The Polish Museum of America is one of the oldest ethnic museums in the United States, dating back to 1935. Located at what was once the epicenter of the largest Polish population outside of Europe, the museum maintains an extensive collection of artifacts, artwork and memorabilia relating to Poland and Polish-American culture in Chicago, the United States and worldwide. The third floor Great Hall, once an auditorium, hosts a gallery dominated by an immense and colorful stained-glass depiction of Poland’s independence that was created for the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. There are also exhibits and collections dedicated to Casimir Pulaski, Pope John Paul II and others. An impressive gallery also contains memorabilia from the life of composer, pianist and Polish political hero Ignacy Jan Paderewski, complete with his personal Steinway piano. The Museum is located in the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America building, the oldest Polish-American fraternal organization in the United States.
