On 31 May, the Małopolska Children’s and Family Day took place at the site of the former Rakowice-Czyżyny Airport in Kraków – a joint event organised by the Małopolska Science Centre Cogiteon and the Polish Aviation Museum as part of the ‘Kultura na 6’ programme run by the Marshal’s Office of the Małopolska Province. Admission was free – it is estimated that around 4,000 people attended, confirming the high level of interest in the initiative.
The last day of May was filled with experiments, demonstrations, workshops, and family-friendly activities organized for participants of the Małopolska Children’s and Family Day. The program also included science shows, robots, historic aircraft, creative aviation activities, and concerts, all taking place in a unique atmosphere of shared discovery of the worlds of science, technology, and aviation.
The event took place simultaneously at two neighboring institutions —t he Małopolska Science Center Cogiteon and the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków — linked by a shared history: both are located on the site of the former Rakowice-Czyżyny Airport. The space between them was filled with an outdoor stage and a tent city, where life buzzed all day long with experiments, workshops, games, and demonstrations.
The Polish Aviation Museum offered a range of interesting activities.
Families with children could participate in engaging model-building workshops, where everyone, regardless of age, could try their hand at being a designer. On the workshop tables, plywood helicopters, 3D cardboard airplanes, and intricately crafted paper flying machines were being enthusiastically created. In front of the Polish Aviation Museum’s booth, children happily assembled giant puzzles, discovering the most interesting and important exhibits from the Polish Aviation Museum.
There was also an aviation-themed photo session in pilot uniforms, which let participants feel like real flying aces, as well as a dynamic outdoor game with prizes that encouraged participants to actively explore the entire event grounds in search of new challenges. Additionally, at specially prepared stations within the Polish Aviation Museum, visitors could test their aviation knowledge by answering questions, then spin the wheel of fortune to win attractive prizes. Those eager to capture memories happily posed next to the J-5 Marco motor glider.
However, the real hit of the event turned out to be the rides on the museum’s electric carts, which ran between Cogiteon and Hangar No. 5 of the Polish Aviation Museum. The cart stop drew long lines of people waiting all day long, which was the best testament to the immense popularity of this attraction. Over 70 trips were made during the event, during which museum experts passionately recounted the fascinating history of the Rakowice-Czyżyny Airport. Averaging the number of passengers per trip and the kilometers traveled, we are proud to announce that we transported approximately 1,900 guests that day!
This impressive number of passengers on the “Meleks Air Line” is the best proof of just how much interest the entire event generated and how many participants were eager to explore every corner of this historic site.
In Hangar No. 5 alone, visitors could explore the free exhibition “Downwind and Upwind – Civil Aviation,” the largest exhibition of its kind in Poland and one of the leading ones in Europe. Spanning over 3,000 m², the exhibition featured dozens of historic aircraft, unique archival materials, and artifacts chronicling over a century of Polish civil aviation. Two free guided tours were offered for those interested.
The Cogiteon Science Center in Małopolska offered a wide range of science labs and educational stations that drew large crowds throughout the day.
The Reactions and Flavors Lab drew crowds with spectacular experiments using liquid nitrogen and dry ice—the chemical effects impressed viewers of all ages. Visitors could also take on sensory challenges that engaged all the senses. In the Nature Lab, anyone curious about nature could observe insects, plants, or bird feathers through a microscope
In the Innovation Workshop, participants built their own electrical circuits and met Prądek the Robot, while in the Technology Workshop, original “Tree-men” were created from screws and metal parts. For the youngest visitors, the Children’s Academy offered sensory games, pouring activities, and water experiments.
Inside the Cogiteon building, the interactive musical game “Listen to the Past” ran all day, and the conference room hosted the show “What’s Hiding in the Grass?”—a musical and humorous tale about the world of insects and nature.
The outdoor stage was bustling with activity all day long.
The “Science. Action!” demonstrations drew crowds twice over—physics and chemistry experiments conducted with theatrical flair and audience participation proved that science can be both entertaining and astonishing in equal measure.
The “Aerolaboratory,” prepared by the Polish Aviation Museum, took viewers into the world of aerodynamics and answered a question that has puzzled many a child: why do airplanes fly at all? The science quiz and the aviation knowledge quiz sparked competitive excitement—prizes went to the lucky winners who knew the answers to the toughest questions.
One of the most extraordinary and memorable attractions for everyone was the humanoid robot—Barbara—developed by the AGH Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence. For most of the day, participants could see it up close, talk to it, and take a souvenir photo. This attraction was extremely popular—there was no shortage of people lining up for a souvenir photo at the booth all day long.
In between attractions, participants relaxed in chill-out zones with lounge chairs or played in the colorful Bubble House made of balloons. Various food zones were set up at the event—offering ice cream and pancakes for the little ones, as well as dishes inspired by regional cuisine at the “Na Polu” Restaurant.
The highlight of this eventful day was the “Fionka for Kids” (Fionka dzieciom) concert on the outdoor stage, which brought families together in a joyful, festive atmosphere. It was the perfect conclusion to an event brimming with positive emotions, combining education with fun, modern technology with history, and learning with a creative, uplifting experience.
We invite you to view the photo gallery from the event:
fot. Mariusz Chańkowski | MCN Cogiteon
