Cold War Museum
Photo: unknown (local Wikipedia upload), via Wikimedia Commons
The Cold War Museum in Warsaw’s Old Town focuses on Cold War history and Colonel Ryszard Kukliński’s role in Polish military intelligence.
Planning your visit
Ryszard Kuklinski was a colonel on the Polish General Staff who spent nine years, from 1972, passing Warsaw Pact plans to the CIA — some 35,000 pages including Soviet war plans for an invasion of western Europe, the locations of command bunkers, and advance warning of the imposition of martial law in 1981, after which he was exfiltrated with his family.
He remains divisive in Poland. Sentenced to death in absentia, rehabilitated in 1997, he is regarded by some as the country's most consequential intelligence officer and by others as an oath-breaker.
The Cold War Museum in Warsaw's Old Town covers his case alongside the wider period: the division of Europe, Soviet control, Polish military intelligence, the nuclear standoff and the mechanics of espionage, with documents, equipment and interactive material.
Bookable options are guided museum tours. Current availability is listed below.
Before you book
Where is Cold War Museum?
Cold War Museum is in Warsaw, Poland. The map on this page marks its exact location.
Do I need to book Cold War Museum in advance?
Guided tours run to a fixed schedule and small group sizes, so they are usually booked ahead.
