The Polish Aviation Museum is dedicated to the stories, vessels, and history of machines that fly. Featuring helicopters, gliders, rocket launchers, sailplanes, biplanes, and military jets, the museum’s extensive collection includes special and rare aircraft. It’s located at the site of a decommissioned regional airport and military airfield, one of the oldest in the world. The majority of the aircraft are kept out in the elements—leading to some weathering and degradation of their exteriors—though the best-kept artifacts of the collection are housed in a modern building shaped like an airplane propeller.
This excellent museum will fascinate those interested in aviation history.
The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, with Tuesdays being free entry days for everyone.
Because the museum has an extensive collection, allow yourself two to three hours if you hope to see it all.
Signage is mostly in Polish, but English plaques are available for some aircraft.
While the museum isn't too far from the city center, you’ll want to give yourself some time to get there due to its location on the outskirts of Krakow. The best way to get there is by city tram, which you can catch from Old Town. Tram lines 4, 5, 9, and 10 can all take you to the museum, as well as a taxi.
Because most of the airplanes on view are outdoors, it is best to go on a day when the weather is dry. Otherwise, the museum is open Tuesday through Sunday all year round, with the exception of holidays listed on the website.
This museum offers the unique ability to view Eastern Bloc and Soviet-era aircraft, as well as extremely rare World War II-era German planes. Look out for Tupolev aircraft, Soviet rocket launchers, and WSK Lim-1, a Soviet jet fighter made famous in the Korean War. Surprisingly, the collection has no Polish aircraft from 1918–1939, as most were destroyed during wartime. However, the collection is complete for Polish aircraft post-1945.
