Copernicus Science Centre

The Centrum Nauki Kopernik opened in 2010 on the Vistula bank and quickly became one of the most visited museums in Poland, with well over a million visitors a year. It is a hands-on science centre in the tradition of the Exploratorium: several hundred exhibits across galleries covering physics, biology, human perception, engineering and the history of civilisation, almost all of them meant to be operated rather than looked at. There is a high-voltage lightning demonstration in a dedicated theatre, a robotic theatre with animatronic performances, a laboratory zone where visitors run real experiments with supervision, and a section for very young children. The Heavens of Copernicus planetarium next door has a domed screen and its own programme. The building itself is a low concrete and glass block with a rooftop garden overlooking the river, and the boulevards below are part of the same riverside development.

What you actually see

• Several hundred hands-on exhibits - across physics, biology, perception and engineering.
• A lightning theatre - high-voltage demonstrations in a dedicated space.
• A robotic theatre - animatronic performances on a schedule.
• The planetarium - a domed screen next door with its own programme.

When to go

All year. A day.

Honest expectations

Tickets must be booked ahead and weekend and school-holiday slots sell out well in advance. It is loud and very busy with children. The planetarium is a separate ticket. Closed Mondays outside holidays.

Nearby

The Vistula boulevards run along the front; the old town is north.