Gdańsk, the city where the war broke out, was selected to be the seat of the Museum of the Second World War. The Museum was built on a lot at Wałowa Street near the city centre and is located in a symbolic architectural space; 200 metres from the historic Polish Post Office in Gdańsk, and 3 kilometres across the water from Westerplatte Peninsula, both of which were attacked in September 1939. The Museum’s mission is to be a modern institution that narrates the story of the Second World War, the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century. One of its main goals is to show the wartime experiences of Poland and the other countries of East-Central Europe. These were often different from what the people of Western Europe and of countries outside Europe lived through, and tend to be little known in the West.

The permanent exhibition covers 5000 square metres, making it one of the largest exhibitions in the world presented by a history museum. It is divided into three narrative blocs. The first, The Road to War, covers the roots of the Second World War. The second thematic bloc, The Horrors of War, shows the experiences of ordinary people, lives of soldiers, prisoners of war, camp inmates. The third section of the exhibition, The War’s Long Shadow, serves as a bridge between the end of the war and its repercussions, including the downfall of the Third Reich, the liberation of Europe, the border changes and the post-war division of the continent. Furthermore, the museum serves as a centre of education, culture and research.