In the interwar period, Metal Product Factory "Arkona" operated here, and during World War II a transit camp for displaced inhabitants of Tczew and county residents was located here. After the war, a factory of gas meters and household appliances operated here. In 1984, the first museum in Poland dedicated to the history of navigation and boatbuilding of the Vistula was opened in the building.
Vistula Museum in Tczew, photo: National Maritime Museum
Since 2017, the permanent exhibition “The Vistula in the history of Poland” has been presented here.
The permanent exhibition in the Tczew branch is a journey through the common history of the Vistula and Poland. The first part of the exhibition is a presentation of the river and the golden age of navigation on the Vistula in the 16th and 17th centuries. It is guided by the famous 16th-century poem by Sebastian F. Klonowic “Flis”.
The second part of the exhibition begins with the presentation of the crisis of the Polish state at the end of the 18th century and the partitions, and then presents the most important issues related to the Vistula shipping in the 19th and 20th centuries: changes in boatbuilding, steam navigation, fishing, bridge construction, military operations on the Vistula and around her.
Muzeum Wisły w Tczewie, fot. Narodowe Muzeum Morskie
The Vistula River Museum in Tczew, photo: National Maritime Museum
The Vistula context also shows the reconstruction of Polish statehood after both world wars, the development of shipping, the construction of shipyards, and the development of water tourism.
At the exhibition, we can see everyday objects obtained during archaeological research, boats used on the Vistula and its tributaries, models and mock-ups, elements of Vistula ships, fishing and boatbuilding tools. In addition to valuable monuments, numerous illustrations, films and interactive presentations await visitors.
Vistula Museum in Tczew, photo: National Maritime Museum
Vistula Museum in Tczew, photo: National Maritime Museum
