National Science Center Kopernik

A few months ago my cousin Ralph has taken you to the planetarium that is a part of the National Science Center Kopernik in Warsaw. I have promised you then to take you there again. It is time to fulfill this promise. All those who suddenly forgot who was Mikołaj Kopernik (aka Copernicus) should quickly take a look back to our recent trip to Olsztyn.

The Kopernic Center is unique in Poland. Everybody wants to visit it which means long queues at the entry. If you want to visit it at a specific date always remember to book your tickets on-line upfront.

Next to the entry we can meet again the robot that Ralph has presented you. Any guesses about the mood he can be today?

The Kopernik Center is so modern that they do not distribute old-fashion paper tickets. They give visitors magnetic cards that later allow to access some additional attractions.

Just behind the main entry we will find the Foucault pendulum. It is the simplest tool developed so far to demonstrate that Earth rotates.

The Kopernik Center has very many topical exhibitions and installations. Presenting all of them in one story would be too much. Therefore I have chosen for you a few topics that I have found particularly interesting.

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First we will start with the four elements. In the Kopernik Center you can learn a lot about water and its physical properties. There are a lot of strange devices that show you the way water flows. The best thing is that visitors are allowed to touch all of them!

Let's move to wind and air. Here you can see and feel it yourself. Hold on!

Be careful, here comes a fire tornado! This is obviously one of few items in the Kopernik Center that visitors cannot touch. When I was visiting the center a big group of 4-year old kids was running in all directions. I am pretty sure they would be ready to give the tornado a try if they were only able.

The section about Earth was devoted to archeology. If you have a moment you can sit here, put on these special glasses and try to decipher yourself the famous Rosetta Stone.

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The second exhibition that I have liked a lot was about sound. It was possible to see closely some classical instruments like this violin.

But it was also possible to touch and play some very modern ones, like this harp. You think it is broken since it has no strings? Well, you are wrong. It has invisible strings, laser ones. Feels a bit like Star Trek, isn't it?

The Kopernik Center is also offering some workshops about selected topics. During those dedicated to sound it was possible to actually touch the sound made by a glovophone ...

... and even to see the sound! The vibrations made by the drum moved the buckwheat lying on top of the thin film.

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Last but not least, I have liked the Bzzzz gallery, devoted to animals.

It is possible to see there paths of different animals, to learn some interesting facts about them. But it is also possible to literally look through their eyes, to see the way in which the sight of a particular species differs from human one.

It is also possible to smell different wild animals and their natural environment.

Just before we leave we can admire this huge bubble made out of water and soap.

In summer time I would take you as well for a walk on the bank of the Vistula river. But it is far too cold and cloudy to enjoy it.

So let's finish our visit in the wonderful science store. You can look for some games and I will buy a few postcards.