Museum of the History of the Polish People's Republic in Ruda Śląska

The Museum of the History of the Polish People's Republic in Ruda Śląska (Muzeum Historii Polski Ludowej), which until 2023 operated as the Museum of the PRL, shows everyday life in Poland in 1945-1989. It is housed on the grounds of the former Dwór Nowa Ruda farmstead and is run by the Foundation of the Bygone Era (Fundacja Minionej Epoki). Visitors see furnished flat interiors, a reconstruction of the office of the First Secretary of the PZPR (the communist party), cars from those years and a park with monuments moved from various places in Poland.

How a museum came to be in a former farmstead

The Dwór Nowa Ruda farmstead belonged to the von Ballestrem family. After the Second World War the property passed to the State Treasury, and a state agricultural farm (PGR) operated in the buildings. When the farm ceased operating, the estate was transferred to the foundation. After renovation it opened a museum in June 2010 under the name Museum of the PRL. In 2023 the institution changed its name to the Museum of the History of the Polish People's Republic in Ruda Śląska.

What to see inside

The exhibitions show above all flat interiors and everyday objects used in 1945-1989. Successive rooms show the consecutive decades of the Polish People's Republic. The office of the First Secretary of the PZPR has also been reconstructed. In one of the buildings there is a gallery of posters from this period, and the programme includes temporary exhibitions.

A separate room has been fitted out as the “Uciecha” Cinema. It shows newsreels and animated films, that is, the Dobranocka bedtime cartoons of the PRL period.

Cars and the monument park

The open-air exhibition is devoted to motoring. On the museum grounds stand, among others, an FSO Warszawa, a Syrena 105, a Škoda Octavia, a Moskvitch 400, a Mikrus MR-300, a Trabant 601 and a Fiat 132, as well as a Star 25 fire engine and SHL Gazela and WFM Osa motorcycles.

Beside the museum is a Monument Park with monuments from the PRL period, moved from various places in the country. They include a bust of General Karol Świerczewski from a park in Zabrze, the Monument to Revolutionary Deed (Pomnik Czynu Rewolucyjnego) from Zabrze, the Monument to Polish-Soviet Friendship from Strzelce Opolskie, a monument to fallen officers of the Citizens' Militia and the Security Service from Ostróda, and elements of the Warsaw monument “To Those Fallen in the Service and Defence of People's Poland”. The monuments are presented in a museum context, away from the places where they originally stood.

What is in the area

Within a few kilometres there are also sites in Zabrze. About 2.7 kilometres away is the Museum of Military Technology in Zabrze.

Among post-industrial sites, the nearest is the Queen Louise Adit, about two kilometres from here, and a little further, about three kilometres, the Guido Mine and Coal Mining Museum.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Zajęcza 42, Ruda Śląska.
• According to the available descriptions, admission is charged. The available descriptions may be out of date, so the opening hours and the current offer must be confirmed with the organiser before you visit.
• Part of the exhibition is outdoors, so it is worth dressing for the weather.