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Temporary exhibitions Archived

Szczepan Grzeszczyk – Father of Polish Gliding

DATE:08 / 04 / 2026
Wanda Modlibowska, Szczepan Grzeszczyk i Maria Younga przy szybowcu CW-IIbis w Bezmiechowej.

On 13 March 1928, he made a flight on the amateur glider CW-I, and on 26 May of the same year, during the first Gliding Expedition organized by ZASPL on Łysa Góra near Złoczów, he set two national gliding records: flight duration (4 min 13 s) and altitude (40 m). This achievement proved that Poland had conditions favourable for gliding, which initiated its dynamic development.

The temporary exhibition presented the figure of Szczepan Grzeszczyk, a pre-war glider designer, glider and powered aircraft pilot, instructor, and promoter of gliding. Founder of the gliding school in Bezmiechowa.

Prototype of the Mewa glider at Mokotów airfield in Warsaw
Szczepan Grzeszczyk test-flying the CW-III glider designed by Wacław Czerwiński.

On 12 panels richly illustrated with numerous archival photographs, his biography, design achievements, and descriptions of the gliders he designed were presented.

Szczepan Grzeszczyk in the cockpit of the SG-3 glider.
Szczepan Grzeszczyk beside an RWD-8 aircraft.

The exhibition also featured original photographs, an album, documents, and construction drawings by Szczepan Grzeszczyk.

Exhibition curator: Jarosław Dobrzyński
Task team: Jarosław Dobrzyński, Szymon Placha, Błażej Młudzik, Aleksandra Blachnicka
Graphic design: Marcin Kralka