Racławice Panorama

The Racławice Panorama is a large cycloramic painting in Wrocław depicting the 1794 Battle of Racławice. The panorama combines a cylindrical canvas with a foreground diorama to recreate the battlefield in immersive fashion.

The exhibit consists of the panoramic painting displayed inside a purpose-built rotunda and an integrated diorama foreground; the painted canvas is around 15 m high and more than 100 m long. Visitors view the work from a central platform that encircles the display so the scene reads as a continuous, wraparound image.

The panorama was executed by Polish painters at the end of the 19th century and has been exhibited as a single monumental work since that time. It has been preserved and rehoused in a dedicated building to maintain the intended viewing conditions.

Located in Wrocław in Lower Silesia, the panorama is displayed in a museum near the city center and is part of the city’s cultural attractions.

• Dimensions: The cyclorama painting measures roughly 15 meters high and about 114 meters in length, forming a continuous 360-degree vista inside the rotunda.

What to See #

• Rotunda: A circular exhibition rotunda built to display the panorama painting; provides the continuous viewing platform around the painting and controls lighting to enhance the illusion.
• Foreground diorama: A three-dimensional foreground diorama placed in front of the painted canvas to increase depth and realism for viewers standing on the central walkway.