Henryk Tomaszewski Theatre Museum, Wroclaw

What to expect

The Theatre Museum in Wroclaw is a museum of one man and one stage: a branch of the Muzeum Miejskie Wrocławia (City Museum of Wroclaw) that presents the achievements of Wroclaw’s theatre and remembers Henryk Tomaszewski, dancer, mime and founder of the Wroclaw Pantomime Theatre. It occupies the south wing of the Royal Palace on plac Wolności.

The heart of the permanent exhibition is Tomaszewski’s reconstructed flat: among his furniture, costumes and theatre mementoes stand his favourite dolls and miniatures, brought from places as far away as Japan, Mexico and Australia. Next to them you will see, among other things, the dressing table of Igor Przegrodzki.

The exhibition is intimate. On the ground floor there are two small rooms, on the first floor a grand arcade hall and a corridor with four smaller rooms, and on the second floor a large temporary-exhibition hall without daylight. Some rooms may be darkened, and you may hear loud, unsettling sounds in them.

Visitors rate the museum highly: on Google Maps it has 4.5 out of 5 from 421 reviews (read on 4 November 2026).

Who it suits: theatregoers and anyone curious about pantomime who wants to see Tomaszewski’s private world: his flat, furniture, costumes and dolls. The museum is adapted for visitors with reduced mobility, and the family ticket covers up to two adults with one to five minors.

Who should skip it: if you are looking for an overview of the whole city’s history, you will do better at the Historical Museum in the Royal Palace , with more than 3000 objects from the early Middle Ages to the present day. Take care, too, with children who are sensitive to darkness and noise: the darkened rooms with loud sounds may frighten them.

How long: allow about an hour. That is what the In Your Pocket guide gives, and it is enough for the two ground-floor rooms, the first floor and the temporary exhibition on the second.

Tips

• A free day for the permanent exhibitions. There is free admission on Thursdays; the city’s Nasz Wrocław programme page confirms this too. On other days: standard ticket 15 PLN (about 3 EUR), reduced 10 PLN (about 2 EUR).
• Two museums in one palace. The Theatre Museum occupies the south wing of the Royal Palace, which also houses the Historical Museum of the same operator. At the Theatre Museum there is free admission on Thursdays, at the Historical Museum there is free admission on Thursdays; that is a good chance to see both on the same day.
• The weekly rhythm. The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and it stays open longest on Sunday: on Sundays 10:00-18:00. In November and December 2026 there are several extra closing days and one shorter day; the museum’s website lists them.
• No steps at the entrance. You enter the museum at ground level, through a glass door and a heavy fabric curtain. The ticket desk is on the left of the hall, and the toilet for people with disabilities is in the corridor on the left.
• Mind the dark rooms. The museum’s pre-visit guide warns that some rooms may be darkened, with loud sounds, and gives a contact for the person who answers questions about accessibility. Read it before visiting with someone sensitive to stimuli.
• Family ticket and Nasz Wrocław. The family ticket is for a group of up to two adults with one to five minors, and the Muzeum Miejskie Wrocławia is a partner of the Nasz Wrocław and Nasz Wrocław Max programmes; the museum’s price list gives the prices.
• Groups book ahead. Guided tours, including in a foreign language, are for groups of up to 40 people and must be arranged at least three weeks before the visit. Lessons and workshops for schools are best booked at least two months ahead.
• Theatre library. The museum also has a theatre studies library, open on selected days of the week; the museum’s website gives the days and hours. It is the place for anyone who wants to read about theatre, not just look at it.

Getting there

• Address: pl. Wolności 7a, 50-071 Wrocław, Royal Palace, south wing, right next to the Narodowe Forum Muzyki (National Forum of Music).
• Tram: according to the timetable in the open data of Wroclaw City Hall (Urząd Miejski Wrocławia), the nearest stops are “Narodowe Forum Muzyki” (about 145 m in a straight line; trams 6, 7, 11 and 24) and “Zamkowa” (about 155 m; trams 3, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 18).
• Bus: the “Świdnicka” stop (about 278 m in a straight line; buses K, 106 and 602, night line 245, and also trams 3, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 18).
• Other stops: according to the same timetable, “Rynek” (about 294 m; trams 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 18 and 24) and “Opera” (about 307 m; trams 6, 7 and 17, and on Saturdays and Sundays also line 0).

Background

The Tomaszewski flat you see today stands in the rebuilt former south wing of the Royal Palace, reconstructed in 2014-2016. The museum was formally opened on 26 March 2017, and visitors first came in on Wednesday 29 March. According to Gość Niedzielny, it was the seventh branch of the Muzeum Miejskie Wrocławia; Polish Wikipedia calls it the youngest.

The museum’s patron, Henryk Tomaszewski, was a dancer, mime, choreographer, director and teacher, the founder and director of the Wroclaw Pantomime Theatre. He died on 23 September 2001 in Kowary, as the museum and Wikipedia state.

Whether it is the first theatre museum in Poland, sources differ. Polish Wikipedia, like the museum itself, calls it the first institution of its kind devoted to theatre. Culture.pl notes that Warsaw and Kraków had earlier exhibition spaces devoted entirely to theatre.