Wojna nigdy więcej. These are the words Wanda Traczyk-Stawska spoke. She spoke at the opening of Izba Pamięci. This place calls for peace.
Welcome to Izba Pamięci przy Cmentarzu Powstańców Warszawy. It is a branch of the Muzeum Warszawy. Izba Pamięci honors the victims of the Warsaw Uprising. The museum opened to visitors in 2022. But its story began long before.
The Społeczny Komitet ds. Cmentarza Powstańców Warszawy initiated it. Wanda Traczyk-Stawska led this committee. An architectural competition in 2015 chose the design. Bujnowski Architekci’s project won.
Izba Pamięci consists of two pavilions. It includes the Mur Pamięci. These are in Park Powstańców Warszawy. They stand near Cmentarz Powstańców Warszawy. Construction received its permit in 2019. The cornerstone was laid in July 2021. The museum’s grand opening was on October 2 2022. It opened to the public two days later.
The museum buildings have concrete walls and roofs. The roof rests on pillars inside. The larger pavilion holds two exhibition halls. These are Sala Świadectw and Sala Pamięci. The smaller pavilion houses a bookstore. It also has an information point. Technical facilities are there too. The museum’s usable area is 600 square meters.
Mur Pamięci displays 93240 brass plaques. About 62000 bear names. These names are identified victims of the Warsaw Uprising.
Izba Pamięci won awards. In 2023 it won the Nagroda Architektoniczna Prezydenta m.st. Warszawy. It won for Best Public Utility Building 2022. It also won first prize in the Polski Cement w Architekturze competition.
The creation of Izba Pamięci cost 23 million złoty. The city of Warsaw oversaw construction. MTM Budownictwo and PBO Śląsk carried out the work.
Inside Izba Pamięci are two exhibitions. A permanent exhibition shows the cemetery’s history. It covers from 1945 to today. A temporary exhibit displays a map. The map shows the city’s destruction from above. It marks execution sites and temporary graves. These were for civilians and insurgents. A multimedia installation is planned. Krzysztof Wodiczko will create it. It will feature interviews with Warsaw Uprising survivors.
Near the pavilion stands Mur Pamięci. It holds thousands of brass plaques. Some are blank for future names. People can help identify victims. They can add missing names.
Izba Pamięci stands as a testament to remembrance. It reminds us of the human cost of conflict. It urges reflection, responsibility, and understanding. May this place inspire peace. May it foster tolerance and dialog.