Warsaw Citadel
Cytadela Warszawska
A 19th-century fortress built by the Russian Empire after it suppressed the November Uprising. Its Pavilion X prison museum, Katyn Museum and Museum of Polish History are all inside.
The Warsaw Citadel was ordered built by Tsar Nicholas I after the failure of the November Uprising of 1830 to keep watch over Warsaw. Pavilion X, a prison where Polish political prisoners were held, housed many independence figures, including Józef Piłsudski. The Execution Gate (Brama Straceń) outside the walls was the site where many insurgents were executed. Today the fortress houses the Museum of the X Pavilion, the Katyn Museum, which documents the 1940 Katyn massacre, and the Museum of Polish History, which moved here in 2023. It suits visitors who want to learn more about modern Polish history. Most museums are open from Tuesday to Sunday, and some are free or low-cost. The Citadel is about 2 km north of the Old Town. Take a tram to Dworzec Gdański or Cytadela.
Opening hours
Museum Tue–Sun approx. 10:00–17:00; closed Mondays
Nearby sights
- Multimedia Fountain Park
- New Town & Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum
- Umschlagplatz Monument
- Warsaw Uprising Monument
- POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
- Warsaw Barbican & City Walls
- Old Town Market Square
- St. John's Archcathedral