Poland’s culture minister Piotr Gliński, defence minister Mariusz Błaszczak and other prominent government officials were among attendees at the official opening ceremony held on Sunday.
In a speech delivered at the event, minister Gliński said: “This marks the opening of the Citadel to the public after two hundred years."
"Here, at this moment, one of the largest museum complexes in Europe is being created," Gliński added.
The Warsaw Citadel is a 19th-century fortress in the Polish capital built by order of Russian Tsar Nicholas I after the suppression of the 1830 November Uprising.
During the opening ceremony, an exhibition entitled “1,000 years of the glory of the Polish military” was inaugurated.
It takes visitors through Poland’s military history from the times of medieval king Mieszko I to the era of World War II.
The exhibition showcases over 3,000 of the most valuable artifacts from the Polish Army Museum's collection, which includes more than 300,000 objects.
During the inaugural day, a historical picnic, featuring reenactors, was organized, drawing a crowd of several thousand attendees.
The Polish Army Museum will be part of the Museum of Polish History, a complex of museums located at the site of the historic Warsaw Citadel.
The construction of the Museum of Polish History started in 2018. The facility is expected to be completed in 2025.
The complex will also host a Museum of Independence and the Katyń Museum, which commemorates the 1940 massacre of Polish officers by the Soviets.
(ał)
Source: IAR