish boxer at the Olivia Star building on the occasion of the Rocky Boxing Night gala.
THE AIRMEN
The exhibition will showcase in an innovative and artistic manner the photography project "The Airmen" by the photographer Michał Solarski.
Poles in the Free City of Gdańsk
The exhibition ‘Poles in the Free City of Gdańsk’ illustrates the fate of the Polish minority, who from the beginning of the existence of the Free City served Poland through their actions designed to preserve their national identity in the face of the German majority in the city. The exhibition presents various manifestations of the everyday life of the Polish inhabitants of the Free City of Gdansk, up until the outbreak of World War II.
For you, Poland - Silesia. An open-air exhibition on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Silesia's return to the motherland
The idea of the exhibition is to present the history of the Upper Silesia region to people from outside this part of the country through the prism of relations with other Polish regions. Despite the centuries-old national identity of Poland and Upper Silesia, their ties have remained strong, especially in culture, language and religion.
