The idea behind establishing the WWII Museum was to create an institution that would show the WWII experience through the Polish perspective in combination with the experience of other European nations.
Founded on 26 November 2008, with its official opening planned for 2014, the museum's ultimate location will be adjacent to the historic Polish Post building, one of the last outposts for defenders against the Nazi invasion. Work is ongoing for the museum's main exhibition and the construction design is being prepared for the museum building. The museum's architectural competition is set to be resolved in September 2010.
The outdoor exhibition located on Westerplatte, entitled "Westerplatte. Resort, Bastion, Symbol" aims to inform visitors comprehensively about the location's 300 year history. Narration in Polish and English will make the museum tourist-friendly while the exhibition's innovative form will make visiting this place of national remembrance interesting and educational.
Over 200 maps, and etchings, photographs, and documents collected through careful research in over 30 institutions in Poland and abroad present Westerplatte's history. Some of the materials have never been shown to the public while only a few specialists have viewed others.
Exhibition at Westerplatte
The exhibition shows Westerplatte's four historical periods. The first part of the exhibition shows the formation of the peninsula and resort located there, which was open through the end of World War I. The second part is devoted to the Polish Military Transit Storage located there in the interwar period. The third part of the exhibition focuses on the battle and defense of Westerplatte in September 1939, while the fourth sets out the role Westerplatte played in Poles' collective historical memory and communist policy in 1945-1989.
The outdoor Westerplatte exhibition is free of charge. For a tour, please contact the museum to make an appointment.
In preparing its permanent exhibition, the Museum of World War II continues to acquire pieces through purchase, gift and loan. Additionally, museum employees have recorded accounts of World War II eyewitnesses.
The museum publishes scientific publications, organizes open lectures, conferences, public debates, and educational projects. The open lectures provide an opportunity for Q&A with specialists in select aspects of World War II. The meetings are held once a month (excepting summer) and are organized in the Artus Court.
Source: received information, July 2010
Muzeum II Wojny Światowej
ul. Długa 81/83
80-831 Gdańsk
Phone: (+48 22) 58 323 75 20
Phone/Fax: (+48 22) 58 323 75 30
WWW: www.muzeum1939.pl