This year we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the extraordinary aviation feat accomplished by the brothers Bolesław and Józef Adamowicz — their flight across the northern Atlantic. On this occasion, the Polish Aviation Museum decided to tell the story of this historic feat from 1934 and introduce the Adamowicz brothers, who harboured a great aviation dream. Despite their limited flying experience, they had enough “madness” in them to stake everything on one card and try their luck.
The event was held under the honorary patronage of the Marshal of the Małopolska Region — Mr. Witold Kozłowski.
Project goal
The project aimed to draw attention to the great deeds of our compatriots, which for various reasons have not entered public consciousness, and to show — using the example of the Adamowicz brothers — that with willpower, determination, and belief in one’s own abilities, it is possible to achieve things that might seem impossible.
Events organized as part of the project
1. Opening of the temporary exhibition Ben & Joe Across the Atlantic. 90th Anniversary of the Adamowicz Brothers’ Flight from America to Poland. The exhibition was planned as part of the Museum’s series “Great Record Flights”, which already features the figure of Stanisław Skarżyński. Using a modern comic book format enriched with traditional museum forms (photographs, documents, period objects), the story of two brothers who were the first Poles to fly across the northern Atlantic was presented.
The vernissage of the exhibition took place on June 25 at 12:00 PM in the Museum’s Main Building. The event was opened by the Museum Director — Mr. Tomasz Kosecki. Two thematic lectures accompanied the event:
Among the participants were:
2. Historical fashion show with a presentation of vintage sports equipment. Models showcased a cross-section of fashion from the 1930–1945 period. Vintage Bicycles Zabrze is the only historical reenactment group in Poland that adapts its shows for people with disabilities: the blind and the deaf. The clothing descriptions were enriched with audio description and sign language interpretation.
3. The field game was designed for families with children and groups of children and young people. Through physical and knowledge-based tasks and teamwork, participants learned the story of the Adamowicz brothers and the realities of the aviation world during the interwar period.
Download the field game
4. Model-building workshops were designed for two age groups. The first was dedicated to older participants, where everyone had the opportunity to construct their own plastic model of a historic aircraft. After assembling the aircraft, participants painted it with special paints.
The second group of workshops was designed for families with children, offering the chance to build a simpler aircraft model using foam and strips. All workshops were led by instructors.
5. Meeting by the Aircraft — a specialized lecture for an older audience, led by Mr. Jan Hoffmann, was dedicated to the feat of the Adamowicz brothers and the Bellanca J-300 Special aircraft in which they accomplished it.
6. Commemorative accompanying publication — a popular science publication in comic book form that presents the story of the Adamowicz brothers in an accessible way for readers of all ages. It is available at the Museum ticket office.
