The National Museum
Warsaw,
Poland
The MNW, short for the National Museum in Warsaw, stands as one of Poland's largest and most prominent museums, proudly located in the capital city. Within its walls, visitors can explore an impressive array of ancient art, including Egyptian, Greek, and Roman artifacts, totaling around 11,000 pieces. The museum also houses an extensive gallery showcasing Polish paintings spanning from the 16th century to the present day, alongside an extraordinary collection of foreign paintings, encompassing Italian, French, Flemish, Dutch, German, and Russian masterpieces. Notably, some of the paintings in this collection were part of Adolf Hitler's private collection, later entrusted to the museum by American authorities after the war.
Beyond its art collections, the museum treasures numismatic exhibits, a gallery dedicated to applied arts, and a specialized department devoted to oriental art. Notably, the department boasts Poland's largest compilation of Chinese art, featuring a captivating assortment of approximately 5,000 objects.
Two exceptional galleries within the museum deserve particular attention. The Faras Gallery proudly houses Europe's most extensive collection of Nubian Christian art, while the Gallery of Medieval Art is a captivating representation of artifacts from regions historically associated with Poland. This collection is thoughtfully supplemented by select works from other parts of Europe, adding to the museum's diverse and rich cultural offerings.