You’d probably think a museum honouring a priest doesn’t sound like much fun, and indeed this place really isn’t. However, it is a very decent detour if you happen to be in the Żoliborz area, and that’s because Father Jerzy was no ordinary priest. Popiełuszko came to national attention in the early 1980s for his fierce anti-communist rhetoric, and with close ties to Radio Free Europe and Solidarity it wasn’t long till he ran afoul of the internal security services. In 1984, with Poland in political chaos, they decided to get rid of him altogether. A car accident was set up for this purpose, though Popiełuszko somehow survived unscathed. Six days later he was abducted, beaten and murdered, his corpse dumped in a reservoir. His funeral drew a crowd of 250,000 mourners and made headlines the world over. Today the basement of his former parish church has been turned into a museum to remember not just his life, but the whole struggle for post-war freedom. Newssheets printed by the underground, banners from the Solidarity strikes and pictures of the funeral are among the many items on display, as are the clothes he was wearing when he was kidnapped and some multimedia exhibits. Particularly poignant is a curved wall, it’s bricks inscribed with the names of martyrs 'dealt with' by security services between 1981 and 1989. Audioguides are available in nine languages.
Average visiting time: 1hr.
Average visiting time: 1hr.
