5 Most Interactive Museums in Poland You Must Visit with Your Child

What to do on a summer day when the weather doesn't cooperate and neither a lake nor long hikes are an option?

Go to a museum! But not one where you can't touch anything. Here's a list of five of the most interactive museums in Poland worth visiting this summer with your child.

1. "On Tomek's Trail" Exhibition – Silesian Museum, Katowice

In May of this year, the Silesian Museum opened an exhibition inspired by the character of Tomek Wilmowski – the literary hero of Alfred Szklarski's book series. Tomek is a traveler who successfully bridges generations today. While touring the exhibition, visitors accompany Tomek to five continents to discover the cultures of their inhabitants. They learn about them, of course, through play and intellectual challenges.

The "On Tomek's Trail" exhibition begins with receiving a special set of equipment – a backpack, map, magnifying glass, and notebook – which will be needed for the investigation. Games and puzzles are supported by new technologies and enriched with highly realistic set design. Importantly, everyone can feel at ease at the exhibition – you can sit anywhere, touch everything, and peek into everything.

Following the example of British museums such as the Natural History Museum and the National Railway Museum, a motion tracking system called VIVID has also been used here. It provides exhibition staff with unique data on visitor behavior, allowing them to optimize the exhibition space and modify it on an ongoing basis. As a result, it improves the attractiveness of the visit.

Family ticket: about EUR 8.10 (USD 9.40), exhibition for children aged 4-12, muzeumslaskie.pl/pl/wystawy/na-tropie-tomka

2. Energetic Science Centre – Kielce

What does coal combustion involve? How is car fuel produced? How much energy is needed to light a single light bulb at home? The answers to these questions will be provided by… the Energetic Science Centre in Kielce. ECN is the most interesting science center in the Świętokrzyskie region.

Across more than 500 square meters of educational space, three zones have been created: Fire and Earth, Air and Water, and Human, which tell the story of how we use energy in everyday life. Among the 28 experimental stations, you can find a wind farm simulator, an interactive model of Kielce showing how electricity is obtained and distributed, as well as build a dam system on a river model or refuel a Fiat 126p. The exhibition is accompanied by a 3D cinema and a laboratory where scientific experiments can be conducted.

A competition-based game has been prepared for visitors. At the start of the visit, each guest receives a transmitter that records their movements and decisions on an individual account. The results obtained during the experiments are converted into virtual energy. A well-operated experimental station is rewarded with energy points. This is how the ranking of energy giants is created.

Admission ticket: about EUR 3.50 (USD 4.00), exhibition for children aged 5 and up, ecn.kielce.pl

3. Hydropolis – Water Knowledge Centre, Wrocław

Without water, there would be no life. But what else do we know about the combination of hydrogen and oxygen? To discover all the secrets of water, simply go to Wrocław for the exhibition titled Hydropolis. The location itself is amazing – a historic water tank. Hydropolis is divided into nine zones that tell stories about, among other things, the lives of marine creatures, the role of water in human life, and water engineering. The exhibition also features a 1:1 model of the Bathyscaphe Trieste – the first crewed vehicle that reached the deepest point on Earth in 1960 – the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

The exhibition covers as much as 4,000 square meters. Within this space, there are 200 computers and 400 multimedia devices on which guests can play games and use educational applications. Visitors also learn about the history of water and its role through 30 films and animations. Hydropolis is also equipped with attractions such as a spherical projection on a globe (that is, in 360 degrees) and 3D mapping on one of the largest screens in Poland. To convey the atmosphere of the water world, the focus was placed on light. – Telling stories with light is a refined art. Skillfully used light models space and creates atmosphere – says Wojciech Florczyk, CEO of New Amsterdam, the company responsible for the multimedia side of Hydropolis. The story, multimedia, and the specific atmosphere achieved through the appropriate use of light are further enriched by sound effects and music by Krzysztof A. Janczak.

Family ticket: about EUR 16.70 (USD 19.40), exhibition for children aged 5 and up, hydropolis.pl

4. Soria Moria Land – European Fairy Tale Centre, Pacanów

The Fairy Tale Centre in the well-known Pacanów is a magical museum of the most beautiful fairy tales and childhood stories. In addition to the Fairy Tale World, theater, and cinema, children can spend time at the interactive exhibition "Soria Moria Land." This is a new exhibition at ECB, opened in January 2017. Its main theme is the Norwegian fairy tale "The Castle of Soria Moria," inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's novel "The Snow Queen." The display is not designed like a museum with exhibits. Visitors are invited to play in a fantastic and frosty land, whose goal is, of course, as in Andersen's fairy tale, to defeat the evil queen and restore spring.

The play is supported by modern multimedia, including sound installations, multimedia mirrors, an interactive floor, and applications on touch screens. The technology is meant to let visitors feel like the hero of a fairy tale, so it serves them tasks and riddles to solve. Thanks to a special exhibition content management system called Lighthouse, developed by New Amsterdam and integrated with mobile devices, it is possible to adapt the tasks to the age of visitors. This means that the youngest guests can skip some tasks if they prove too difficult, while losing nothing of the fun. This exhibition adapts itself to its audience.

Family ticket: about EUR 13.90 (USD 16.10), exhibition for children aged 7 and up, centrumbajki.pl

5. Discovery Centre at the Centennial Hall, Wrocław

The Discovery Centre is definitely one of the most multimedia places on the map of Poland, aimed at older audiences. The Centennial Hall, designed by Max Berg and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, was quite a challenge in terms of arrangement for the exhibition designers. – When designing an exhibition, we always think in the context of the building and its function. Every element of the exhibition must serve the story being told. It should be the justification for the entire undertaking – says Tomasz Salwierz, designer at New Amsterdam, the company responsible for creating the Discovery Centre.

The story of discovering this extraordinary building begins with a film and interactive presentations in the form of books. Special educational games have been prepared for the youngest visitors, including architectural puzzles using Living Wall technology, which allow a child to step into the role of an architect. Visitors can also play with augmented reality technology. At the end of the tour, a visual spectacle O(Omicron) awaits, displayed under the dome of the Hall. It is the largest permanent 3D mapping in the world. Enriched with sound, it literally pins you to the floor.

The exhibition can be visited independently or with the support of a dedicated application, equipped with, among other things, an audio guide.

Family ticket: about EUR 10.40 (USD 12.10), exhibition for children aged 7 and up, centrumpoznawcze.pl