The Mill of Knowledge Modernity Center in Torun – it’s not magic it’s science!

The Mill of Knowledge Modernity Center - Torun, Poland

You know what’s great about traveling with a baby? By the way, one discovers places that can interest and delight adults just as much, and without children, somehow we wouldn’t be motivated to look into them! Today we are just writing about such a place.

Discovering interesting places in Poland for children continues. Although today we will write to you about a place that will interest not only the youngest, but also adults. We invite you to the world of science, where various “magical” phenomena are explained!

Looking for information about what to do with a child in Torun, we immediately came across the Modernity Center “Mill of Knowledge”. A quick check of the location, what’s inside, and prices, and we already knew it would be the highlight of our short stay in Torun. We initially planned to spend an hour, maybe an hour and a half at the site, and didn’t want to believe the cashier’s assurances that you have to count from 2-3 hours. So don’t make our mistake – plan a lot more time, take some sandwiches and drink with you (why, we write about why below) and throw yourself into knowledge and learning!

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At the time of the visit to the Knowledge Mill, Olive was slightly over 2.5 years old, and this is already the age at which children will really benefit a lot. Even younger toddlers will have fun here.

Table of contents

What awaits us in the “Mill”?

Exhibitions

At the Knowledge Mill, visitors will find six floors of interactive thematic exhibitions. The order of the tour is arbitrary although we suggest starting at the very bottom, as these are the exhibits that will interest the youngest.

Even before crossing the gates, we can see the largest permanently mounted Foucault’s Pendulum in Poland, allowing us to observe the rotation of the earth. It’s already hard to tear the kids away from this place, but still, it’s worth it, because the further away the better.

The second floor is an exhibition“On Rotation.” It is here that we can feel like a hamster in a wheel, see why the wheel was a breakthrough invention of mankind, but also enter a separate space section, feel like an astronaut and see how objects behave in a vacuum.

The second floor is perhaps the most interesting part for the youngest visitors. This is the River and it is the main attraction here. On the prepared installation you can build dams, look at how different objects behave in water, learn about the power of water and use your own to create, for example, a vortex. There is also a ship to climb on, lots of things to touch, explore textures, sounds, colors, etc.

The third floor is Survival and Reconstruction – these are two smaller rooms, on the other side of the staircase. In the first, a small space is stuffed with many toys, accessories and installations that help understand the principles of speed, mass, but also learn a lot about animals and health. In the second, children can play as little builders, put on reflective vests and create interesting structures with big soft blocks.

Another, on the fourth floor, is a temporary exhibition entitled Kaleidoscope, or playing with light and optics.

One of the most interesting exhibitions, especially for adults and older children, is the one located on the fifth floor – IDEE. It is an exhibition divided into five smaller zones where we can see how humans and other organisms are built, and we can even arrange human entrails ourselves! We will also find out here how the phone or radio works.

On the sixth floor is another temporary exhibition,“Beyond the Lab,” prepared by the Museum of Science and Technology in London. Importantly, the exhibition is in English, and perhaps at first glance it stands apart from others, as there is far less interactivity, but once you delve into the stories and lives of the scientists it tells about, it may interest more than a few people. It shows how scientists have influenced the development of medicine with their ideas.

Workshop

In addition to the permanent and temporary exhibitions, the workshops are also worth checking out. We only peeped through the glass to see what the workshop rooms looked like and did not participate in any, but the offer seems interesting. Unfortunately, most are aimed at kindergartens and schools, but family workshops are also available.

Practical information

Location and access

The Młyn Wiedzy Center of Modernity is located in Torun, at 5 Wladyslaw Lokietka Street.

We traveled by car, there is free parking on site, which on the surface seems quite large, but already half an hour after the opening of the Center was combining to find a free space.

You can also get there by public transport, getting off at the East Station, Swietopelka or PKP stops from Torun East Station – the walk takes about 10-12 minutes.

Prices

As for entry to the exhibitions themselves, prices are as follows:

18 zł per adult
PLN 13 concession ticket

Since entrance is already paid for by children who have reached the age of 2, we bought a family ticket for the three of us for $38 (a maximum of 4 people including a maximum of 2 adults).

Additional services

Downstairs, at the entrance, there are lockers where you can leave your belongings free of charge. The cabinets are small, but jackets, small backpacks will fit.

There is no cafe or restaurant on site. Instead, there are separate areas with armchairs, sofas and cushions where you can relax. Food and drink can only be bought from vending machines, which unfortunately are dominated by sweets.

The nearest restaurant is in the same building, on the hostel side, but to enter it you have to leave the Mill, and beware! You can no longer later return on the same day on a previously purchased ticket. This is worth taking into account, because in our opinion it is a big minus for this place. In addition, the restaurant is not always open, as closed events are often held here and we just kissed the handle. Fortunately, there is no such thing as a bad thing, and thanks to this we discovered a pretty cool place nearby where you can eat deliciously and inexpensively – the Fork Restaurant. Recommended!

Summary

We have to admit that we were enchanted by the place, and if it weren’t for the fatigue that got to us, we could have probably spent another hour there as well. It is really a very interesting and inspiring place that, on the one hand, can instill a passion for science and encourage toddlers to gain knowledge through experiments, and on the other hand, it will also help adults understand many interesting phenomena and help pass this knowledge to children in an accessible way.

Recommended to everyone, not only parents with children.