Warsaw Fotoplastikon

Warsaw Fotoplastikon is a small stereoscopic photo theatre at Al. Jerozolimskie 51, close to Warsaw Central station and the Palace of Culture and Science. Look through the viewing ports of its rotating wooden drum to see vintage images in three dimensions, including scenes from Warsaw and other parts of the world. The collection changes, so the photographs on display can vary between visits. Set on the ground floor of a residential building, it is an atmospheric stop for anyone curious about the city’s past or the history of photography.

How the photo theatre works

The central exhibit is a large rotating drum with individual viewing stations around it. Sit at a station and peer through its viewing ports as stereoscopic photographs pass into view. The paired images create a three-dimensional effect, giving the scenes depth in a way that a flat print cannot.

This style of entertainment became popular before cinema. Warsaw’s machine opened in 1905 and remains at the same location. It is one of the few operating stereoscopic theatres left in the world, and its continued use gives you a chance to see how audiences experienced images before film became a common form of entertainment.

Photographs from Warsaw and beyond

The photographs on display change. Some sets focus on Warsaw, including images of the city before the Second World War; others show places around the world. The museum’s collection contains more than 3,000 original photographs, though only 24 are displayed at a time.

If you know the city, watch for streets and places you can identify. Comparing an older view with the present-day scene can make changes to Warsaw’s streetscape especially tangible. Other displays take you beyond Poland, with historic views of places that were once difficult for many people to visit in person.