Muzeum Początków Państwa Polskiego w Gnieźnie

The museum showcases artifacts from the early Polish state, including medieval artifacts and items related to the Piast dynasty.

Planning your visit

Gniezno is where Poland began. The Piast dynasty had its seat here, Poland's first archbishopric was established in the cathedral in the year 1000, and the country's early rulers were crowned in the city — which is why the museum devoted to the origins of the Polish state stands here rather than in Warsaw or Kraków.

The collection covers the archaeology of the ninth to thirteenth centuries: settlement finds, weapons, jewellery, coins and the material evidence of a pagan tribal society becoming a Christian European kingdom within a couple of generations after Mieszko I's baptism in 966.

The cathedral nearby holds the Gniezno Doors, twelfth-century bronze panels depicting the life of Saint Adalbert, whose martyrdom and burial here made the city a pilgrimage centre and secured its ecclesiastical status.

Bookable options combine the museum with the Royal Trail walk through the historic centre. Allow ninety minutes. Current availability is listed below.