Science museums in Poland to expand your mind and bring satisfaction and smile to your face
Our list includes eight amazing science museums in Poland where interactive and hands-on exhibits provide both adults and children with unique experiences (and great fun!). Learning about science is made easy – complicated concepts and theories are broken down into easy-to-understand experiments and demonstrations. The science centers are also a perfect option for a bad weather day, when it rains or when it is too hot outside (yes, it happens in Poland!:) And remember to reserve at least 3 hours, to have enough time to enjoy them.
The city of GDAŃSK: Hevelianum Science Center
Hevelianum Science Center is located in the center of Gdańsk, 2 km from the old town, next to the railway station, on a 50 m hill, beautifully overlooking the city of Gdańsk. The Center occupies a large area of a nineteenth-century military fort, offering not only an indoor museum but also a park and a playground. The name Hevelianum comes from Johannes Hevelius – an astronomer born in Gdańsk.
The museum includes four theme sections, all interactive and fun for the whole family and different ages. Each of the zones has different exhibits demonstrating scientific principles and history, all explained easily. You will travel across the continents, discover mathematics with puzzles, learn how to handle a cannon or experiment with various types of energy sources.
Website in English, location on Google map, online tickets. Our tips in English on visiting the city of Gdańsk.
Photo source: Archiwum Hevelianum
The city of GDYNIA: Experyment Science Center (Centrum Nauki Experyment)
The Experyment Center is like a huge educational playground for all those (not only children!) who want to learn through fun. The Center includes 5 theme sections: Hydro-world, The Tree of Life (the secrets of nature – visitors can experience an earthquake, and understand how animals see or how bats navigate ), Invisible Forces (dedicated to physics), Operation: Human (visitors examine the human body and try to understand how it works), Toward Health (interactive exhibits connected with everyday choices we have to make to stay healthy and happy). All exhibitions are translated into English and Russian.
Website in English, location on Google map, online tickets.
Photo source: Centrum Nauki Experyment
The city of WROCŁAW: Hydropolis – knowledge center about water
Hydropolis is located in a historic, 19th century underground water tank formerly used as a tank providing water to the citizens of Wroclaw, it’s located 2,5 km from the Old Town. At Hydropolis, you can learn about water from different perspectives – the evolution of life in water, water animals’ camouflage techniques, deep-sea creatures, the bathyscaphe, the states of water, and water engineering – all you need to know about water. Hydropolis includes interactive installations dedicated to kids as well as a relaxation zone – a room with deckchairs and jungle sounds, designed as a garden. The exhibition is fully translated into English.
Website in English, location on Google map, online tickets. Our tips in English on visiting Hydropolis.
Photo source: Bartosz Sadowski
The city of TORUŃ: Center for Modernity “Mill of Knowledge” (Centrum Nowoczesności “Młyn Wiedzy”)
The Center is located 3,5 km from the Old Town, in a renovated 19th-century mill. It has 7 floors so you can tour the center at your own pace, taking your time with each interactive attraction. Each floor features different themes and permanent and temporary exhibitions, eg. a large model of the river, nature, Foucault’s pendulum, an imagination playground with building blocks, and telecommunications. Most of the exhibit’s information and instructions are available in English. There are water experiments – bring some extra clothes for the children;)
Website in Polish, location on Google map, online tickets. Our tips in English on visiting Toruń.
Photo source: Centrum Nowoczesności “Młyn Wiedzy”
The city of POZNAŃ: ImagineLab (Laboratorium Wyobraźni)
ImagineLab remains closed to individual vistors.
ImagineLab is located 6 km from the Old Town and it’s a part of Poznań Science and Technology Park. Interactive displays, multimedia exhibitions, workshops, experiments, planetarium are dedicated to children aged 5+ and adults. Exhibit descriptions are in Polish, English, and German. At the request of a school group, the Lab can organize workshops and classes in English.
From Monday to Friday the Lab is available to school groups, and during weekends it’s open to individuals. Visiting the ImagineLab takes place in rounds starting at the set times so it’s necessary to buy tickets online to book a spot (no need to print your ticket, it’s ok to display it on your phone).
Website in Polish, location on Google map, online tickets. Our tips in English on visiting Poznań, including the best attractions in Poznań.
Photo source: Laboratorium Wyobraźni
The city of Łódź: Science and Technology Center, playing/learning space for children aged 3-10, planetarium
It is the largest Science and Technology Center in Poland. It is housed in an over one-hundred-year-old power plant in Łódź. What distinguishes the Science and Technology Center in Łódź is its unusual location in a building of the first power plant in Łódź (built in 1907). Now the huge building after complete reconstruction includes (besides the Science Center) the Film Cultural Center, Centre of Comics and Interactive Narration, planetarium, conference space.
Our tips in English on visiting the city of Łódź.
The main attractions of this place are the science museum, playing/learning space for children aged 3-10, and planetarium.
- The science museum: Science and Technology Center (Centrum Nauki i Techniki EC1).
- The Science and Technology Center (over 8000 m² and 5 floors!) was opened in 2018 and includes 3 main zones to explore: the energy production process, development of our civilization (science and history), and “Microworld – Macroworld” – the presentation of objects and phenomena that too small or too big to observe.
- Location on Google map.
- Website, Facebook, Instagram.
- Playing/learning space for children aged 3-10: “Ulica Żywiołów” (The Street of the Elements).
- The Street of Elements (“Ulica Żywiołów) is a space organized around the theme of the five elements: Water, Earth, Life, Fire, Air. These are 5 thematic zones where children independently expand their knowledge about the world by playing and conducting experiments.
- Location on Google map.
- Website, Facebook, Instagram.
- The Planetarium.
- The Planetarium in Łódź is one of the most modern digital planetariums in Poland. Viewers can watch shows on a dome with a diameter of 14 meters. The repertoire includes screenings for children, adolescents, adults, preschool and school groups. Minimum age for children – over 5 years old.
- Location on Google map.
- Website, Facebook, Instagram.
Photo source: Centrum Nauki i Techniki EC1
The city of KRAKÓW: Science Garden (Ogród Doświadczeń im. Stanisława Lema)
The museum map of Kraków will be enriched in 2023 with a new science center called Cogiteon. In the meantime, you can visit a huge park with interactive displays dedicated to science and experiments. In the area of over 6 hectares, you will find interactive models, devices and exhibits to carry out experiments in optics, hydrostatics, acoustics, and mechanics. All attractions are outdoor – dress appropriately for the weather. The Science Garden is open from April until the end of October.
Website in Polish, location on Google map.
Photo source: Ogród Doświadczeń im. Stanisława Lema
The city of WARSAW: Copernicus Science Centre (Centrum Nauki Kopernik)
The Copernicus Science Centre is one of the largest science museums in Europe and a top attraction in Warsaw for both children and adults. It’s located on the bank of the Vistula river, next to the boulevard with promenades along the river, a 20-minute walk from the Old Town. The place is quite busy throughout the year so it’s strongly recommended to buy tickets online (to skip the line and reserve a spot, as the number of visitors per hour is limited). The Copernicus offers attractions for adults and children regardless of age (including “Buzzz! gallery” – a separate playing area dedicated to kids up to 5 years old). The majority of visitors are families with children so be prepared for some noise;)
Website in English, location on Google map, online tickets. Our tips in English on visiting the Copernicus Center and Planetarium.
Photo source: Centrum Nauki Kopernik
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