Racławice Panorama – one painting museum in Wrocław, Poland

Racławice Panorama
Lower Silesian VoivodeshipNo price limitPolandUnder EUR 25Wroclaw

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Here is one of the greatest and the biggest Polish paintings. It’s so epic that it has… its own museum. And this is a museum with only one exhibit. Why is it so wonderful? Come see it with us!

Are you looking for an idea to spend your free time? See the best attractions of Wroclaw!

Racławice Panorama – photos

Racławice Panorama Wroclaw

The tour of the “Racławice Panorama” Museum begins a bit darkly. At the indicated time, go to the entrance that separates the waiting room from the corridor leading to the main attraction. As you can see in the attached image, it is quite dark. It is not clear at the beginning where it leads. But don’t worry, this is not a road to nowhere. After a short walk in the twilight, you will see the light at the end of the tunnel and just a few steps will separate you from a vast, well-lit room with rounded walls, the rotunda. You will find yourself on a platform where you can walk around and look at individual precisely painted paintings on the canvas. This is the “Racławice Panorama” – a huge painting surrounding the viewer on all sides. This is what 19th century 3D cinema looked like.

Racławice Panorama sightseeing

What does “giant painting” actually mean? The work measures 15 x 114 meters. You must admit that 19th-century painters had great momentum. Okay, but how did such a panorama come about? Here is her short story. One famous artist from Lviv, Jan Styka, came up with an idea to commemorate the Battle of Racławice in 1794 in a unique way. The hundredth anniversary of the Polish victory over the Russians seemed to be an ideal opportunity for this. So he gathered a team of colleagues and they started working. The leader was Wojciech Kossak, who felt like a fish out of water when it came to battle topics. But the two of them wouldn’t be able to paint such a powerful panorama (and even if they could, it would take them a lot of time). So they invited other talented painters. It is worth mentioning them because history often ignores them, and they contributed not just a brick, but a large brick to the creation of the “Racławice Panorama”. They were: Teodor Axentowicz, Ludwik Boller, Tadeusz Popiel, Zygmunt Rozwadowski, Michał Sozański, Włodzimierz Tetmajer, Wincenty Wodzinowski. The entire team’s work on the gigantic painting lasted only… 9 months.

Racławice Panorama what is it

The work, created “to cheer hearts” (let us remember that Poland was under partition at that time), was first presented in 1894 in Lviv. Crowds of tourists came to the city to admire the “Racławice Panorama”. And no wonder! Because this gigantic painting makes an incredible impression even in 2024. The size of the canvas is one thing, but what is even more striking is the realism. Walking on the platform, it seemed to us as if we were actually standing in the fields near Racławice and taking part in a great battle of scythemen led by Tadeusz Kościuszko. It is also surprising how precisely the painters rendered the details – faces, uniforms, weapons and landscape elements are perfectly refined by the artists.

Racławice Panorama museum

We have already said something about the image, but still no word about what an “audiosesan”, i.e. a single sightseeing session, will look like. Well, after entering the brightly lit rotunda room, you have a moment to look around the interior. And here the first thing that catches the eye is the unique decoration. Namely… What you see in the photo above and below is not only the image itself, but also a kind of “set design”. In fact, the “Racławice Panorama” is a background of scattered sand, tree branches, vegetation and agricultural machines stretched around. We have never seen a similar exposure anywhere else. This solution enhances the realistic experience of visitors even more effectively.

Racławice Panorama

After a few minutes, a narrator’s voice can be heard from the loudspeaker, asking you to look at a specific “quarter” of the image. Very carefully, scene by scene, he will discuss with you all the situations and characters that appear on the “Racławice Panorama”. And so on for almost half an hour. If you like history or are patriots, you will probably like this short lecture about the Battle of Racławice. If not, we assume you might be a bit bored. Even though this museum won’t be our favorite attraction, we definitely recommend visiting it. This is a canon of Polish monuments. Not seeing the “Racławice Panorama” is like not reading “Pan Tadeusz” or “Pustynia i w Puszcza”. You can, but I’m ashamed to admit it. Check here when you are in Wrocław. There is certainly no other attraction like this in Poland.

Racławice Panorama – tickets

Ticket prices to the “Racławice Panorama” Museum are as follows:

  • normal – PLN 50.
  • reduced price – PLN 35.
  • family – PLN 35/person (1-2 parents or guardians with children aged 7-18).
  • for a guardian of school groups – PLN 10 (1 guardian for 10 students).

Racławice Panorama tickets

Racławice Panorama – opening hours

  • From April 1 to October 31, the “Racławice Panorama” Museum is open every day from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  • From November 1 to March 31, you can view the “Racławice Panorama” during the following hours:
    • Tuesday – Friday – 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
    • Saturday – 9:30-17:00. Sunday – 9:30–16:00.
    • The museum is closed on Mondays.

The attraction is closed on: New Year’s Day, Epiphany, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter, All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day (both days), New Year’s Eve.

Racławice Panorama is it worth seeing

Racławice Panorama – sightseeing time

  • One session of visiting the “Racławice Panorama” lasts approximately 30 minutes.
  • However, we advise you to allocate about 1 hour for this attraction – it is advisable to be there a few minutes before the start of the show. Be sure to also visit the Small Rotunda (read more about this room below).

