Muzeum Getta Warszawskiego

The Warsaw Ghetto Museum is under construction. Opening is planned for autumn 2027. The building itself — the former Bersohn and Bauman Children’s Hospital at ul. Sienna 60 — is already visible and worth seeing from the outside. Below you’ll find what this museum will be, what you can see in the area right now, and when to expect the opening.

What to Expect

The Warsaw Ghetto Museum will be the world’s first institution entirely dedicated to the history of the Warsaw Ghetto — from Jewish Warsaw at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, through the creation of the ghetto in 1940, to its liquidation and the post-war fate of survivors. This is not another broad Holocaust museum. This is about one specific place and the people who lived in it.

The building is a witness in its own right. The Bersohn and Bauman Children’s Hospital was built in 1876-1878 as one of the most advanced pediatric hospitals in Europe. Between 1905 and 1912, a young Janusz Korczak worked here as a doctor — before he became a legend, this is where he practiced medicine. The building fell within the ghetto boundaries and continued operating as a hospital throughout its existence. It survived the war, though heavily damaged.

The permanent exhibition will occupy approximately 3,400 square meters across seven floors in nine or more galleries. Key artifacts include the original Stroop Report (one of the most important Holocaust documents in existence), a reconstructed Star of David tram, a 1930s body cart, and thousands of archaeological finds unearthed during excavations — a veritable “underground city” hidden beneath the rubble.

Architect Dr. Jerzy Wowczak is restoring the building to its 1936-37 appearance, crowned with a distinctive patinated copper roof. The total project cost is approximately 323.9 million PLN (~76 million EUR), including 57.4 million PLN in EU co-financing. A roof ceremony was held on November 5, 2025. Construction completion is targeted for end of 2026, with public opening in autumn 2027.

When it opens, allow at least 120 minutes for a visit. The subject matter is heavy — for families, a minimum age of 12 is recommended.

Tips

The museum does not yet exist as a visitable space, but the surrounding area is one of the most historically charged neighborhoods in all of Warsaw. Here is what you can do right now:

• Ghetto Wall fragment at Sienna 53 — just 50 meters from the museum construction site. An original section of the 1940 ghetto wall, one of the few surviving fragments. Accessible 24/7, free. Do not walk past it.
• Guided walking tours — the museum periodically organizes themed walks through the former ghetto area (in Polish, English, German, and Ukrainian). Check 1943.pl for current schedules.
• Nozyk Synagogue — the only pre-war synagogue in Warsaw that survived (~300 m away). Open to visitors.
• POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews — 2.3 km north. If Jewish history in Warsaw interests you, start with POLIN — it provides the broad context that the Ghetto Museum will one day complement with depth.
• Jewish Historical Institute (ZIH) — ~1.5 km. Home to the Ringelblum Archive (UNESCO), exhibitions, and a research library.
• Museum of Pawiak Prison — ~1.5 km. A different face of the occupation.
• Umschlagplatz Memorial — ~2.5 km north. The deportation point to Treblinka. Can be combined with a walk to POLIN.

Getting There

Metro: M2 line — Rondo Daszynskiego station, about a 10-minute walk east. M1 line — Swietokrzyska station, about a 12-minute walk west.

Tram: Lines 7, 9, 22, 24, 25 — stops near Rondo ONZ or Al. Jerozolimskie.

Bus: Lines 128, 175, 520 — stops near ul. Zelazna.

By car: The area is well-connected but street parking is limited. The nearest underground parking is at Rondo ONZ.

Nearby Museums

Background

The Warsaw Ghetto Museum was established on February 28, 2018, as a state cultural institution under the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Its temporary headquarters are at ul. Zielna 39 (visits by appointment). The museum has been directed by Dr. hab. Katarzyna Person-Wooddin since March 2025.

The choice of the former Bersohn and Bauman Children’s Hospital as the museum’s permanent home is deliberate — it is one of the few buildings within the former ghetto that survived the war in a condition that allowed reconstruction. The hospital operated continuously throughout the ghetto’s existence, treating children under conditions that are difficult to comprehend. The building itself is an exhibit.