Panorama of Raclawice

The Panorama Racławicka Museum is one of those extraordinary places that allow you to travel back in time – both literally and figuratively. It is here that you can see a unique work of 19th-century mass culture – a monumental painting measuring 15 by 114 meters, which surrounds the viewer from all sides. Thanks to a clever combination of painting tricks, appropriate lighting, artificial landscaping and a darkened pathway leading inside, the whole thing creates the extraordinary illusion of participating in a historical event.

The painting depicts the Battle of Raclawice – one of the most important clashes of the Kosciuszko Uprising. It was to be the main attraction of the General National Exhibition in Lviv in 1894. The originator of the project, painter Jan Styka, wanted to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the uprising in this way and pay tribute to the heroes fighting for Poland’s freedom. He hit the nail on the head – from the moment the exposition opened on June 5, 1894, the panorama enjoyed enormous popularity. First among visitors in Lviv, and since the 1980s – also in Wroclaw, where it has become one of the city’s most important tourist attractions.