A donation for Museum's expansion

The expansion of the Warsaw Rising Museum is to ensure a comfortable experience for the nearly 700,000 visitors of the institution annually. When the Museum's infrastructure was first constructed, it was not anticipated that over the next 20 years it would host more than 10.5 million guests from Poland and around the world. Thanks to this expansion, the Museum will gain 7,200 square meters of floor space, featuring a multimedia auditorium with mobile seating for 300 people, a temporary exhibition hall, workshop spaces and new educational rooms. The project will also include modern storage facilities and dining areas.

The Villum Foundation supports large cultural projects aimed at bringing benefit and joy to the general population, in particular projects that have a strong focus on daylight and fresh air and contribute to a healthy environment.

"Villum Foundation approached the Museum with a proposal for cooperation, intrigued by the unique role of glazing, natural daylight and the urban greenery in the architectural concept of the Museum’s new pavilion. We are pleased that the project selected through the competition has gained recognition from international audiences and foreign experts", said Jan Ołdakowski, the Director of the Warsaw Rising Museum. "The foundation's decision to support the expansion is the result of talks held for over a year, in which a significant role was played by the fact that our pavilion will meet the recently introduced Warsaw Green Building Standard."

"The Warsaw Rising Museum is one of Poland’s most important cultural institutions, with a historical significance that reaches far beyond national borders. The project is fully in line with the Villum Foundation’s ambition to create a more enlightened world, and we are pleased to support a project that will benefit so many people and enrich the cultural fabric of Warsaw", said Lars Bo Nielsen, Executive Director of Villum Foundation.

The expansion works will be funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the City of Warsaw. The design work is based on a concept design by Mirosław Nizio. In December 2025, a contract for the design and delivery of the building was signed with the general contractor selected through a public tender: a consortium of construction companies led by NDI S.A. The investment is expected to be completed in 2029.

The Warsaw Rising Museum

Located in a historic industrial site, the Museum is one of the capital's most important tourist attractions, visited by numerous domestic and international guests.

In 2004, the former tram power station building became the headquarters of the museum dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising—the largest urban battle in Polish history. The Museum is a homage to those who fought and died for a free Republic and its capital. Through image, light, and sound, the exhibition brings to life the events of August and September 1944. The Warsaw Rising Museum blends history with modernity, fusing a heritage site with an innovative presentation, anchoring events of the past in the contemporary mass consciousness.

About Villum Fonden

Villum Foundation, part of the VELUX foundations, is a philanthropic organization that supports research and education in technical and natural sciences, as well as environmental, social, and cultural projects in Denmark and internationally.

Villum Foundation was established in 1971 by engineer Villum Kann Rasmussen—the founder of VELUX and other companies within the VKR Group, whose mission is to provide people with access to daylight, fresh air, and a better environment in their daily lives. Villum Foundation is a major shareholder in the VKR Group but does not hold a controlling stake in VKR Holding A/S.

In 2025, Villum Foundation allocated 1,820 million DKK (approx. 103 million PLN) for grants. In Poland, since 2003, the foundation has donated 215 million PLN toward the implementation of 50 projects.

https://villumfonden.dk/pl/prosta-strona/fundacja-villum-bedaca-czescia-fundacji-velux