The display ranges from 18th-century commode chairs and “duck” urinals to ornate ceramic chamber pots and early flushing mechanisms.
The oldest commode - resembling a throne - dates from the mid-1700s.
Visitors can also see a peat-filled automated commode and a historic stool made in Wrocław, alongside examples with built-in pails, self-emptying buckets, and early water-flush systems.
Another section highlights richly decorated chamber pots made from porcelain, faience, glass, and ceramics, including one presented as a golden-wedding gift.
Traditional wash sets - pitchers, basins, and accompanying boxes for soaps and perfumes - illustrate how households organised personal care before running water was common.
A leather-covered French bidet from the late 18th century and a toilet bowl salvaged from the British ocean liner Lucania add further historical context.
Miniature models, used either for advertising or as humorous souvenirs, complete the display.
Curators note that chamber pots had been in use since ancient Greece and remained fixtures in both modest and aristocratic interiors until indoor plumbing became standard in the late 19th century, gradually replacing them.
The exhibition runs from December 2025 to February 2026 at the Museum of History in Wrocław’s Royal Palace.
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Source: Wrocław City Museum