Centrum Nauki Kopernik w Warszawie

About the museum

The idea of a science centre in Warsaw emerged in 2004. In February that year the mayor of the city set up a team to prepare a project, and in March the mayor of Warsaw, Lech Kaczyński, and the ministers of science and education signed an agreement on the joint creation and co-financing of the institution. The name “Kopernik” was chosen by a competition jury from 1,600 proposals.

The Kopernik Science Centre opened in 2010 in a modern building on the Vistula, next to the National Stadium. The institution emphasises that it is not a classic museum: there are no display cases or guides, and visitors switch on the exhibits themselves and learn through experience. They are assisted by animators in red T-shirts.

The exhibitions contain several hundred experimental stations, some made in the centre’s workshop and some brought from abroad. Attractions include, among others, the Unlimited Experimentation Zone, the exhibition “Bzzz!” for children up to 6 years of age, the exhibition “The Future Is Today” (Przyszłość jest dziś), LivingLAB, the High Voltage Theatre (Teatr Wysokich Napięć), the Robotic Theatre (Teatr Robotyczny), the Workshop (Majsternia) and laboratories. A separate ticket covers the Planetarium, which is housed in a separate building on the bank of the Vistula.

The centre also includes the Explorers’ Park (Park Odkrywców) and a roof garden. The offer is constantly renewed; the programme includes temporary exhibitions, events and school activities, and quiet hours once a month for people sensitive to stimuli.

Highlights

• Several hundred interactive experimental stations
• High Voltage Theatre (Teatr Wysokich Napięć) with lightning and a Faraday cage
• Robotic Theatre and a family of robots
• Bzzz! – exhibition for children up to 6 years of age
• Planetarium on the Vistula
• Roof garden

Permanent exhibitions

• Strefa Eksperymentowania bez ograniczeń – Experimental stations for independent research, testing and making mistakes.
• Bzzz! – An exhibition for children up to 6 years of age, where you have to touch, smell and test things.
• Przyszłość jest dziś – An exhibition on the technologies and phenomena that are only beginning to shape our everyday life.

Founded

2005

Admission & discounts

Prices for the Exhibitions: on weekdays PLN 48 (standard) and PLN 34 (reduced); on public holidays, weekends and during school holidays PLN 50 and PLN 36. The Exhibitions ticket covers all permanent exhibitions, the temporary exhibition, the Robotic Theatre, the High Voltage Theatre, the Workshop and weekend laboratory activities; the Planetarium requires a separate ticket. Group sessions in the laboratories cost PLN 300 plus an Exhibitions ticket for each person.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The exhibitions and the Planetarium building are adapted for people who use wheelchairs, have visual or hearing impairments. A route without stairs leads to the Planetarium, going around the building on the right. Quiet hours apply once a month, when loud exhibits and devices emitting harsh light are switched off. Before the visit you can contact the centre (info@kopernik.org.pl) to get help buying tickets and moving around the building. Guide dogs and assistance dogs may enter the building.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area

The exhibition “Bzzz!” is intended for children up to 6 years of age and their carers, the High Voltage Theatre for children from 6 years of age, and on weekends the laboratories offer activities for people over 9 years of age. The exhibitions are based on touching and experiencing the exhibits. Holders of the Large Family Card buy cheaper tickets.

Getting there & parking

The Planetarium is on the bank of the Vistula, behind the main building; a route without stairs leads around the building on the right.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Before the entrance to the Exhibitions there is the Bistro Wiem, with lunch and children’s dishes; on the 1st floor, in the exhibition space, there is a café with a terrace, and another café is in the Planetarium. A small shop is located in the ticket area. Free Wi-Fi is available in the building and in the Explorers’ Park.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

The offer includes the Conference Centre, specialist spaces in the Copernican Revolution Workshop (Pracownia Przewrotu Kopernikańskiego) and hire of the Planetarium.

Plan your visit