Those already familiar with Museum Night need no convincing. But for anyone who is yet to experience this brilliant event, this might be the perfect year to dive in for the first time. It is well worth it - a one-of-a-kind opportunity to hop between venues and soak up a variety of cultural spaces, all within just a few hours. In many places, admission is either free or significantly discounted.
During Museum Night, you can catch up on the latest museum and gallery exhibitions - the ones that always slip through the cracks during regular hours in the busy workweek. It is also a rare chance to chat with curators and museum staff and hear straight from the source about the newest acquisitions and what is on the horizon in the months ahead. You can pop into new or rarely opened cultural gems around Poznań, such as the newly launched Museum of the Polish People's Republic at ul. Żydowska 4, right by the Old Market Square, or the Unitra Museum at ul. Bronowa 3 in the Piątkowo district, home to a fascinating collection of vintage audio equipment.
Other venues throwing their doors open for the night include the Museum of Zoo History, the Adam Mickiewicz University Museum of Earth History, the Museum of Pharmacy, and the Poznań Medical University Museum. It is the perfect opportunity to delve deeper into your own backyard and see what local enthusiasts have been up to at some intriguing places you may walk past every day - with names like Infantry Shelter I2Iva, the Poznań Civil Defence Nuclear Shelter, the Institute for Western Affairs, the Culture Shelter Europa, Dom Polonii, and the Poznań Society of Friends of Learning.
On 17 May, the biggest crowds will likely flock to the major museums, so expect queues. At the National Museum on Al. Marcinkowskiego, both the permanent gallery and a special temporary exhibition on "Józef Chełmoński (1849-1914)" will be open. Just a heads up: Poznań will only be hosting this collection of Chełmoński's most iconic works until 29 June. When the exhibition was recently on view in Warsaw, the queues were massive - so it is wise to show up early. The National Museum has also put together a jam-packed night of guided tours, workshops, lectures, talks, and concerts. For more information, visit www.mnp.art.pl. Tickets are PLN 5.
This year, events are being held across Poland to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the coronation of Bolesław the Brave and Mieszko II. One of the most fascinating among them is the newly opened exhibition "Bolesław the Brave: FROM POZNAŃ to Power and the Crown", launched on 15 April at Poznań's Archaeological Museum. The emphasis on "FROM POZNAŃ" is deliberate as the organisers wish to underline that Poland's first king was born, lived, died, and was buried in this very city. As for where the coronation itself actually took place, historians are unsure.
The exhibition on Bolesław the Brave is well worth a visit. Museum archaeologists will be on hand to point out which artefacts most likely belonged to or were personally commissioned by the king himself. One standout piece is the Giecz helmet - a pointed helm covered in gilded copper sheeting. Poznań's archaeologists are convinced that only someone exceptionally wealthy - likely a ruler - could have afforded such a choice item. In their view, the Giecz helmet may well have doubled as a royal crown. On Saturday night (from 5pm to 1am), the Górka Palace will also host a live demonstration of clothing and weaponry from Bolesław's era, a medieval jewellery-making workshop, and special children's sessions (at 5pm and 7:30pm - registration required). The Genius Loci Archaeological Reserve on Cathedral Island is also joining the millennium festivities, with attractions including a medieval warriors' encampment and live combat displays (running from 5pm until midnight, with free admission).
Be sure not to miss the special events at Poznań's Fotoplastikon based in the Arkadia building at ul. Ratajczaka 44, open from 5pm to 10pm. There you'll find a stereophotography exhibition titled "Rataje: From Rural Settlements to Prefabricated Concrete-Slab Estates", a showcase of photographs and documents connected to Cyryl Ratajski, and short films produced by the Poznań Oral History Archive, including one celebrating 40 years of the cultural journal "Czas Kultury". Entry to all events is free.
Fans of contemporary art can spend their Museum Night exploring the work of up-and-coming artists at galleries across the city. These venues will be open from early afternoon until late into the night. With the galleries being so close to each other - either in the city centre or near the Old Market Square - it is entirely possible to hop between several exhibitions in just a few hours. At Galeria Nowa Scena of the University of Fine Arts on Al. Marcinkowskiego 28 (open from 2pm to 9pm), visitors can see "Międzyprzestrzenie (Interspaces)", an exhibition of ceramic art by Katarzyna Koczyńska-Kielan. Over at Galeria Duża Scena of the University of Fine Arts at ul. Wodna 24, the group show "Peripheries" (5pm-midnight), and Curators' Lab at the Municipal Gallery of the University of Fine Arts on ul. Nowowiejskiego 12 will present the travelling exhibition "Life After the Comfortocene: A Laboratory for Happiness Research".
Loads of fresh, young art will also be on display in Buildings A and B of the University of the Arts on Al. Marcinkowskiego / ul. 23 Lutego. At 8:30pm in the courtyard, there'll be a fashion show titled "Alchemicity: The Extraordinary Phenomenon of Clothing in the Act of Creation". Then at 9:30pm, catch the sculptural performance "Emergency Entrance - vol. 3", followed by a special late-night tour of the university at 10pm, complete with workshops. On the first floor of Building A, visitors can explore "Ornament of the Contemporary", an exhibition curated by faculty of the Sculpture Department of the Wrocław Academy of Fine Arts. On the second floor, the sculptural works of Brygada Pigmaliona (the Pygmalion Brigade) will be on show. All exhibitions are open from 2pm to 9pm, and admission is free.
Szymon Mazur
translation: Krzysztof Kotkowski
- Museum Night in Poznań
- 17 May
- For more, see: nocmuzeow.poznan.pl
© Wydawnictwo Miejskie Posnania 2025