Polish Army Museum

The museum is located in the 19th-century Warsaw Citadel. Inside, the exhibition ‘1000 Years of Polish Military Glory’ awaits you. This is a real treat for history lovers—almost 3,000 exhibits have been collected here, which will lead you on a journey through the military history of Poland, from the beginnings of the state to the end of World War II. Among other items, you will see armour, uniforms, weapons and banners.

In the galleries dedicated to the Middle Ages, you will come face to face with warriors of the Polish teritories’ early rulers, and the founder of the Jagiellonian dynasty, King Władysław Jagiełło. You will see a unique 10th century helmet, called a shishak, ancient armour, chainmail, and various types of medieval weaponry, including such exotic artefacts as knights’ hammers, flails, and war forks. Art enthusiasts will be delighted by the intricately decorated reliquary from 1388, captured as a trophy during the war with the Teutonic Order.

Exhibits from subsequent eras include original elements of Polish kings’ armaments: Stefan Batory’s sabre, the beautiful chainmail of John II Casimir Vasa, and Stanisław Leszczyński’s coronation saddle, as well as the original Virtuti Militari medal from 1792—Poland’s highest distinction for valour in combat, established by Stanisław August Poniatowski.

See real uniforms from the times of national uprisings and the Napoleonic wars, as well as personal momentos of these battles’ heroes: Tadeusz Kościuszko and General Jan Dąbrowski. The exhibition also features one of the co-founders of the Second Polish Republic—Józef Piłsudski—presented on his favorite horse, Kasztanka.

Fans of heavy combat equipment will be intrigued by unique exhibits from the First and Second World Wars and the Polish-Bolshevik War: the oldest tank in the Polish army, the French Renault FT-17 from 1917, a jeep with the markings of the 2nd Polish Corps, which fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino among other campaigns, and the ‘Sexton’ self-propelled gun. Particularly noteworthy is an icon of World War II—the Soviet T-34 tank, which fought in the battles of Lenino and Studzianki, and which will be familiar to those who have seen the film ‘Four Tank-Men and a Dog’. You can see more combat vehicles in the open-air display next to the museum.