Hewelianum. Science and fun center!

Visiting Hewelianum

...is definitely a must-do during a family trip to Gdańsk! This center of science, natural and ecological education, as well as history, is located in an extraordinary place: on Gradowa Hill, in the historic buildings of a military fort with a beautiful viewpoint overlooking the city center and the shipyard buildings.

What to see in Hewelianum?

Hewelianum offers both permanent exhibitions and a plethora of events: classes, shows, and workshops available for groups, but also for individual guests (reservation of places on the website). It is a place where you can spend an interesting whole day. If possible, it's worth spreading the Hewelianum adventure over several shorter visits, or planning breaks between individual exhibitions, so that fun and learning do not end in fatigue, boredom, and confusion...

Permanent exhibitions in Hewelianum

1. Exhibition "Around the World"

This exhibition is perfect for the youngest (older ones will also find something interesting!). We start with general information about the Earth and its structure:

Then we travel through individual continents: Asia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica, South and North America, and Europe. Each continent offers a handful of interesting facts, learning opportunities, and several interactive play stations.

In Asia we will get to know exotic animals, play with a Japanese shadow theater, take a magical elevator to the top of Mount Everest and the depths of Lake Baikal, and also build our own mountains:

In Africa we will play as a wild cat sneaking up to a herd of antelopes, learn the secrets of the camel, baobab, and diamonds.

Australia includes a hurricane capsule, artificial waves, and a coral reef.

In the Arctic we will enter an igloo, face a polar bear, and discover the underwater part of an iceberg:

South America is a wild jungle full of animals. We will get to know them... by rowing on the Amazon!

Next, we will visit North America: memory portraits, gold fever, a gunslinger reflex exercise, and geysers.

And for dessert, Europe: the richness of culture, nature, and... a telephone booth with European languages.

You should reserve about 1.5-2 hours to go through the "Around the World" exhibition.

2. Exhibition "Puzzle"

Mathematical, mainly geometric puzzles await in a small room (entrance via narrow stairs - not for strollers).

Younger children will also cope with some tasks - e.g. drawing and writing in mirror reflection, arranging glass balls. Older kids will find here a visual representation of many mathematical formulas and theorems, and some "puzzles" will also be a challenge even for adults!

What impressed us the most was the comparison of one, a hundred, a thousand, a million, and... a billion grains of sand!

Reserve about 1 hour to solve the puzzles in the "Puzzle" exhibition.

3. Exhibition "With Energy"

The largest exhibition in Hewelianum is dozens of interactive "stations" related to energy: electric, water, wind, and solar, as well as many other scientific issues.

Here you will also find, for example, car driving simulators, an instrument for playing on water bottles, or a "live" Mendeleev table.

Quite a large part of the exhibition is devoted to ecological issues: threats to our planet, waste recycling, and renewable energy sources.

Of course, everything can be touched, experimented with, played with... and at the same time, you can learn a lot!

You should reserve about 1.5-2 hours to go through the "With Energy" exhibition.

4. Historical exhibitions in Hewelianum

Scattered throughout the fort's buildings, mini historical exhibitions are an additional attraction during a walk on Gradowa Hill - all are available for free.

More about the historical exhibition on Gradowa Hill >>>

Góra Gradowa (hail mountain). Viewpoint and history

Góra Gradowa - attractions. In addition to the city center and the historic Old Town, Góra Gradowa is an additional must-visit spot in Gdańsk! ...

PS. To avoid boredom, permanent exhibitions also undergo changes! The above information is from 2022. If you notice any changes - please let us know!

Hewelianum - practical information

• Moving around the fort and exhibitions with a stroller can be difficult. We can leave the stroller in a special "stroller storage". The permanent exhibitions "Around the World" and "With Energy!" are accessible for people in wheelchairs.
• Toilets - including with changing tables and for the disabled are located in the main building and at the "With Energy" exhibition.
• Tickets can be purchased in advance online (recommended), or on site
• One of the buildings houses the restaurant "Wozownia Gdańska", apart from that, hectares of meadows for a picnic!
• Visiting the 3 permanent exhibitions and the historical exhibition will take us a good few hours - it's worth planning breaks between exhibitions, or dividing the visit into 2-3 days.
• In the main building and at the "With Energy" exhibition there is a cloakroom and lockable lockers for storing luggage that we do not want to carry with us (you will need 2 PLN coins).

Getting to Hewelianum

By car:

We have a parking lot on Gradowa Hill - right by the center, below - at the intersection of Gradowa Street with H. Dąbrowskiego Street and on 3 Maja Street - next to the courthouse building. If you have a stroller with you, we definitely advise against parking on 3 Maja Street - you will have to climb quite steeply uphill on a cobblestone-paved road.

Train, Bus, Public Transport

Hewelianum is located just above the Gdańsk Główny railway station and the main bus station. The shortest route is to go down 3 Maja Street behind the buildings of the District Court and climb the hill on a wide, paved (and quite steep!) road. With a stroller, it's better to go around the hill and enter from H. Dąbrowskiego Street and Gradowa Street.

Map with paths on Gradowa Hill >>>

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Author: tekst i zdjęcia: Danka + Marfusza
Publish Date: 2022-02-02