It is one of the most important museums of martyrdom in Poland, now a branch of the Museum of Independence. It is located within the fortress built by Tsar Nicholas between 1832 and 1834 after suppressing the November Uprising. The Citadel, manned by a strong garrison armed with hundreds of cannons was strengthened in later years by a system of 5 forts and a bridgehead in the district of Praga. It was meant to increase the control of the Russian authorities over the rebellious Warsaw residents.

The central investigative prison for political prisoners was located in one of the buildings, the so called 10th Pavilion, built between 1826 and 1828. According to certain estimates, around 40,000 prisoners, fighters for national liberation and social change, passed through the Citadel, which housed the commission of inquiry and the military court.

Among the prisoners in the 10th Pavilion were some outstanding figures of Polish history like Romuald Traugutt, Josef Pilsudski, Roman Dmowski, Gustaw Ehrenberg, Father Piotr Sciegienny, Stefan Okrzeja and many more. Hundreds of prisoners were executed on the slopes of the Citadel, thousands more were deported to Siberia. The 10th Pavilion was opened to the public in 1963.

Museum of 10th Pavilion –Warsaw (woj. Mazowieckie)

www.muzeumniepodleglosci.art.pl