Palmiry National Memorial Museum (Miejsce Pamięci Palmiry)

Palmiry is a village nearby Warsaw that have become known – sadly – as one of the most infamous in sites of the Nazi crimes Poland. This is where from December 1939 to July 1941 secret executions were held during which 1757 people were shot.
The aim of the German occupants was to kill the people who might become the leaders of the Underground Poland (Polska Podziemna). Therefore, the majority of the victims shot during the secret executions were the representatives of the Polish intelligentsia. The convicts were brought there from various prisons in Warsaw, mostly from the so-called Pawiak (a prison in Warsaw which took its name from that of a street on which it stood), and shot at the previously prepared collective graves. A forest was planted to hid the place of execution, as the crimes were intended never to be revealed. The information of the crimes, however, were revealed, mostly thanks to foresters. In 1946 the corpses of the victims were exhumed. Unfortunately, only 400 from among almost 2000 victims of the executions were identified.
Since 1948 the place has been a cemetery and a mausoleum. The famous Varsovians whose remains rest in the graves include Janusz Kusociński, a Gold medal winner in Los Angeles in 1932, Maciej Rataj, Marshal of the Lower Chamber of the Polish Parliament (Sejm) and deputy Mieczysław Niedziałkowski.
The grounds of the Museum include both the cemetery and the multimedia exposition housed in a plain modernist building. Looking through its glass walls you can see the cemetery and the pines put in four glass tubes to commemorate the sites of the executions. Additionally, you can experience special lighting and sound animations. Among the exhibits you can find the list of the murdered, the reports from executions with dates and numbers of victims, photographs and memorabilia connected to the victims’ personal and professional lives.

Branch of the Historical Museum of Warsaw
Location: 30 miles north-west of Warsaw.
At weekends, there is a bus running on the section Metro Młociny – Muzeum Palmiry – line number 800. At weekdays, no public transport is available.

Opening hours:
Tue., Wed., Fri., Sat., Sun. 10 am - 5 pm, Thu. 10 am - 5.30 pm

Admission:
regular - 4 PLN, reduced - 2 PLN, on Sundays admission free