Taking some time out from Dwarf hunting in Wroclaw we decided to pay a visit to the famous Panorama of the Battle Of Racławice.
History
The 140m long and 15m tall canvas depicts General Kościuszko leading scythe wielding peasants to victory against the Russian army at Racławice in the 18th century. The painting was the brain child of Jan Styka on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the battle, he also enlisted the help of the renowned battle painter Wojciech Kossak. The project took over 9 months and 750kg of paint to complete.
More information on the battle and the painting can be found here.
How To Get There
Walking to the Panorama of the Battle of Racławice shouldn’t take more than 15/20 mins from any area within the city centre of Wroclaw.
You can also use a tram from Zamkowa station, but it will take around the same time.
Even with Megan and her infamous falling off legs, it was an enjoyable walk.
Opening Hours & Cost
Adults – 30 PLN
Children under 7 are free.
Please check with the attraction for opening hours and cost here.
*The museum is not open on Mondays.
What To See and Do
The main attraction is the painting dedicated to the battle of Racławice. Hundreds of tourists come here on a daily basis, for us it was easy to see why.
Once the gates opened, we walked the spiral walk way until we reached the viewing platform which gave us an amazing 360 degree uninhibited view of the painting.
They have added trees and objects to give the painting a real life 3D feel. We had to take a moment to work out which parts are real and which are painted. This gave the feeling we were actually in the battle scene, it is so well done.
You are free to walk around and take as many pictures as you like. The one thing requested and enforced is silence..
After a few minutes walking around and taking pictures the audio tour began. The main audio is in Polish, but we were given separate head sets providing us with the same commentary in English. The audio takes you around the full 360 degrees and gives an in-depth description of what was happening at each stage.
It’s absolutely fascinating following the story of the painting through the audio. Unlike many places we have visited the audio is included in the price too, which is a real bonus!
Would We Recommend
Yes. We wouldn’t see ourselves as art lovers but there was just so much history around this painting, it is well worth a visit.
Top Tip
- Book an early tour. The tour after ours looked very busy and it might be harder to get prime viewing spots.
- When you get to the top of the spiral walkway, make yourself known to the host and ask for a guide in your language. The main audio is Polish as expected.
Thanks for reading!
The Lewis family.
More posts on the Poland, found here.