Deep within the grounds of the Military Institute of Aviation Medicine, a circular hall once pushed human bodies to the edge of endurance. Now, that same space — where pilots were strapped in and spun at forces that tested the limits of physiology — is set to become one of Warsaw’s most unusual cultural destinations. A new Hall of Tradition is taking shape, and the original centrifuge will be at its heart.
Warsaw is no stranger to transformation — but few projects carry quite the charge of this one. The Military Institute of Aviation Medicine is preparing to open its historic centrifuge hall to the public, converting a once-classified space of extreme scientific research into an immersive museum and experience centre. The initiative is being led by Prof. Grzegorz Kade, the institute’s director, in partnership with Karolina Siudyła of the Lechmar Foundation.
The original centrifuge — a machine designed to simulate the gravitational forces experienced by pilots during flight — will remain in place as the exhibition’s centrepiece. A new, state-of-the-art facility now handles active training at the institute, freeing the historic hall to take on a very different kind of purpose.
1928
Institute founded by Marshal Józef Piłsudski
2028
Target opening year — the institute’s centenary
100
Years of aviation medicine history to be told
What sets this project apart from Warsaw’s growing roster of contemporary museums is something that cannot be designed or fabricated: genuine historical texture. “This is not a recreated environment — it is the original space where history happened,” says Prof. Kade. That authenticity shapes the entire curatorial approach. Rather than building a replica, the team is building around what already exists.
“We want visitors to feel something, not just learn something.” – Karolina Siudyła Lechmar Foundation
The planned exhibition traces the evolution of aviation medicine from the institute’s earliest experimental work — much of it conducted in this very hall — through to the cutting-edge technologies used in today’s facility. Multimedia installations and interactive storytelling elements will frame the original centrifuge, creating an emotional as much as an educational encounter.
Part of the project’s appeal lies in its inaccessibility. For decades, the centrifuge hall was a restricted, highly specialised environment. Opening it to the public carries a particular resonance. “There’s something very exciting about inviting people into a place that was once closed,” says Siudyła. The transition from a space of secrecy to one of openness is, in its own way, part of the story.
Prof. Kade frames the project within Warsaw’s broader cultural moment. “Warsaw is becoming a city of meaningful spaces — places that tell stories,” he observes. The Hall of Tradition, as it is being called, aims to sit alongside the city’s newer museums and experience centres while offering something distinctly different: roots.
The target opening date is 2028, which will mark the 100th anniversary of the institute’s founding by Marshal Józef Piłsudski. For the project’s champions, the symbolism is unmistakable. “It would be a symbolic moment to put this space into use,” says Prof. Kade. Achieving it, however, will require sustained fundraising and partnership-building. The team is actively seeking support from businesses, cultural institutions, and individual donors.
“We want to create a place that is open, engaging, and relevant — not only for specialists, but for the wider public.”
PROF. GRZEGORZ KADE, MILITARY INSTITUTE OF AVIATION MEDICINE
Siudyła is clear about what drives the initiative beyond institutional duty. “We made a conscious decision — not just as representatives of our organisations, but as individuals — that we will make this happen.” It is the kind of personal commitment that, as Prof. Kade notes, distinguishes projects that actually get built from those that remain on paper.
If it succeeds, the Hall of Tradition will add a genuinely unusual dimension to Warsaw’s cultural landscape — a place where the history of human endurance, scientific progress, and military aviation converges in the space where it all took place. “It’s a story that belongs to the city and its people,” says Siudyła. “And it deserves to be told in a way that resonates today.”
