For over a decade, Warsaw’s Neon Muzeum has been a beacon of creativity, drawing visitors from around the world to admire its glowing collection of vintage signs.
Founded by Polish-British duo Ilona Karwińska and David S. Hill, the museum has played a key role in preserving Poland’s post-war neon heritage.
While Warsaw’s first neon sign premiered in 1926, it was the post-Stalinist thaw that saw these shimmering objects become a firmly embedded feature of the urban landscape.
Playing a salient role in the government’s attempt to reconcile socialist principles with consumerism, the nationwide campaign to ‘neon-ize’ Poland was part of a bold project to enliven the new-look socialist cities that had risen from the ashes of WWII.
While Warsaw’s first neon sign premiered in 1926, it was the post-Stalinist thaw that saw these shimmering objects become a firmly embedded feature of the urban landscape.
Playing a salient role in the government’s attempt to reconcile socialist principles with consumerism, the nationwide campaign to ‘neon-ize’ Poland was part of a bold project to enliven the new-look socialist cities that had risen from the ashes of WWII.
Often created by the leading designers and craftsmen of the day, these mesmerizing objects suggested a country going forward. Cities once bathed in darkness now glimmered anew.
The fall of Communism, however, brought dark times for the country’s neons. Seen as an uncomfortable and outdated reminder of the past, hundreds were dismantled and destroyed, their place taken by garish billboards and banners—were it not for the salvage work of Karwińska and Hill, many would have been lost forever.
The fall of Communism, however, brought dark times for the country’s neons. Seen as an uncomfortable and outdated reminder of the past, hundreds were dismantled and destroyed, their place taken by garish billboards and banners—were it not for the salvage work of Karwińska and Hill, many would have been lost forever.
For the couple, their fascination with neon began nearly two decades ago when Hill, a typographer, first visited Warsaw.
“The first thing that struck me was the city’s neon signs. Despite their decay, there was something about them that felt original and fresh,” he recalls.
Karwińska, a fine arts photographer, shared his enthusiasm. Having just completed an anthropological project in the Middle East, she was searching for a new creative pursuit when Hill suggested documenting Poland’s remaining neon signs.
“The first thing that struck me was the city’s neon signs. Despite their decay, there was something about them that felt original and fresh,” he recalls.
Karwińska, a fine arts photographer, shared his enthusiasm. Having just completed an anthropological project in the Middle East, she was searching for a new creative pursuit when Hill suggested documenting Poland’s remaining neon signs.
What followed was a six-month journey through the country’s forgotten corners, capturing the last remnants of Poland’s neon heyday.
Their photographs evolved into a book, which in turn sparked media attention and public interest. Before long, they found themselves not just documenting neon but actively saving it.
“We started getting calls from people offering us signs that once adorned their shops or tipping us off about where to find them,” says Hill. “It went from observation to preservation almost overnight.”
Their photographs evolved into a book, which in turn sparked media attention and public interest. Before long, they found themselves not just documenting neon but actively saving it.
“We started getting calls from people offering us signs that once adorned their shops or tipping us off about where to find them,” says Hill. “It went from observation to preservation almost overnight.”
Often, their interventions came just in time. Some signs had already been discarded like scrap, while others were saved from unlikely places—including a farmer’s field, where Warsaw’s famous Kino Praha sign had been hidden under manure.
With a growing collection, the idea of a museum took shape. Initially planned as a temporary pop-up inside a former motorbike factory, the Neon Muzeum opened its doors to an overwhelming response.
“We had something like six or seven thousand people visit on the first night,” says Hill. “That’s when we knew we were onto something.”
With a growing collection, the idea of a museum took shape. Initially planned as a temporary pop-up inside a former motorbike factory, the Neon Muzeum opened its doors to an overwhelming response.
“We had something like six or seven thousand people visit on the first night,” says Hill. “That’s when we knew we were onto something.”
Since then, the museum has grown into one of Warsaw’s most popular cultural attractions, welcoming around 100,000 visitors annually.
Recognized as one of the city’s most “Instagrammable” spots, it has been featured in publications like Vogue, Condé Nast Traveler and The New York Times. The Guardian even ranked it among “the best city museums in Europe.”
Recognized as one of the city’s most “Instagrammable” spots, it has been featured in publications like Vogue, Condé Nast Traveler and The New York Times. The Guardian even ranked it among “the best city museums in Europe.”
“We’ve got some real beauties,” says Hill of the 80 signs currently on display. “The one that reads ‘Berlin’ holds a great deal of sentimental value because it was just hours away from being smashed up for scrap before we managed to intervene.”
“And then there’s the neon that was designed for a soap store in Warsaw—it could easily be a symbol for a cocktail bar or a jazz café, so it’s hard to believe that such a beautiful sign was designed for such a lowly shop,” he adds.
“And then there’s the neon that was designed for a soap store in Warsaw—it could easily be a symbol for a cocktail bar or a jazz café, so it’s hard to believe that such a beautiful sign was designed for such a lowly shop,” he adds.
Now, the museum is preparing for its next chapter. Announced on Monday, the Neon Muzeum will leave its longtime home in the Kamionek district at the end of April and relocate in July to a prestigious new space inside the Palace of Culture and Science—one of Poland’s most iconic landmarks.
For Karwińska and Hill, the move is a full-circle moment. It was inside this very building in 2007 that Karwińska first exhibited her photographs of Poland’s fading neon signs, an event that reignited public fascination with these disappearing relics.
“Nothing like that had ever been showcased before,” says Hill. “By then, neon signs had sort of faded into oblivion, so the exhibition was a breakthrough moment.”
For Karwińska and Hill, the move is a full-circle moment. It was inside this very building in 2007 that Karwińska first exhibited her photographs of Poland’s fading neon signs, an event that reignited public fascination with these disappearing relics.
“Nothing like that had ever been showcased before,” says Hill. “By then, neon signs had sort of faded into oblivion, so the exhibition was a breakthrough moment.”
However, the duo aren’t just credited with saving the iconic signs that once decorated Poland but also relighting wider interest in neon. Today, the country’s cities again gleam under fluorescent light, with a neon sign seen by many as an almost mandatory stamp of cool.
“People are again seeing the value of neon,” says Hill. “Warsaw, in particular, has always had a love affair with neon, and I think that’s glowing white hot right now, so we’re thrilled that our actions really made people pay attention to their own cityscape.”
“People are again seeing the value of neon,” says Hill. “Warsaw, in particular, has always had a love affair with neon, and I think that’s glowing white hot right now, so we’re thrilled that our actions really made people pay attention to their own cityscape.”
With nearly 15,000 square feet of space in their new home, the duo aim to show far more of their 300-strong collection than currently possible and continue their mission of preserving and celebrating Poland’s neon legacy.
“We’re having to scale up our operations, but we’re optimistic and excited about what the future holds,” says Hill.
“We’re having to scale up our operations, but we’re optimistic and excited about what the future holds,” says Hill.
