“Metamuseum” is an exhibition in two parts. The first part introduces the beginnings of the museum collection and the realities in which the Museum was created. The second part enters the world of model building and presents aviation in a creative way – through miniatures, as well as an interesting arrangement of full-size aircraft.
Estimated individual visiting time – approximately 15–25 minutes.
The first part of the exhibition is located right next to the “Storerooms of History” and takes visitors back to the 1960s and 1970s, when the character and collections of the emerging Museum were being shaped. The grey chain-link fence, old signs with the names of the Six-Year Plan Avenue and the Museum of Aviation and Astronautics, as well as worn but extremely valuable exhibits, create an image of the somewhat modest beginnings of the institution. Although these exhibits may not look impressive today, they are very valuable and constitute an extremely important testament to the Museum’s early years. Among them are the BŻ-4 Żuk helicopter, prototypes of the Bies, Iskra, and Szpak, as well as the unique, only surviving example of the Zuch 1.
The second part of the exhibition shifts attention to the world of model building, showcasing models, model engines, and real aircraft presented in a way that resembles models brought to life. Surrounded by oversized model paint cans, the PZL S-4 Kania 3, the Jak-12 placed on matchboxes, and the LWD Żak beneath giant model kit sprues create the impression of models that have come alive. In the display case next to the Kania, one can see models of aircraft that no longer exist – pre-war RWD sport aircraft, including two that won the Challenge competitions, and the PZL.23 Karaś reconnaissance bomber, famous for its participation in the heroic battles of September 1939. The display cases feature trophies of two outstanding Polish modellers – Jerzy Ostrowski and Ireneusz Pudełka, and under the ceiling and on the walls hang their models, such as the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, de Havilland Hornet, Jak-18, and PZL P.11c.
