Kraków's Polish Aviation Museum will welcome thousands of visitors on Sunday, 30 August for this year's Polish Aviation Day, with the programme centred on one of the most remarkable journeys in the history of Polish aviation.
The event marks 100 years since pilots Bolesław Orliński and Leonard Kubiak completed their pioneering Warsaw-Tokyo-Warsaw flight in 1926. Covering more than 22,000 kilometres at a time when long-distance aviation was still in its infancy, the journey became an important chapter in Poland's aviation history.
Last year's Polish Aviation Day attracted a record 17,000 visitors, and this year's anniversary is expected to bring another busy day to the historic Rakowice-Czyżyny airfield.
A full day of aviation and history
The anniversary will be explored through a new temporary exhibition, “Arrived Tokio! The Extraordinary Flight of Bolesław Orliński and Leonard Kubiak”, opening at noon in the Main Hangar.
Visitors can also join guided tours following Orliński's story, hear talks about his career and wartime service, and attend the launch of a new biography of the pilot by Stanisław Błasiak.
At 15:30, historian Jan Hoffmann will discuss the Breguet XIX, the aircraft used for the famous journey. Later in the day, talks will look at Orliński's wartime experiences and his life beyond the Tokyo flight.
The museum will also bring the story to life in the sky, with two scheduled blocks of aircraft flypasts. If conditions allow, there will also be parachute jumps by soldiers from Poland's 6th Airborne Brigade.
A taste of Japan in Kraków
The centenary also provides an opportunity to explore the historic links between Poland and Japan.
The museum will create a “Little Japan” area featuring Japanese historical re-enactments, demonstrations, martial arts, tea ceremony, origami, calligraphy and children's activities. The Museum of Japanese Art and Technology Manggha and Krakowski Klub Chombo are among the partners involved.
There will also be a talk exploring the Piłsudski family's connections with Japan, including the work of Bronisław Piłsudski, the Polish ethnographer whose research into the Ainu people remains highly regarded in Japan.
From historic aircraft to Mars
The event is not limited to aviation history. Visitors will also be able to meet students and engineers working on the next generation of aircraft and space technology.
AGH Solar Plane will present its solar-powered aircraft projects and unmanned aviation technology. At the same time, Kraków’s AGH Space Systems and the Legendary Rover Team from Rzeszów University of Technology will showcase their work on Mars rover technology.
There will also be flight simulators, aviation education activities, military and emergency service displays, historic cars and opportunities to look inside several aircraft that are normally closed to visitors.
For families, the museum grounds will offer a mixture of hands-on activities, games and outdoor attractions, with visitors encouraged to bring a picnic blanket and make a day of it.
Polish Aviation Day 2026: practical information
Date: Sunday, 30 August 2026
Time: 10:00 to 20:45
Location: Polish Aviation Museum, al. Jana Pawła II 39, Kraków
Museum ticket offices: Open until 19:30
Tickets:
Adults: PLN 20
Primary school children with a valid school ID: PLN 5
Children under seven: free
Parking: Three free parking areas will be available, including part of the museum's former runway, the area by Małopolskie Centrum Nauki Cogiteon and the Kraków University of Technology. Paid parking will also be available at the Academy of Physical Education on ul. Hotelarzy for PLN 20 per day.
The evening programme will culminate at 20:30 with “Polskie Skrzydła”, a projection mapping show on the façade of Hangar 5.
The event gives visitors a chance to spend a summer Sunday among historic aircraft while discovering a remarkable story that connects Poland, Japan and the city's own aviation heritage.
Source and image credit: Polish Aviation Museum press materials
