Muzeum Sprzętu Wojskowego

A tank playing a German vehicle on television, trucks with original markings and a transporter that could swim: the Military Equipment Museum in Mrągowo connects vehicle history with the machines’ later lives. Sławomir Trzeciakiewicz assembled the private collection. The museum was formally established in 2010 and ceremonially opened on 14 May 2011, and its growing collection has exceeded 200 vehicles. Equipment used by the armies of the former Warsaw Pact forms its core.

The T-34, T-55, Merida and T-72 represent successive generations of tank design. They are joined by armoured carriers, off-road vehicles, trucks, and command and communications vehicles. American GMC CCKW and Dodge vehicles belong to the Second World War part of the collection. Fire engines and police vehicles, including those of Poland’s former militia, complement the military machines. The collection also includes a Mi-2 helicopter, displayed beside a MiG-21 fighter aircraft. The displays use tent halls and outdoor space. An adjacent training ground hosts vehicle rides and dynamic demonstrations. Visitors can look into or enter many of the vehicles, discovering their scale from the crew’s perspective too.

The film careers of individual vehicles are an important part of this collection. Mrągowo’s T-34 appeared in “Czterej pancerni i pies” (“Four Tank-Men and a Dog”), where its altered appearance represented a German tank. A T-55 and Star 660 worked on “Stulecie Winnych” in Gdańsk. The cargo trucks’ preserved markings and condition interested filmmakers, who used real vehicles as props to recreate the past. The museum’s KrAZ also appeared in a film about Simona Kossak, in a scene depicting the character nearly being hit by the truck. The museum also organises rides in selected machines, and exhibits take part in demonstrations and historical reenactments.