Location: Ossów, Poland
Year of establishment: 2025
Size: 1000 m² (permanent exhibition)
Investor: Polish Army Museum

UNITED, UNDEFEATED. A MODERN NARRATIVE OF A TURNING-POINT VICTORY

The Battle of Warsaw in 1920 was a turning point for the Polish state reborn after years of partitions. Its consequence was halting the Bolshevik revolution marching westward. Faced with an existential threat, defensive preparations unleashed an extraordinary mobilisation in Polish society, uniting the entire nation in a vast, heroic effort.

Developing the narrative for the exhibition dedicated to these events, we decided to break the pattern of traditional – static and monumental – historical displays. Our goal was to create a spatial story of military effort in which the positive energy of unity would be palpable.

The exhibition is located on two levels of a monumental building erected in Ossów, at the site of one of the most important battles of August 1920. The 1000 m² space was divided narratively into three segments: building context (the geopolitical situation after World War I, the realities of the young Second Polish Republic and the course of the Polish–Bolshevik war), presenting the events of the Battle itself, and an epilogue (the consequences of the outcome and forms of commemoration in culture).

We employed a wide range of exhibition means. The authenticity of the story is built not only by military artefacts from the Polish Army Museum, but also by a documentary film prepared for the exhibition, showing the political and historical context before the outbreak of the Polish–Bolshevik war. Its great value lies in unique historical materials found in the archives of the famous Cinémathèque Française by Krzysztof Talczewski – director, screenwriter and producer of documentary films (author of, among others, “War of the Worlds”).

Interactive scenographic and multimedia installations (including large-format LED screens and projection with mapping) engage visitors in discovering history. The experiential layer is completed by a spatial soundtrack composed for the exhibition and spectacular replicas of a SPAD VII C aircraft, a Renault FT-17 tank and a Ford FT-B armoured car.

Opened in 2025, the exhibition – a key element of a larger monumental museum complex in Ossów – quickly proved its potential. Within just 12 days of opening it was visited by over 20,000 guests.

The reception of the exhibition shows that a modern design language can break traditional patterns and attract a diverse audience. It is proof that an engaging, living and positive narrative can effectively combine the building of historical memory with the lively interest of a contemporary viewer.