For nearly 80 years, the remains of a building used by the fighter squadrons of the 2nd Aviation Regiment were overgrown with vegetation. Now Hangar No. 5, built on the site of its predecessor and incorporating a relic wall from the former structure in its construction, will become the home of a new permanent exhibition at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków.
The new hangar is the largest exhibition space built during the museum’s history. It has an area of over 3,000 m2 with a mezzanine and will serve to make nearly 40 unique aircraft, including gliders, available to visitors. It will be a place for building cultural identity, displaying collections and education for residents of Małopolska, Poland and guests from around the world. — said Tomasz Kosecki, Director of the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków, during the opening ceremony.
On Thursday afternoon, October 24, 2024, an official ceremony of blessing and handover of the Hangar by the Małopolska Region to the Museum took place.
The event was graced by the presence of, among others:
After screening a film presenting the successive stages of the hangar’s construction, representatives of the Małopolska Region and Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski took the floor.
We want to clearly demonstrate that the historical education of the younger generation is very important to the Regional Government of the Małopolska Region. This hangar is also proof that good cooperation between government and regional administration brings visible, tangible results — said Łukasz Smółka during his address.
The symbolic cutting of a ribbon bearing the Museum’s logo, stretched across the open hangar gates, was then performed by: the Marshals and the Voivode of the Małopolska Region, the Director of the Museum, and representatives of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego and the general contractor — Łęgprzem.
The solemn blessing of the Hangar was performed by Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, thereby upholding a long-standing museum tradition according to which all newly opened Museum buildings were blessed by successive bishops of Kraków.
The creation of this hangar is the result of many years of efforts by the Museum and my predecessor, the late Director Krzysztof Radwan, to maintain the historic and aviation character of this place. Above all, however, the new hangar is an expression of care for our rich and unique collections, which stems not only from our statutory duty, but also from a sense of historical responsibility. Before us lies another great task — the creation of a new permanent exhibition entitled “With the Wind and Against It — Civil Aviation” in the reconstructed hangar, telling the story of the role and achievements of Polish sport pilots. It will be the first exhibition of this scale in Poland presenting the successes initiated in 1932 by Żwirko and Wigura. Today’s ceremony is a breakthrough moment in the museum’s history. — summarised Tomasz Kosecki, Director of the Museum.
Ceremony participants also had the opportunity to watch an interesting presentation by representatives of the general contractor — Łęgprzem, showcasing the stages of the investment’s realisation from a construction perspective.
The official part of the event concluded with expressions of thanks and the presentation of special awards to individuals who particularly contributed to the creation of the new hangar. On behalf of the Museum, Tomasz Kosecki presented commemorative fragments of the Hangar No. 5 gate foundation from 1929, embedded in resin, together with certificates, as well as reproductions of aviation paintings by Robert Firszt.
Those honoured were:
To conclude, the assembled guests could admire a model aircraft display by Jakub Muranowicz, Junior World Vice-Champion in the F3P-AFM category — freestyle flying to music — and listen to a concert by musicians of the Kraków Philharmonic.
We sincerely thank you for your presence and invite you to view the photo report from the event below:
Photos by Zbigniew Łata
