From 19 June 2026, the Museum of Krakow invites visitors to Underground Nowa Huta to an exhibition "Bunkers in Nowa Huta – a legacy of the Cold War" in Underground Nowa Huta in the 22 Szkolne housing estate. This is a story about the shelters built beneath the housing estates of Nowa Huta, but also about the need for safety, which remains constant despite changing times and threats.
The starting point is the history of the Cold War – a conflict which has shaped perceptions of the threat on both sides of the Iron Curtain for decades. As the exhibition’s curator Agata Klimek-Zdeb explains, a symbolic ‘shadow of the Cold War’ hangs over the whole narrative. It helps us understand why shelters were built beneath the housing estates in Nowa Huta and what role they were intended to play in the civil defence system.
The exhibition then takes visitors through the history of Nowa Huta’s development. Through archival photographs, film footage and original exhibits, we discover a city built with ambition and hope for a better future. At the same time, infrastructure was built beneath the new blocks in preparation for war. This juxtaposition of everyday life and a sense of threat is one of the exhibition’s central themes.
A significant part of the exhibition is devoted to the shelters themselves. Visitors will learn about the history of their construction and operating principles and the unique features of Nowa Huta’s defence infrastructure. One of the most engaging features is a map showing the location of the shelters in Nowa Huta. The exhibition also features an original 1950s air-raid shelter space. It is here that the contemporary dimension of the whole project resounds most strongly. The creators of the exhibition do not limit themselves to the history of the People’s Republic of Poland. The shelter features references to the experiences of recent years – the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other crises that have affected our sense of security.
The exhibition also encourages visitors to continue exploring Nowa Huta beyond the Nowa Huta Museum’s walls. As you walk through the housing estates, you can spot distinctive access hatches, air intakes and other traces of the shelter infrastructure, which have become an almost invisible part of the neighbourhood’s landscape over the years.
The Nowa Huta Museum, a branch of the Museum of Krakow, also invites visitors to see the second instalment of the Underground Nowa Huta project – the exhibition ‘State of Emergency’ in the air-raid shelter beneath the Mechanical School Complex No. 3 in the 37 Szkolne housing estate. Both exhibitions form a coherent narrative about shelters, safety and the need to be prepared for unforeseen situations.
