History Center Zajezdnia in Wroclaw

There is a place on the map of Wroclaw that will bring you closer to its history in a very attractive way. Once a streetcar depot, then a bus depot, a witness to the beginnings of the Wroclaw “Solidarity” movement, and now home to a very interesting museum – the Wroclaw Depot History Center. So we invite you to the Depot!

On one of the weekends we went once again to Wroclaw. This time we planned our stay so that the weather was completely unafraid of us and all the places we wanted to see were covered places.

The first choice was the Depot Museum of History – a museum showing the history of Lower Silesia, especially Wroclaw. And it should be noted right away that unlike other such sites, here the focus is on post-1945 history. Why exactly that? It was in that year, at the Potsdam Conference, that it was decided that Breslau and Silesia would be handed over to Poland. So you won’t find exhibitions about the beginnings of the settlement, the granting of city rights, or the numerous battles that took place in the area. The originators focused on what happened after the war, although the historical background is also not lacking.

The museum is located in a former depot building, built in the late 19th century. It was originally a streetcar depot(Elektrische Straßenbahn Breslau), and after World War II it served as a depot for Wrocław buses. In the 1980s, it was here that the workers’ strike took place and the beginnings of the Wroclaw “Solidarity” movement took place. The depot operated at this location until 2015, and in 2016 the Depot History Museum opened here, showing the history of Wroclaw just up to 2016.

And it’s a wonder we haven’t been here before, because it’s definitely a place worth recommending for both adults and children. We were surprised not only by the exhibits but also by the size of the exhibitions – driving up to the long brick building, we did not expect the exhibitions to be located on two levels.

Below we will show you both the permanent exhibition and the temporary exhibition (currently about Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions) – both are located in the same building, but tickets are purchased separately.

Table of contents

Permanent exhibition at the Depot History Center

The main exhibition at the museum is about the history of Wroclaw and the surrounding area from 1945-2016. Going in, we expected that the themes of war would be only lightly touched upon, but nothing could be further from the truth.

At the very entrance we can see a street of the city from the interwar period, and going further we will look into an apartment of the time, learn about political events before World War II, and finally learn a lot about the war itself and local events. There is both a global outline of the war (it is very interestingly presented with the help of a chess game, it’s just a pity that the figures didn’t move) and a description of the events that took place in Silesia.

Walking further, one is surprised by the wagon that is part of the exhibition! The furnished wagon shows returns home, but also symbolizes deportation into the unknown.

An interesting aspect that affects the reception of the exhibitions is the perspective shown here. We can even feel like the residents of Wroclaw – it is shown their daily life after the war, the problems and challenges they faced. We can read about how hard it was to move a bicycle through the rubble, how valuable bricks and even clothes were. There is no shortage of photos, descriptions of people and recordings of witnesses to the events shown here.

Memorable are the prison cells and the prisoners’ accounts, the displays of items available in the stores, and even an entire butcher store with… empty refrigerators. The atmosphere of such places is really well preserved.

One floor below is the continuation of the exhibition with more and more current events – here we can read about store queues and shortages of goods, about Solidarity, the visit of Pope John Paul II, or take a look at the pack of a truck bringing aid to Poland. There is a separate exhibit on martial law, Norwegian support, the smallpox epidemic of 1963, and an exhibit showing the 1997 flood.

Interesting solutions have been used here, combining old objects with modern technologies such as a typewriter connected to a screen/projector, interestingly incorporated screens displaying old shots, or circular, soundproofed rooms where you can listen to stories of famous people or old Polish pop music.

The museum is visited by walking a designated route that allows the chronology of events to be maintained.

Temporary exhibition

The depot building has additional space for events and temporary exhibitions. An exhibition is currently taking place here: the Machines of Leonardo da Vinci, which is separately ticketed. A ticket for an adult costs 22 zloty, and for a child 18 zloty.

