The EC1 exhibition for children “Elements street” in Lodz is a unique place not only in Poland, but also in Europe. This exhibition works as a separate science center created and adapted for the youngest children. It belongs to the Lodz Science Centre, which is one of the most impressive science centers we have visited as a family in Europe. If you are looking for an interesting place to visit with children or ideas for what to do with kids during holidays or a weekend, then you should definitely travel to Lodz. We guarantee that this exhibition and the science center itself will impress the whole family.
EC1 exhibition for children “Elements street” in Lodz
The EC1 exhibition for children “Elements street” in Lodz is a specialized part of the Lodz Science Centre that introduces science specifically to children. We have not visited such a specialized and, most importantly, interesting exhibition for children anywhere else.
“Elements street” is a unique space for science and experiments designed for children from about 3 or 4 years old. However, we want to say right away that we adults enjoyed this space just as much, and so did our 1.5-year-old Paule.
Elements street layout
“Elements street” is an experiment and activity center with 3 floors and an area of 1,500 square meters. The exhibition includes 5 thematic zones connected to the elements of water, earth, air, fire, and life. Each zone has its own elementalist: Wodzi, Ziemek, Areo, Ogie, and Zywek. Here, Elements street involves children in experiments, discoveries, and fun adventures.
You enter the exhibition through the second floor. This floor mainly offers activities that develop touch and hearing. Here, children can feel different shapes, textures, and materials. They can also feel the wind. Children can go down to the first floor using a tube slide, but only from 6 years old. A staff member supervises the slide, so unfortunately younger children cannot use it. On the first floor, children can look at the world through the eyes of an animal. However, we have no doubt that children will enjoy the water and fire zones the most. There, they can create fountains, play with water cannons, float small boats, and build locks. Both Paule and Motiejus liked this area the most, so we almost had to leave with tears.
In fact, there are so many activities here that two hours is far from enough.
All experiments and exhibits appear in a very simple and child-friendly way, yet they still remain very interesting. The exhibition looks very modern, tidy, and clean. You can clearly see that staff carefully maintain the exhibits and limit the number of visitors.
Visiting the “Elements street” exhibition
“Elements street” is located in the same complex as the EC1 Science Centre.
We recommend buying tickets in advance online. The center limits the number of visitors allowed at one time to 110, so tickets may simply sell out. From Tuesday to Friday, visitors can enter the exhibition at 09:00, 11:30, and 14:00. On Saturdays and Sundays, entry times are 10:00, 13:00, and 16:00. Each visit lasts two hours.
You need to bring a change of indoor shoes or at least socks. You can also ask the staff, and they can give you shoe covers. In summer, bringing socks is especially important because walking barefoot feels uncomfortable.
There is no café or snack bar inside, so make sure to bring something to drink and a small snack.
Lodz Science Centre
The Lodz Science Centre is one of the most interesting and unique science centers we have visited as a family in Europe. Not only does the science center itself look impressive, but the buildings and the entire complex also take your breath away. The science center stands almost in the very city center. You can reach it on foot from the main city street in about 15 minutes. The center operates in a commercial thermal power plant built at the beginning of the 20th century, which worked until the 2000s. The whole area looks very urban and modern, and the project received billions in investments from the European Union. However, the place still keeps a lot of authenticity and uniqueness.
We have written a full review about the Lodz science centre and our visit there – Lodz Science Centre.
When traveling to Lodz, you should also visit one of the largest water parks in Poland, the Lodz water park, as well as Mandoria, the largest indoor amusement park not only in Poland, but also in Europe.
