Warsaw Attractions

Venue: National Museum in Warsaw    When: Daily; not Mon

The National Museum in Warsaw houses an impressive collection of art spanning more than three millennia. Its 11 galleries are home to Egyptian and Mesopotamian artefacts, medieval religious portraits, Venetian paintings and works by 19th and 20th-century Polish masters.

The two galleries of Polish Painters are really worth a visit. You may not have heard of the artists, but you will find works which will capture your imagination. Don't miss the haunting images of the 1920s painter Jan Cybis, the triumphant Battle of Grunwald by Jan Matejko or the mesmerising paintings of Poland's most revered painter, Stanislaw Witkiewicz.

The Dutch, Flemish and Venetian schools have rooms to themselves in the Gallery of Foreign Painting. Here you will find paintings by Botticelli, by Reubens' pupils and works from the Circle of Caravaggio.

For a bit of history, venture into the galleries of Medieval Art and Ancient Art. Medieval central European artists are well known for their obsession with all things Catholic, so expect a plethora of dark and mysterious religious paintings of the many and various saints of Poland. The Ancient Art gallery boasts a varied collection of vases, sculptures, drawings and bronze monuments from Egypt, Greece, south Italy and the old Mesopotamian lands.

Please visit the museum's website for details on their temporary exhibitions, as well as the addresses of the museum's other builidngs, which are dotted near and around central Warsaw.