Racławice Panorama where it is

Racławice Panorama – how to get?

The “Racławice Panorama” museum is located at Jana Evangelista Purkyniego 11 Street in Wrocław.

  • On foot/bike. The attraction is only 1 kilometer from the Market Square in Wrocław (15 minutes on foot or 5 by bike).
  • Bus. The nearest bus stop is the Provincial Office (National Museum). A little further – Galeria Dominikańska and Wrocław-Poczta Główna.
  • Tram. The nearest tram stop is the Provincial Office (National Museum). A little further – Galeria Dominikańska.
  • Train. The museum is located about a 25-minute walk from the Main Railway Station.
  • Car. You can find parking lots: near the “Racławice Panorama” Museum, at pl. Nowy Targ, at Galeria Dominikańska, in the Radisson Blu Hotel, along ul. John the Evangelist Purkynie.

Racławice Panorama opinions

Racławice Panorama – tips

  • An entrance ticket to the “Racławice Panorama” Museum entitles you to entry to three other facilities: the National Museum in Wrocław, the Ethnographic Museum and the Four Domes Pavilion. The ticket is valid for 3 months from the date of purchase.
  • Feel free to take your friends from abroad to this attraction. The stories about the “Racławice Panorama” can be heard not only in Polish, but also in English, German, French, Ukrainian, Russian, Czech, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Dutch, Danish, Croatian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Esperanto.
  • When visiting the “Racławice Panorama”, do not forget to visit the Small Rotunda. You can easily find it opposite the ticket offices, next to the main entrance. In this small room there is a model on which mapping is displayed, and around it there is a panoramic screen with interesting animations. The entire multimedia presentation concerns, of course, the Battle of Racławice and military topics, but it is really enjoyable to watch. We especially recommend it to younger visitors, in case traditional media do not convince them.

Racławice Panorama interesting facts

Racławice Panorama – reviews

  • Patrix – 6/10.The picture is really impressive! The detail of the work is very impressive. The story told by the narrator is engaging. What impressed me the most was how the decorations (such as sand or a stroller) blend into the painting – when we look at it, we get the impression that the work is three-dimensional. Unfortunately, you won’t see anything here except one painting (and the Small Rotunda, where the animation is displayed). Yes – there is one exhibit in the entire museum. I appreciate the historical value, but the price per viewing seems inadequate to the “attraction”.
  • Wiolczix – 7/10. The “Racławice Panorama” museum is a unique attraction (yes, this description probably suits it best). The rotunda building itself is unique. In addition, the passage between the waiting room and the visiting room is a bit “dark”. The painting itself is very impressive. Even if you don’t like battle themes, I bet you will be surprised by its size and details. Standing inside, it really seemed to me that I was in the center of the events depicted on the canvas, so the authors’ goal was probably achieved. The real decoration blends neatly with the image, creating an interesting optical illusion. You listen to the recording for half an hour – it seems like a lot, but it’s quite interesting, so the time flies really quickly. Minus? I rarely complain about the price, but this time PLN 50 / PLN 35 for viewing the painting (even with its “patriotic importance”) is, in my opinion, a lot. On the other hand, you can see 3 other attractions on the same ticket and this is a fair offer in my opinion. 🙂

Racławice Panorama reviews

Racławice Panorama – FAQ

What is the “Racławice Panorama” about?

The “Racławice Panorama” is a battle painting with a patriotic theme. It tells the course of the Polish-victorious Battle of Racławice, fought on April 4, 1794, during the Kościuszko Uprising. The canvas shows both events that took place in reality and those invented by the authors. Painters showed, among others, scenes of fighting, marching, fleeing, retreating, praying and mourning the deceased. In the painting you can see famous figures fighting on the Polish side (Chief Tadeusz Kościuszko, Gen. Antoni Józef Madaliński, Gen. Gabriel Taszycki, Gen. Józef Zajączek) and Russian (Gen. Aleksander Tormasow, Col. Muromcew).

Who is entitled to a reduced ticket for the “Racławice Panorama”?

A reduced ticket to the “Racławice Panorama” is available to: students, seniors (65+), retirees, pensioners, veterans, teachers and natural persons awarded the badges “For the care of monuments”, “Distinguished cultural activist” and “Merit for national culture”. Entrance tickets are issued on the basis of a document entitling you to a discount. Families with children and guardians of school groups can also count on cheaper tickets.

Why is the “Racławice Panorama” in Wrocław?

The “Racławice Panorama” was placed in Wrocław by the decision of the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity in 1946. Previously, the painting was presented in Lviv. After World War II, this city became part of the USSR. The work showing the defeat of the Russian troops was very inconvenient for the local authorities – so they gladly gave it to Poland.

How long does it take to visit the “Racławice Panorama”?

One “audio session” while visiting the “Racławice Panorama” lasts about 30 minutes. Before or after the session, it is also worth visiting the Small Rotunda, which will take an additional dozen or so minutes.

Racławice Panorama photos

Racławice Panorama – map

You can find the “Racławice Panorama” in the museum located in Juliusz Słowacki Park in Wrocław.

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