Museum of the Wielkopolska Uprising of 1918-1919

The name of the museum in Polish is Muzeum Powstania Wielkopolskiego and tells a Polish history using the uprising in Poznan after World War I as a major event in the return of Polish nationhood after being governed by the Austrian, German, and Russian empires for over 150 years. The museum often refers to Greater Poland because Poland was not always a nation and its borders have been fluid and don’t always include those who consider themselves Poles.

Background

I arrived in Poznan early afternoon for a one night stay, a stopover on my way to Gdańsk. With the limited time, I made no definitive plans other than to explore the Old Town and see what I found. I saw the museum and decided to visit. Nothing other than I like museums.

My Visit

The museum is arranged chronologically, telling the story of Greater Poland through pictures, narratives, documents, video, and military gear. Everything is clearly labeled and described in both Polish and – more importantly – English. You stop at one exhibit, look at the stuff, read the description, and move on. That’s really about it.

Thoughts?

I love museums, I’m a history nut, I enjoy nothing more than reading about what I’m seeing at museums. So should be a hit, right?

Meh. Pictures of men in uniforms. Pictures of crowds during the uprising. Lots of pictures either out-of-focus or simply degraded after 100 years. Lots of guns, rifles, other military gear. Polish newspapers that I can’t read and weren’t always described. Everything over 100 years old. Very static presentations.

I did learn new things – I hadn’t considered that Poles fought on both sides – but very quickly I scanning things quickly, and was finished in under 30 minutes. I guess you get what you pay for.

For Poles, the museum focus is a very important part of Polish history, but for non-Poles – i.e., tourists – it’s not likely to grab you.