It occupies one larger room in which stands of wooden objects created from the artist’s sketches are spread out. Most of them can be approached and even set in motion (a few of them cannot be touched). All of them are described, although there is not always enough instruction on how to use the device ;) Nevertheless, even children will be able to see the inventions and understand how various devices work (such as a flywheel or a crane).

In addition to the equipment, you can also see paintings painted before Leonardo da Vinci (of course, they are not originals) and learn a little about his life.

While the exhibition is interesting, in our opinion the price is too high for one room.

Depot History Center for children

Is it worth going to the Depot History Museum with children?

Our children liked it, but they are very enthusiastic about everything ;)

As for the permanent part, this is a great opportunity to introduce children to history and tell them about their own childhood. It will be a complete novelty for them that once upon a time the shelves in stores were not overflowing with food, and there were only a few toys crosswise.

The museum is interactive, there are many exhibits that will interest and keep you interested for a while (such as a toddler, a typewriter, a mini cinema).

The most fun, however, turned out to be collecting stamps – at the entrance the children are given maps of the museum with the places where the stamps are hidden and the place to nail them. Once all the stamps are collected, a symbolic gift awaits at the cash register.

You can easily move around the museum grounds with a stroller, and a restroom with a changing table is also available.

Practical tips

Here are some practical tips under the title of when, where and for how much ;) however, we always recommend that you check on the site of the facility before planning a visit to see if anything has accidentally changed.

Opening Hours of the Depot History Center

The museum is open during the following hours:

Monday: closed
Tuesday-Wednesday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Friday-Sunday: 10.00-18.00

Prices at the Depot History Center

We have already written above about ticket prices for the temporary exhibition.

As for the permanent exhibition of the Depot History Center, the prices are very symbolic:

Normal ticket – 10 PLN
Discounted ticket – 5 PLN
Family ticket (2 adults + 2 or more children) – 25 PLN

And here we must point out that it’s been a long time since we’ve been to such a cheap museum, and qualitatively it’s definitely one of the better ones among the recently visited.

Getting to the Depot History Center

Zajezdnia History Center is located in the Grabiszyn district (Wroclaw). Access by bus, streetcar or car is possible:

Buses: 124, 126, 134 (stop: Bzowa (Centrum Zajezdnia)) or 125 (stop: Inżynierska).
Streetcars: 4, 5, 11, 74 (stop: Hutmen or pl. Srebrny).
Car: There is a parking lot on site. By design, it is paid, but free for museum visitors (keep your museum ticket).

Exact address:
Depot History Center
Street. Grabiszynska 184
53-235 Wroclaw
www: https://www.zajezdnia.org/

Accommodation in Wroclaw

In Wroclaw you will easily find the right accommodation for you – the offer is very large.

We spent the night at the Novotel hotel, which we were very satisfied with – delicious breakfasts, friendly staff, and a nice corner for children ;) Below are some suggestions:

Novotel Wroclaw Centrum
Address: Powstancow Slaskich 7b, Krzyki, 53-332 Wroclaw
Prices: from 220 PLN for a double room
Link:
http://r4b.link/novotel-wroclaw
Mercure Wroclaw Centrum
Address: Pl. Dominikański 1, Old Town, 50-159 Wrocław
Prices: from 360 PLN for a double room
Link:
http://r4b.link/mercure-wroclaw
Scandic Wroclaw
Address: ul. Piłsudskiego 49/57, Old Town, 50-032 Wrocław
Prices: from 300 PLN for a double room
Link:
http://r4b.link/scandic-wroclaw
Traffic Hotel Wroclaw
Address: ul. Świdnicka 28, Old Town, 50-029 Wrocław
Prices: from 240 PLN for a double room
Link:
http://r4b.link/traffic-wroclaw

Our opinion about the Depot History Center

If you are planning to spend time in Wroclaw it is worth including the museum of the Zajezdnia History Center in your plans! We even recommend that you look at the museum first, and then set out to explore the city, as it will certainly allow you to get to know it even better and more thoroughly if only through the prism of history.