In order to tell Witold Pilecki’s story, we must first ask who he was and what values guided his life choices.

We searched for the answer in his childhood upbringing and the values acquired through the emerging scouting movement.
We traced his baptism by fire in 1918-1919 and his involvement in the Polish-Bolshevik War, then followed his efforts to reclaim his family’s beloved manor in newly independent Poland. We tracked his military path during the defensive war of 1939 and his role in founding the Secret Polish Army with Major Jan Włodarkiewicz in November of that year. We delved into how his time in the concentration camp shaped him, and explored the historical contexts that help us understand the choices and decisions of Witold Pilecki.
We saw in him, above all, a person: a husband, father, soldier, and friend. We sought to get to know him more closely, just as he encouraged. From memories, photographs, and reports, a hazy figure begins to emerge — decoded thought by thought, letter by letter.
Witold Pilecki did not fit the image of a typical hero. He often stood in the second row, preferring not to draw attention to himself. He loved Poland, God, and his family, and in every decision he made, he remained sovereign and uncompromising. The uniqueness of Witold Pilecki’s life doesn’t stem from extraordinary innate qualities, but from the choices he made day by day. In our exhibition, we avoid providing ready-made answers, allowing the story of Witold Pilecki’s life to surprise visitors. We let him, his loved ones, friends, and colleagues speak for themselves. We are fortunate that Witold was not only willing to write, but did so beautifully. From his hand came not just the famous Report, but also the poem “Sukurcze” and fictionalised memoirs written in the third person, where Witold himself is the main character. His writing allows him to become the narrator of his own story.

The permanent exhibition of the Museum can be visited in two ways:

– independent tour of the exhibition

– guided tour

The exhibition has been designed with different groups of recipients in mind. Individual visitors can discover the exhibition on their own, using multimedia, interactive elements and the narrative accompanying each part of the exhibition.

For groups, we also offer the possibility of guided tours, who will not only present the history of the heroes of our museum, but also answer any questions.

School groups can take advantage of museum lessons as part of our extensive educational offer. Lessons include a guided tour, followed by workshops during which students consolidate the knowledge acquired at the exhibition.

Private and school groups must be registered before the visit. Please provide the number of participants, time of arrival and age group. Additionally, school groups are asked to familiarize themselves with our educational offer and indicate the selected workshops.

Guided tours for private groups last a minimum of 2 hours, while the duration of museum lessons with guided tours for school groups depends on the age of the participants: 2 hours for grades I-VI (pupils do not visit the entire exhibition) and 2.5 hours for grades VII-VIII and secondary schools.