People of Kraków in Times of Terror 1939-1945-1956 (permanent)

In June 2011, the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków opens its new permanent exhibition at the Silesian House on Pomorska Street. After Oskar Schindler's Factory and the Eagle Pharmacy in the former Jewish ghetto, this is the next site on the museum's Route of Remembrance.

From September 1939 until the liberation of Kraków (January 1945), the building held the command of the German Security Police and Security Service. The Gestapo carried out brutal interrogations of thousands of Poles and other nationalities. Part of the cellars were converted into “handy” detention cells. The shocking inscriptions left by the people tortured here remain on the cell walls to this day. After the war the house belonged to the Office of Security for a time. In 1981,the Geheime Staatspolizei’s torture centre passed into the care of the Historical Museum, which set up a department here dedicated to the Poles’ struggle and martyrdom in the years 1939-1956. The building on Pomorska is above all a place of remembrance – the main goal behind the new permanent exhibition is to prepare the visitor for seeing the cells. The exhibition recalls the building’s history (it was built in the 1930s on the initiative of the Association of Defence of Poland’s Western Border as a dormitory and a shelter for Silesian teenagers – hence the name), presents the fate of the victims of Nazi terror during 1939-45, and discusses the various positions taken by Cracovians between 1945-56 regarding the Communist authorities forced upon Poland. One crucial element is the “virtual archive” where visitors can familiarise themselves with the stories of people they are interested in. The database of documents and photographs collected over the years will also be available on the Internet. (Dorota Dziunikowska, "Karnet" monthly)

Exhibition People of Kraków in Times of Terror 1939-1945-1956
Historical Museum of the City of Kraków, Pomorska Street Branch

Opening 2 June 2011, 8:30 pm

Open:
Tue-Sun 9:30am-5:30pm (summer season)
Tue, Wed, Fri  9am-4pm, Tue noon-7pm; Fri 9am-4pm, Sat, Sun 10am-5pm (winter season)

tieckets: PLN 6/5 , group PLN 4.50, family PLN 12