Centrum Szyfrów Enigma — Attraction in Poznan

This is a modern, interactive museum focusing on the Polish team who first broke an early version of the famous WWII Enigma cypher, and whose efforts served as inspiration for the more widely-known British team at Bletchley Park. The audio-guided tour starts with an introduction to cryptology and gives the visitor the option for more in-depth study at several interactive stations. You can learn about some representative historic cyphers and try to break them yourself either on a touchscreen or a physical station -- if you can find a free one or can wait patiently for one to become available :) The tour continues with an overview of the Polish team's work, their escape to France and Britain, and the impact of breaking the Enigma encryption on WWII. More in-depth technical and historical details are available on several touchscreen stations. The tour concludes with a section on the development of computer technology after WWII as well as current applications of cryptography. The exhibition is quite compact and specialized, but I would recommend it for anyone interested in history and technology. For me the museum was a trigger to do some reading on the Polish Enigma efforts. Other visitors seemed very engaged with the interactive stations, kids seemed to enjoy it too. There are two retro computers towards the end of the exhibition where games...

We decided to visit based on the high rating and interesting subject. Do not do the same mistake (at least for the english version, I cannot speak for the polish one). The staff is absolutely atrocious, they were not helpful in the slightest. Upon buying the ticket you will not get the mémo that the entry is on specific time, for no apparent reason, since the only way to go around the museum is with audio-guide not a person. Which means everybody will enter the room at the same time, which makes IT more complicated to try out the ciphers, again for no reason at all. The english guide is not user-friendly, bunch of stuff on display is either little destroyed (torn papiers, cracks in Wood and plastic) or it is really poorly made (letters do not lign up properly in discs or magnet alphabet), which is annoying if you want to solve something. The information is mostly about the polish people who cracked the code, not So much about how they cracked it or how Enigma worked at all. For us really a waste of time since the information I was really interested in (actual cracking and more advanced ciphers than Ceasar one) seems to be after thought at best.

Also please museum do not respond to this at all, since I saw how you answered fair critisism so far and I do not wish to...

Fantastic – an absolute must-see when visiting Poznań! A multimedia museum full of amazing exhibits, presenting a story that changed the course of World War II… and much more. The history of cryptology and cryptography in a nutshell – delivered in an accessible and “easy-to-digest” way. On top of that, plenty of fun while breaking codes and ciphers. One of the most interesting museums I’ve ever had the pleasure to visit.

What makes it even more special is how it combines history, science, and entertainment – you walk out not only smarter, but also inspired. And it’s a reason to be proud – not only of the Polish contribution to breaking Enigma, but also of the fact that Poland is creating more and more places like this, where history is presented in such a modern and...