Permanent Exhibition of Pomeranian Narrow-Gauge Railways in Gryfice

The West Pomeranian Light Railways Exhibition in Gryfice is a branch of the National Museum in Szczecin at Błonie 2. On this portal it appears under the name Permanent Exhibition of Pomeranian Narrow-Gauge Railways. Steam locomotives and carriages of the narrow-gauge railways of West Pomerania have been gathered here.

A steam locomotive open-air museum from the 1970s

The steam locomotive open-air museum in Gryfice was formally established in 1973, gathering steam locomotives withdrawn from service on the Pomeranian Light Railways. The rolling stock first stood on a track along the locomotive shed. From 1978 the site was a branch of the Railway Museum in Warsaw as the Permanent Exhibition of Railway Rolling Stock. In 1993 the exhibits were moved to a new location, onto a layout of parallel tracks covering 5.5 ha.

Change of owner in 2010

In 2009 the Railway Museum was handed over to the Masovian Voivodeship, which decided to close sites outside its area, including the open-air museum in Gryfice. Exhibits began to be taken away. An agreement of 31 May 2010, however, meant that from 1 July the open-air museum was taken over by the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, which incorporated it into the National Museum in Szczecin.

What to see

Until 2008 the collection included 14 narrow-gauge steam locomotives with a track gauge of 1,000 mm and several other traction vehicles and carriages. Among them are the steam locomotives Px48, Tx7, Tyn6 and Txn8, the locomotive Lxd2, passenger and goods wagons, snow ploughs and trolleys. Of particular value are the Tyn6 steam locomotives from the Vulcan works in Szczecin, and the others come, among others, from the KraussMaffei factory in Munich and Orenstein & Koppel in Berlin. All were produced in 1909-1928. The exhibition is complemented by Polish locomotives from the 1950s from Chrzanów.

A pavilion has displayed railway models and historic photographs of narrow-gauge and standard-gauge railways in West Pomerania. On the site there is a turntable for steam locomotives, and the track layout is connected to the tracks of the Gryfice Narrow-Gauge Railway. The exhibition's website also describes historic bridges, stations and station complexes of the former light railway.

Practical information

• Address: Błonie 2, Gryfice.
• The National Museum in Szczecin gives the hours: from 1 September to 30 June daily 9:00-16:00, from 1 July to 31 August daily 10:00-18:30. Check them and the visiting rules on the museum's website before your visit.
• In the town you can also look in at the Brama Museum and Gallery, and remains of the fortifications can be seen in the defensive walls.