THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN!

Warsaw’s rich history and cultural significance has left it with no shortage of museums to visit. Offering a well-rounded view of the city’s past and present, these are the seven you

Fryderyk Chopin Museum

The 18th century Ostrogski Palace is the perfect foil for the ultra-modern content of this multi-sensory space. The personal items are captivating (his death mask, gifts from his muse, etc.), but the big victory here is the museum’s ability to suck visitors right back into the times of Chopin through the use of interactive sights and sounds. ul. Okólnik 1, chopin. museum

Museum Of Life Under Communism

A deeply personal insight into the former system by allowing visitors to view what Communism meant to the everyday person. Here, rifle and rummage through a room mockedup to resemble a typical household apartment, watch propaganda films, peer inside a phone box, paw at vintage keep-fit gear or covet the ladies fashions of the time. ul. Piękna 28/34, mzprl.pl

Museum Of Warsaw

Reprised as a maze-like treasure filled trove glimmering with curiosities, thousands of objects have been gathered here to detail the story of Warsaw in a non-linear style that can at times feel overwhelming. Peculiar souvenirs, scale models, old postcards and recovered works of art all combine with a mass of trivia to leave visitors boggled with knowledge. The vertiginous views of the Rynek below are worth the admission alone. Rynek Starego Miasta 28-42, muzeumwarszawy.pl

National Museum

Famed for its collection of Dutch and Flemish masters, it’s also the final word in Polish art, with all the greats represented – inc. Matejko, Witkiewicz and other such stars. That’s reason enough for many, but for others the museum’s ace card was revealed at the end of 2017 with the opening of the Gallery of Polish Design. Al. Jerozolimskie 3, mnw. art.pl

Neon Museum

Playing a key role in the government’s attempts to fuse socialist ideology with consumerism, the campaign to ‘neon-ize’ Poland saw gloomy cities still bearing the scars of war boldly gleam once more under lights designed and produced by many of the leading artisans of the time. ul. Mińska 25 (Soho Factory), neonmuzeum.org

Polin

Composed of eight galleries, this architectural marvel covers different stages of local Jewish history, from the middle ages to the present day. Highlights of this museum include a staggeringly beautiful replica of the ceiling of Gwoździec synagogue, and a ‘remake’ of a typical inter-war Jewish Warsaw street. That it was named the European Museum of the Year in 2016 such much for its ambitions to focus on more than the Holocaust alone. ul. Anielewicza 6, polin.pl

The Warsaw Rising Museum

If the throngs and sheer informational overload can often be daunting, it remains the most important museum in the capital, and quite arguably the country. Points of interest are rife and include a lifesize replica of a B-24 Liberator plane as well as a claustrophobic ‘sewage tunnel’ through which visitors squeeze to get an idea of the kind of conditions combatants once faced. ul. Grzybowska 79, 1944.pl

Shopping Exeriences

1 Designer Outlet Warszawa ul. Puławska 42E, designeroutletwarszawa.pl

2

Elektrownia Powiśle ul. Dobra 42, elektrowniapowisle.com

3

Galeria Mokotów ul. Wołoska 12, galeriamokotow.com.pl

4

8 Mysia 3 ul. Mysia 3, mysia3.pl

9 Vitkac ul. Bracka 9, likusconceptstore.pl

10

Westfield Arkadia

Al. Jana Pawła II 82, pl.westfield.com/arkadia

11

Złote Tarasy ul. Złota 59, zlotetarasy.pl museums

1

National Museum Al. Jerozolimskie 3, mnw.art.pl.pl

2

6 Koneser Pl.

7 Plac Unii ul. Puławska 2, placunii.pl

The Warsaw Rising Museum ul. Grzybowska 79, 1944.pl

3

Museum of Life Under Communism ul. Piękna 28/34, mzprl.pl

4

Fryderyk Chopin Museum ul. Okólnik 1, chopin. museum

5

Neon Museum ul. Mińska 25 (Soho Factory), neonmuzeum.org

6

Museum of Warsaw Rynek Starego Miasta 2842, muzeumwarszawy.pl

7

POLIN ul. Anielewicza 6, polin.pl

Sport

1 Legia Stadium Łazienkowska 3, https://legia.com/