Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego (Polish Aviation Museum) in Kraków, Poland, is one of the largest and most comprehensive aviation museums in Europe. It is dedicated to the history of aviation in Poland and the development of aviation technology. The museum features an extensive collection of aircraft, aviation artifacts, and exhibits related to the history of Polish aviation, from its beginnings to the present day.
Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego w Krakowie 9 (Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow)
al. Jana Pawła II 39
31-864 Kraków
+4812 640 99 60 / +48 12 642 40 70
Tuesday 09:00 – 17:00 – free admission
Wednesday – Friday 09:00 – 17:00
Saturday – Sundays 09:00 – 17:00
Closed Monday
Admission fee except Tuesday
Gift shop
GPS coordinates: N: 50° 4′ 37″ E: 19° 59′ 23″
Aircraft collection
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SP-LXH s/n 172006 3241 SP-FXA B.1302/15 C.197/15 10114 SP-WMK 5705 1508 C.12250/17 XW919/W – SP-AFO 68-7916 SP-GLC D-IRIK BA03 146/8-MC T-8209/10 – XG613 17077/17 D-EFRI 5-MF D-EFRI – R II C 262 CL.15459/17 D-OMIP 3078 72 S3 29 – 36 SP-ASZ 02 SP-YYY/19 16 037 6316/4V+GH/9 SP-NXA D.2225/18 5502 027 B.350/17 SP-LGB MM6876 – 67-0260/SP 3 D-INJR 018 304 1023 905 809/C 6504 9107 9204 2003 1901 2004 01 4205 1125 1217 9349 4401 120 4115 SP-SAR 717 49-2983/TA-983 73-0852 SP-PHN 43-29233 641-646/4 81-123 0305 0603 SP-DMA SP-PAK 8.63/2K SP-WAK SP-PBB SN-51XP/G-020 SN-52XP/G-002 SP-FWH SP-PRD SP-PRC SP-KFB SP-PBK – SP-PCB/003 SP-PCE/011 2/8-63/39-K FU-36/036 SP-BNU SP-BPE 35520/14 37954/54 XX730/EC B7280 – 4242 806 807 01 06 116 3005 3305 304 TB995/ZF-O SP-P600 SP-2371 SP-2463 SP-2635/31 SP-LHB – 712 1230 1023 1414 105 606 618 SP-PBL 014 304 035 2004 012 0730/1 1007 1415 1909 0309 0519 13-9578/SP-BPL SP-ARM SP-AUB – | AEG Wagner Eule
Aero Ae-145 Aero Ae-145 Aero L-29 Delphin Aero L-60 Brigadyr Albatros B.II Albatros C.1 Albatros H.1 Antonov An-2R Antonov An-2T Antonov An-26 Aviatik C.III BAe Harrier GR.3 Bleriot XI (replica) Bucker Bu-131B Jungmann Cessna A-37B Dragonfly Cessna UC-78A Bobcat Curtiss Export Hawk II Dassault Mirage 5BA Dassault Mystere IVA de Havilland 82A Tiger Moth II de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB.6 de Havilland Sea Venom FAW.21 DFW C.V Etrich Taube Fouga CM170 Magister Friedrich Etrich Taube Geest Möwe IV Grigorowicz M-15 Halberstadt Cl.II Heinkel He-5f Ilyushin Il-14S (VEB) Ilyushin Il-28R Ilyushin Il-28U Ilyushin (Avia) B-33 (Il-10) J-3 Eagle Jakowlew Jak-11 Jakowlew Jak-12M Yakovlev Yak-17UTI (Yak-17W) Jakowlew Jak-18 Yakovlev Yak-23 Yakovlev Yak-40 Junkers Ju52/3mge Let L-200A Morava LFG Roland D.VIb Ling Temco Vought A-7P Corsair II Lisunow Li-2T (lic. DC-3) LVG B.II LWD Zuraw Lockheed F-104S-ASA-M Starfighter The MAK – 30 supersonic flying target McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II MesserschmittBf 109* Messerschmitt Me 209 V1 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-15UTI Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-19PM Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-21F-13 Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-21MF Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-21MF Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-21bis Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-21M Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-21PF Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-21PF Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-21PFMN Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-21PFM Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-21R Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-21U-400 Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-21UM Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-21US Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-23MF Mikojan-Guriewicz MiG-29GT Mil Mi-2 Mil Mi-24V North American T-6G Texan Northrop F-5E Tiger II Pieniążek “Kukułka” Piper L-4A Grasshopper Polikarpow Po-2 LNB PWS-26 PZL I-22 M-93K Iryda PZL-Mielec M-15 Belphegor PZL M-20 Mewa PZL M-4 Tarpan PZL P.11c PZL-101 Gawron PZL S-4 Kania 3 PZL S-4 Kania 3 PZL S-4 Kania 3 PZL Szpak 4T PZL104-35A PZL-105L Flaming PZL-105M Flaming PZL-106 Kruk (prototype) PZL-106A Kruk PZL-130 Orlik PZL-130TC-1 Orlik PZL-Okecie P-11c Republic F-84F Thunderstreak RWD-13 RWD-21 Saab J 35J Draken Saab JASF37 Viggen SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1 Sopwith F.1 Camel Stinson L-5 Sentinel Sukhoi Su-20 Sukhoi Su-7BKL Sukhoi Su-7BKL Sukhoi Su-7BM Sukhoi Su-7BM Sukhoi Su-7UM Sukhoi Su-22M-4 Sukhoi Su-22M-4 Sukhoi Su-22UM-3K Supermarine 361 Spitfire LF.16E Swift S-1 SZD-19-2A SZD-27 SZD-43 Tupolev Tu-134A Tupolev Tu-2S WSK Lim-1 WSK Lim-2 PZL-Mielec Lim-5 (MiG-17F) WSK Lim-5R WSK Lim-6bis WSK Lim-6M WSK Lim-6MR PZL-Mielec MD-12F WSK SB Lim-2 WSK SB Lim-2 WSK SB Lim-2A WSK SB Lim-2A WSK TS-11 Iskra bis B WSK TS-11 Iskra bis B PZL-Mielec TS-11 Iskra bis B PZL-Mielec TS-11 Iskra bis DF WSK TS-11R Iskra bis DF WSK TS-8 Bies WSK TS-8 Bies WSK TS-9 Junak 3 Zlin Z-26 Trener Zlin Z-50LA ZRPSL EM-10 Bielik |
* Till March 15, 2020 ondisplay at Szolnok – RepTár – Szolnoki Repülőmúzeum Szolnok Aviation Museum
Helicopters
| V-257
136255 SP-GIL – – 2121 511 6 620 739 741 05 – 0216 4316 6048 SP-SAD SP-SAP | Aerospatiale Allouette 3
Bell CH-136 Kiowa BZ-1 GIL Instytut Lotnictwa BZ-4 Zuk JK-1 Trzmiel Mil Mi-2FM Mil Mi-4A Mil Mi-4ME Mil Mi-8S Mil Mi-24V Mil Mi-24V WSK Mi-2M-2 WSK Mi-2R WSK Mi-2T WSK Mi-2 URP WSK Mi-2Ch WSK SM-1 (Mi-1) PZL-Swidnik SM-2 |
Gliders
| SP-552
SP-1697 SP-1391 SP-322 SP-985 SP-1213 – SP-P600 SP-1477 SP-1463 SP-1726 SP-1506 SP-1640 SP-2371/12 SP-2499 SP-2292 SP-2356 SP-2635/31 SP-1220 SP-1335 SP-1358 SP-447 SP-167 – SP-590 | IS-1 Sep bis
IS-3 ABC IS-4 Jastrzab IS-A Salamandra IS-B Komar 49 IS-C Zuraw PW-2D Gapa Swift S-1 SZD-10 bis Czapla SZD-12 Mucha 100 SZD-15 Sroka SZD-17X Jaskolka L SZD-18 Czajka SZD-19-2A Zefir 2A SZD-21 Kobuz 3 SZD-22 Mucha Standard SZD-25A Lis SZD-43 Orion SZD-6X Nietoperz SZD-8 bis Jaskolka SZD-9 bis Bocian 1A WWS Wrona bis WWS-2 Zaba Borzęcki Altostratus HWL Pegaz |
Stored
| SP-YGA
– – SP-YAC – SP-PBB SP-AAG N39245 | Croses EC-3 Pouplume
Farman IV (replica) J-1 Prząśniczka / Don Quixote J-5 Marco Mikolaj Surmanowicz’ human-powered aircraft PZL S-4 Kania 3 PZL Szpak 4T Rand Robinson KR-2 |
The Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego consists of over 200 aircraft. Several of the aircraft displayed are unique on the world scale, including sailplanes and some 100 aircraft engines. Some of the exhibits are only in their initial stages. The museum houses a large aviation library and photographic archives.
The Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego has 22 extremely rare airplanes that until 1941 were displayed at the Deutsche Luftfahrtsammlung museum (German aviation museum) in Berlin. These planes were evacuated during World War II to rescue them from Allied bombing (the museum itself was destroyed in air raids) to German occupied Poland. The Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin regards these exhibits as their property.
The Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego has very few Polish planes from the years 1918-1939, as these were almost all destroyed during the Nazi German occupation of Poland, including those displayed in Polish pre-war aviation museums. The only two examples of prewar Polish military aircraft in the collection: a PZL P.11 (the only surviving example in the world) and a PWS-26, survived only because they were displayed as war trophies by the Germans, and so were part of the above-mentioned collection acquired after the war. In addition, a few Polish pre-war civilian planes were returned by Romania after the war and eventually found their way to the museum.
In contrast, the museum has an essentially complete collection of all airplane types developed or used by Poland after 1945.
Photos Ruud Boots
Engines
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Aircraft Exhibits at the Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego (Polish Aviation Museum):
1. Historic and Iconic Aircraft:
- World War I Aircraft:
- The museum houses early aviation examples, including aircraft used during World War I, such as Sopwith Camel and Fokker DR.I replicas. These aircraft are significant in understanding the role of aviation during the war.
- Polish Military Aircraft:
- PZL P.11 – A notable Polish pre-World War II fighter aircraft, which was one of the most important in the Polish Air Force during the 1939 campaign.
- PZL.37 Łoś – A twin-engine bomber from the 1930s, used by the Polish Air Force before World War II, reflecting Poland’s contribution to military aviation.
- World War II Aircraft:
- Supermarine Spitfire – The British fighter plane famously flown by Polish pilots during the Battle of Britain. The Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego includes Spitfire models that highlight the Polish contribution to the victory over the Luftwaffe.
2. Cold War and Post-War Aircraft:
- MiG-15 – A Soviet jet fighter from the Cold War era, representing the shift to jet aircraft in the post-World War II period.
- MiG-21 – Another important Soviet jet aircraft that served extensively in the Warsaw Pact nations, including Poland.
- Su-22 – A Soviet-designed ground-attack aircraft that was widely used by the Polish Air Force during the Cold War.
3. Civil Aviation:
- Jak-40 – A Soviet-built jet airliner that was popular in Eastern Europe for short and medium-range flights.
- PZL-104 Wilga – A Polish-made light aircraft used in both civil and military applications. The Wilga was known for its robustness and ability to operate from short and unprepared airstrips.
- L-410 – A twin-engine aircraft used for regional and cargo flights, particularly in Poland and other Eastern Bloc countries.
4. Helicopters:
- The Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego displays several types of military and civilian helicopters, such as Mi-2, Mi-8, and W-3 Sokół, which represent the development of helicopter technology in Poland and the Soviet Union.
5. Experimental and Prototype Aircraft:
- The museum includes several prototype and experimental aircraft, demonstrating the evolution of aviation technology and the experimental designs developed in Poland.
6. Polish Aviation History:
- The Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego offers a detailed look at Polish aviation pioneers, such as Ignacy Żeliski, Władysław Tułaczyński, and Jerzy Błaszczak, whose work contributed significantly to the development of aviation in Poland.
- There are also exhibitions on the Polish Air Force during World War II, especially the Polish Air Forces in the West, and Polish aviators’ significant role in the Battle of Britain and other key air campaigns.
7. Aviation Technology and Artifacts:
- Flight Instruments and Equipment:
- The museum displays a variety of aviation instruments, radar systems, and cockpit sections from different aircraft, allowing visitors to understand the technology that powered the planes.
- Aviation Art and Photography:
- The Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego houses collections of aviation-themed art, as well as a large archive of aviation photography, showcasing historic flights, famous pilots, and significant aviation moments.