#prison museum

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29/09/13: Prison Museum and around Hanoi, Vietnam.

[365museums]

22. Muzeum Tradycji Niepodległościowych/Musuem of the Traditions of Independence, Łódź

Visit date: January 30, 2012

I didn't have high hopes for this museum, and some of what I expected was what I found-- an outdated museum exhibit without a whole lot of innovation, due more to lack of funding, likely, than anything else. There are so many history museums in Poland that I sometimes wonder how many are really sustainable.

The quality of the exhibit, though, floored me. The museum is divided into two floors. The second is more of what one might expect given the museum's name: objects related to Poland's long, often-repeated history over its borders. The first floor is devoted to the history of site, which was a former women's prison. The story of female political prisoners during World War II is beautifully told-- and here, women are fully integrated into the overarching historical narrative.

This museum is one of the few in Łódź open on Mondays, and well worth a visit if you're in the city. (Note that little, if anything, is translated into English here.)

- Museum website (Polish)