Museum of the Second World War
Medals available for purchase in the museum shop!
The Museum of the Second World War was established in Gdańsk at Władysław Bartoszewski Square, on the Motława River, close to the historic city center.
The museum is located in a symbolic architectural space that also serves as a space of memory—200 meters from the historic Polish Post Office building in Gdańsk and three kilometers by water from the Westerplatte Peninsula, both attacked in September 1939.
The museum grounds, covering an area of 17,070 m², border the Radunia Canal to the west and open to a broad panorama of the Motława to the south. Currently, this is the outskirts of old Gdańsk, but soon it will become the center of a modern district situated on post-shipyard lands.
The boundaries of the Museum of the Second World War site are defined by:
To the west: the former route of the now-defunct Piekary Street (Grosse Bäcker Gasse);
To the north: a section of Wałowa Street (Wall Gasse);
To the east: Stara Stocznia Street (Brabank);
To the south: the left bank of the Radunia Canal’s outlet into the Motława, along which the now-defunct Wiadrownia Street (Eimermacherhof) once ran.
In medieval times, this area was incorporated into the defensive structure of a castle built by the Teutonic Knights on the site of an earlier ducal stronghold, transforming it into a fortified outpost separated from the mainland and the fortress by moats. From the mid-15th century, only a modest guild house of the wiadrownicy (German: Eimermacher) stood here. On the other side of the moat lay the area known as Brabancja (Brabank). By the mid-17th century, the area underwent significant changes. A new channel was dug for the final stretch of the Radunia Canal, which from then on flowed into the Motława instead of the Vistula. As a result, the Wiadrownia area was reduced to a small, triangular island, shaping the urban layout of this part of the city. The street network included Wiadrownia (Eimermacherhof), Stara Stocznia (Brabank), Piekary (Grosse Bäcker Gasse), Wielka (Grosse Gasse), Mała (Kleine Gasse), and Kowale (Schmiedegang).
The buildings on the site of the museum, though made of brick, were modest in form and inhabited by less affluent residents. At the tip between Stara Stocznia Street and the Radunia Canal, there was a construction site and a lumberyard. Between 1942 and 1944, a light anti-aircraft shelter was built here, which still stands today. After the city’s destruction in 1945, the area was significantly transformed. Of the original street network, only Stara Stocznia survived; the rest were eliminated when a bus depot and small parks were established.
The museum building covers approximately 23,000 m², with about 5,000 m² dedicated to the main exhibition. It presents the Second World War in a modern way, both from the perspective of high politics and, above all, the experiences of ordinary people.
The exhibition depicts not only the fate of Poles but also the experiences of other nations.
In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum also offers 1,000 m² of space for temporary exhibitions. Beyond its exhibition functions, the museum serves as a center for education, culture, and research.
Architecture as a Symbol
The museum building has received high acclaim from the international architectural community. The competition jury described the project as a “new symbol of Gdańsk,” a “new icon,” and a “sculptural design.”
Daniel Libeskind, one of the world’s most renowned architects and the designer of the Jewish Museum in Berlin, justified the selection of the project with these words:
*”Using the language of architecture, the chosen project speaks of the tragedy of the past, the vitality of the present, while also revealing the horizon of the future. The dynamically rising form is a symbol of the museum beneath it. It creates a broad, spectacular opening of the city’s past toward its future. Referencing Gdańsk’s iconic skyline with shipyard cranes and church towers, the building connects the city’s traditional spaces—their scale, materials, and colors—with a 21st-century museum.”*
The architects from the “Kwadrat” studio described the building as a “silent project,” intended to evoke strong emotions and deep reflection among visitors.
A symbolic representation of the connection between the past (war) and the present and future is the museum’s spatial division into three zones:
The past, hidden in the building’s underground;
The present, visible on the open square around the museum;
The future, expressed through a towering viewpoint.
The architectural design is a bold vision of international significance.
*”This project does not resemble or imitate any of the many museums I have seen around the world. It is unique. This is not just a matter of the theme—deeply rooted in Poland and especially in Gdańsk—but of a world-class solution, worthy of the 21st century, designed for generations yet unborn.”*
— Jack Lohman, art historian and museologist
On September 1, 2012, the ceremonial laying of the cornerstone took place. The cornerstone was a piece of cobblestone found during archaeological excavations, once part of a street in the pre-war Wiadrownia district, where the museum now stands. The stone, along with a signed foundation act, was placed in a special stone plinth.
