Why Are so Many People Having Sex in This Polish War Museum?

Some museums are meant to titillate — New York City’s Museum of Sex, for example. But apparently enough people in Poland are getting turned on by a historic war museum that an official statement had to be released asking visitors to please stop.

The Eastern Fort Museum on Wolin Island, housed in the historic Fort Gerhard, recently posted on Facebook that its new CCTV cameras caught three different couples having sex in the building on three different occasions.

“How to write it … Well, please: no ars amandi in the museum!” the post reads (originally posted in Polish). “We understand that unique exhibits and uniformed service can give you chills, EXCITATION and excitement! And for God’s sake- Beloved- especially those with hot blood- there is so much fun in the area. Guests in love, please understand – most of the Exhibits in our museum are objects ‘born’ many years ago and subject to completely different moral standards. Conservative, even orthodox and restrained. We do not expose them to discomfort!”

Hyperallergic notes that Fort Gerhard was originally built in the 1800s by the Prussian Empire. It was used first by the Prussian army and then by the Germans during Nazi occupation. It’s been a museum with historic war paraphernalia since 2001 and gets about 45,000 visitors per year. It’s yet to be determined if public sex acts encourage more or fewer guests.

Any potential voyeurs should keep in mind that public nudity and sex is illegal in Poland. Though the museum does have some advice for those interested in joining the crowd:

“Maybe it is worth taking a walk towards the wild beaches, which are abundant on the right bank of Świnoujście? So far, we only have cameras in the museum, the reflector barrack and the exhibition of items from the wreckage.”