Pawiak Prison MuseumFree: Thursdays

Pawiak Prison was built in the 1830’s as a Tsarist prison. During the WWII, the Gestapo took it over and it became the largest political prison in Poland. Some 100,000 prisoners passed through its gates and it’s estimated that over 37,000 were executed in the premise. In the prison’s cell designed to house three people, oftentime up to 18 prisoners resided in them. The Germans blew up the prison during their retreat, but today Pawiak has been restored as a memorial and a museum. The free entry ticket to the Pawiak Prison Museum also admits you to the Gestapo Headquarters.

Address: Dzielna 24/26, Warsaw
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 10am – 4pm; Closed Mondays & Tuesdays
Direction: Bus 111/180/N41 to Nalewki-Muzeum Stop; Metro M1 to Ratusz Arsenal Station
Phone: +48 22 831 92 89
Website: www.muzeum-niepodleglosci.pl/pawiak

Photo credit: Philip Clifford (Flickr CC), mathias shoots analogue (Flickr CC), nick (Flickr CC), jaime.silva (Flickr CC)