Museum of the Second World War

Museum of the Second World War

Exterior of the Museum of WWII
Established	27 March 2017 (2017-03-27)
Location	Władysław Bartoszewski Square 1, Gdańsk, Poland
Type	History museum
Collections	Military equipment, historical documents and war memorabilia
Visitors	417,812 (2017)[1]
Director	Karol Nawrocki
Website	muzeum1939.pl/strona-glowna

Sherman Tank of Polish I Corps fighting in Western Europe during WWII

Norden M2WS bombsight

Interior of the museum

The Museum of the Second World War (Polish: Muzeum II Wojny Światowej) is a state cultural institution established in 2008 and a museum in Gdańsk, Poland which is devoted to the Second World War. The museum was opened on 23 March 2017.^[2] Kwadrat architectural team won the architectural competition for the building of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk.^[3]

History

The institution of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk was established on 1 September, 2008 by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland Bogdan Zdrojewski. The Gdańsk-born and then-Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, opened the architectural competition to design the main building of the museum. The judging panel included such experts as Daniel Liebeskind and Jack Lohman, the director of the Museum of London. The winning design was created by the Gdynia-based Kwadrat architectural studio. The seat of the museum faces the Motława River and is located on Wałowa Street in close proximity to the Radunia Canal and the historical Polish Post Office Building. The museum grounds cover the area of 2.5 acres and the building itself covers approximately 23,000 square metres. The building consists of three major spheres, which symbolically represent the connection between the past, present and future. The most distinctive part of the building is the 40-metre tall leaning tower with a glass façade, which houses a library, reading and conference rooms as well as cafés and restaurants with a view of the panorama of Gdańsk.^[4][5]

Many prominent historians and experts on World War II and totalitarianism participated in creating the concept of the museum and its permanent exhibitions, some of them include:^[6][7]

• Prof. Włodzimierz Borodziej, Institute of History, University of Warsaw, Warsaw;
• Prof. Jerzy Borejsza, Institute of History, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw;
• Prof. Pavel Polian, Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences; Academic Library, Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow;
• Prof. Norman Davies, British Academy, London:
• Prof. Israel Gutman, International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem;
• Prof. Andrzej Chwalba, Institute of History, Jagiellonian University, Kraków;
• Prof. Timothy D. Snyder, Yale University, New Haven;
• Prof. Ulrich Herbert, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg; School of History, Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Freiburg;
• Prof. Krzysztof Pomian, Museum of Europe, Brussels;
• Prof. Henry Rousso, Institut d’ histoire du temps présent, Centre national de la recherche scientifique; Paris Nanterre University, Paris;
• Prof. Tomasz Szarota, Institute of History, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw.

Management

Dr Karol Nawrocki is the Museum's director. Prof. dr hab Grzegorz Berendt, Dr Tomasz Szturo and Julia Olechno are his deputies. Prof. Dr hab. Paweł Machcewicz was the Museum’s director until April 5th, 2017, and Dr Janusz Marszalec and Dr hab. Piotr M. Majewski served as his deputies.

On 7 February 2018, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage and Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Gliński appointed new members of the museum's management board, which include:^[8]

• Prof. Sławomir Cenckiewicz, historian, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń;
• Prof. Marek Jan Chodakiewicz, the Institute of World Politics, University of Virginia;
• Dr. Jacek Friedrich, historian;
• Prof. Jerzy Grzywacz, member of the World Association of Home Army Soldiers;
• Prof. Mirosław Golon, historian, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń;
• Prof. Piotr M. Majewski, historian, University of Warsaw;
• Prof. Bogdan Musiał, historian, German Historical Institute Warsaw;
• Prof. Piotr Niwiński, historian and publicist, University of Gdańsk;
• Prof. Andrzej Nowak, historian, sovietologist, Jagiellonian University, member of the Institute of National Remembrance;
• Piotr Semka, journalist and publicist;
• Prof. Zbigniew Wawer, historian, Polish Army Museum;
• Dr. Jarosław Wąsowicz, historian and publicist;
• Prof. Tadeusz Wolsza, historian and politologist, member of the Institute of National Remembrance;
• Prof. Jan Żaryn, historian.

Gallery

• 
  Polish city street, 1930s
• 
  German Junkers Ju-87 "Stuka" at permanent exhibition
• 
  Soviet T-34 Tank inside
• 
  Enigma machine cipher machine
• 
  A stone from Krępa Kaszubska commemorating the birth of Adolf Hitler
• 
  DKW motorcycle
• 
  Spanish nationalist posters
• 
  Interior of the Museum of WWII
• 
  German propaganda poster
• 
  Eagle from the banner of the First Polish Corps
• 
  Wireless Set No. 19
• 
  Joseph Stalin's pipe
• 
  Exterior of the Museum

See also

• Museums in Poland
• The International Museum of World War II

References

External links

• Museum’s Official Website

Coordinates: 54°21′21″N 18°39′38″E / 54.35583°N 18.66056°E / 54.35583; 18.66056