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The Sikorski Museum was established at the end of World War
II by the exiled Polish community in London who did not wish
to return home to a Russian controlled homeland.
This museum is named after General
Wladyslaw Sikorski, 1881 - 1943, the war hero and leader of
the Polish government-in-exile.
Exhibits are labelled in Polish
but visitors without knowledge of Poland's role in World War
II can take an English-language guided tour. The museum
shows the struggle of the ordinary people through the everyday
items on display. A collection of paintings and drawings
is in the main staircase.
The museum's main collection
is the 10,000 military items arranged in rooms dedicated to
each of the armed forces. These include an Enigma ciphering
machine, cracked by Polish mathematicians.
The full-size model of Wojtke
the 'soldier bear' adopted by Polish soldiers as a travelling
mascot is popular with younger visitors.
General Sikorski personifies
the Polish national spirit, and his writing desk, together
with part of a collection of his personal and military effects,
is an attraction for Polish visitors.
The Polish Institute archives,
documenting the wartime period, are used for academic research.
Admission free
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London
South Kensington