Address: Al. Jerozolimskie 3, Warszawa (See map)
Telephone: no telephone
Website: not available

Shop: small shop present
Restaurant/refreshments: not available
Size of the museum/site: large
Year of visit: 2003
Overall rating:

Description: During our holiday we decided to visit the Polish National Army Museum in Warsaw, Poland. The first tank that we saw in the museum park was a Polish tank that took part in the liberation of the Netherlands, where we live. So, that was a good start! Outside in the park you will find lots of cannons, tanks, planes and armoured cars. Some of them familiar from the Russian parades that everybody has seen on television (or in real?).

Entering the museum itself (don't forget to buy a ticket if you want to take photos), you will bump into lots of warders guarding all the values that you're bound to see. But never mind them! Like many museums of this kind the history is told in a chronological order. In this case starting with the time even before the Middle Ages. This means you get to see a lot of old weaponry like swords, armours, spears and arrows. But the museum also offers a variety of authentic flags and banners.

Of course the fact that Poland did not exist for 123 years (from 1795 to 1918) is mentioned. During the WW I period Poles where forced to fight each other (with each of the three occupying forces: Russia, Germany and Austria). This all is made into the exhibition very well.

The outside exhibition is for a small part concerned with the Second World War, but inside there's enough attention given to this important and tragic part of Polish (military) history. As most people know the invasion of Poland by Germany was the start of the Second World War. An interesting part of the exhibition was to see a line-up of models wearing the uniforms from the early beginning of Polish warfare to the UN-missions they attend nowadays.

This improvised armored car was build by the Polish Home Army during WWII. It had its main task during the uprising in Warsaw as a personnel carrier used for attacks on German strongpoints. Its goal was to capture the Warsaw University complex.	Detail of the nose of a MIG showing us that this airplane served in a unit stationed in Warsaw.
Katusha, not often seen with rockets. The Germans got frightened by these rockets because of the sound they made and the destruction they caused. That's why they called them "Stalin Organs".	Naval guns. Where is the rest of the ship?
The exibition outside showed us the typical Russian-made armour in many designs. At the back is the famous and feared MIG.	Giants of the Warsaw Pact.
The museum contains a lot of medieval equipment. Here you see a coat of mail next to armour.	Painting of the Polish uprising in Warsaw. After the revolt was crushed by the Germans, the 'liberation' by the Red Army followed.