Kraków 2025-08-30
Hangar No. 5: 2nd Air Force Regiment in Krakow.
Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow.
In 2017, decisions were made regarding the reconstruction of the historic hangars in the Aviators’ Park. The rebuilt structures are to be used as exhibition spaces for the Polish Aviation Museum. Due to the need to raise appropriate funds, the project was divided into stages and postponed. In the first phase, it was decided to rebuild one hangar, No. 5, along with its internal infrastructure and surroundings. The project is the next stage in the expansion of Poland’s largest aviation museum. The program is titled “Hexagon – Construction of a Hangar for the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków.”
In May 2023, the contractor, PBP Łęgprzem from Kraków, entered the construction site. Completion was planned for July 2024. Fifty workers were working on the site at any one time.
The hangar being rebuilt was destroyed by retreating Germans in 1945. During the Second Polish Republic, the hangar was used by the 2nd Air Force Regiment in Kraków. The hangar’s design was developed by Professor Izydor Stella-Sawicki, an engineer, and was one of the most modern facilities of its kind in the world in the 1920s. The current reconstruction of the hangar was developed at the Kraków University of Technology under the supervision of Maria Łuczyńska-Bruzda, Professor of Architecture and Ph.D. Ultimately, the plan also includes the reconstruction of a second, twin hangar located nearby, and the development of the entire area.
The investment is desperately needed. The Polish Aviation Museum boasts an increasingly extensive collection and is struggling with its proper display. Gone are the days when a small square was enough. Historic aviation exhibits require appropriate conditions to avoid being repainted every five years. After 16 months of construction, on August 30, 2024, the new hangar received construction approval. The investment received funding from the Polish Deal Government Fund: Strategic Investment Program, Edition II, in the amount of PLN 22,140,000 gross. The Małopolska Voivodeship covered its own contribution and the costs of the investment process. The total cost of the hangar construction was PLN 26 million. On Sunday, August 24, 2025, the grand opening of Hangar No. 5 and the permanent exhibition inside took place.
Hangar No. 5 has a floor area of 2,869.55 square meters. Usable area: 3,602.56 m². Total area: 3,821.55 m². Building volume: 22,180.36 m³. Number of floors: 1, plus an additional mezzanine. The rear, western wall has been preserved as a relic of the past, and the new wall is 4.80 m away from it. The existing gable wall remains as a permanent ruin, appropriately structurally protected and protected against further erosion caused by weather conditions. Only a single, front truss arch was built on the roof as a historical and decorative element. It did not contribute to the transfer of structural loads. A maneuvering and maintenance area has been recreated in front of the hangar.
The interior houses a permanent exhibition, “With the Wind and Against the Wind – Civil Aviation.” The exhibition focuses on civil aviation, with particular emphasis on the sporting successes of Polish pilots dating back to the 1930s. The exhibition features approximately 40 large-scale objects: gliders and airplanes. The exhibition is complemented by scenographic installations, educational objects, boards, and descriptions, some in interactive format. There is also a special multimedia attraction: a glider flight simulator and a hang glider flight simulator.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman