Open Days in Świerk

News Date

Thu, 07/06/2023 - 12:00

Maria is the sole research reactor operated in Poland (photo NCBJ)

Come to see the Świerk reasearch centre on the last weekend of May (Saturday 30 or Sunday 31 between 9 am and 6 pm). The Open Days in Świerk event is organized by NCBJ and Radioactive Waste Management Enterprise on the occasion of 60^th birthday of the centre. All interested will be given an opportunity to visit the most interesting facilities in Świerk, including the MARIA reactor, Świerk Computer Centre, and the POLATOM radiopharmaceuticals production facility. Due to safety reasons some minimum age limit restrictions will be enforced on some thematic tours. Dedicated playgrounds amd attractions will be organized for kids below 11. The event is free-of-charge.

Take your ID with you

Due to specific security regulations every visitor (except youth below 18 accompanied by adults) must present his/her valid ID. Every foreigner wishing to visit the Świerk reserach centre must additionally e-mail his/her personal data (including ID number) to the deis@ncbj.gov.pl address before May 22 .

How the sightseeing will be organized

The Świerk research centre is located on an area of about 44 hectares (108 acres). Only guided goups will be admitted. The groups will be organized on the first-come-first-served basis. At designated posts before the entrance gate to the Centre every visitor will be able to select one or more thematic tours he/she is mostly interested in. Various tours take between 30 and 85 minutes.

Tours

Ten various tours are offered:

1: The MARIA reactor – come to see the sole research reactor operated in Poland (control room, technology room, reactor body, physical experiments room). Sightseeing time: about 80 minutes.

2: Nuclear power plant model – approximately 5 x 8 m detailed model of the planned Żarnowiec nuclear power plant (plant development was started in '80 and abandoned in 1990) and a smaller model of a High Temperature Reactor, one of the solutions considered for the future. Sightseeing time: about 30 minutes.

3: Świerk Computer Centre – one of a few state-of-the-art supercomputers installed in Poland. Visitors will be shown the supercomputer's server room, power supplies, cooling loops. Sightseeing time: about 30 minutes.

4: Nuclear physics for medicine – medical accelerators, very complicated machines typically used in cancer therapy. Visitors will be shown labs in which they are built and heavily shielded bunkers in which they are tested. Sightseeing time: about 60 minutes.

5: Radioactive Waste Management Enterprise – the sole public utility of that kind in Poland and one of a few in the world. Their mission is to process radioactive waste before it is dumped in a nuclear waste repository. Visitors will be shown technological rooms, processing facility, model of nuclear waste repository located in Różan. Sightseeing time: about 60 minutes.

6: The POLATOM Radiopharmaceutical Production Centre – iodine-131production lab, Official Radioactivity Standard Lab, various closed radiactive sources, shields, containers, POLATOM products and their applications. Sightseeing time: about 60 minutes. ATTENTION: The POLATOM tours will be available only on Saturday, May 30.

7: Radiation Protection Lab – radiation/radioactive contamination counters/meters/gauges, whole body counter, radiochemistry lab, radiation emergency unit. Sightseeing time: about 40 minutes.
8: Fun with physics – for youth aged 11-13: some attractive shows presenting physical phenomena related to radiation. For youth aged 14-15: exhibition illustrating how nuclear waste is managed. Sightseeing time: about 40 minutes.

9: Nuclear physics for national border security - scanners capable to detect illegally trafficked substances (not only radiactive ones) in cargo crossing the border. Sightseeing time: about 30 minutes.

10: Plasma gun – state-of-the-art facility to investigate hot plasma properties. Sightseeing time: about 15 minutes.

Exhibitions and movies

You can spend time to the next toor booked by you sighteeing some exhibitions or watching some movies.

Exhibitions prepared by NCBJ will illustrate several topics related to (i) application of nuclear physics methods to research on environment (ii) current status of research on thermonuclear power.
Movies on various topics related to nuclear power industry will be shown continuously. The "Pandora’s Promise” film will be shown one time only at 3:15 pm on Saturday, May 30.
Photos of our reactors will be presented on the "From EWA to MARIA" exhibition.
The „How do we do it in France?” exhibition prepared Areva, EdF and CEA (French patrons of the Open Days in Świerk event) will present various topics related to French power industry (including nuclear power industry).
Exhibition prepared by Polish Ministry of Economy will present Polish Nuclear Power Programme.

How to arrive to Świerk

Świerk research centre is located about 30 km south east of Warsaw and 5 km east of Otwock, close to national road No. 17 (Warsaw-Lublin). There is a large unattended parking lot for vistors. You can also take one of the following buses (free of charge) .

From Warsaw: our busses will be leaving from front of Museum of Science and Technology in Palace of Culture and Science every full hour from 9 am to 2 pm. Return trip: the busses will be leaving Świerk every full hour from noon to 6 pm. Travel to/from Świerk takes about 45 minutes.
From Garwolin: our busses will be leaving from the old PKS Garwolin Bus Station at 9.15 and 11 am. Return trip: 2 and 4 pm. Travel to/from Świerk takes about 30 minutes.
From Otwock: our busses will be leaving from the "Orla 01” ZTM bus stop on the Świderska street at 9, 10 and 11 am. The busses will also stop at the Andriollego str close to the traffic roundabout. Return trip: the busses will be leaving Świerk at 1, 3 and 5 pm. Travel to/from Świerk takes about 10 minutes.

Call (++4822) 273-16-12 if you have any questions.

Catering

You can buy food/drinks in the BAR 56 operated in Świerk.Special offer will be available .

Attractions for kids

Students of the Alcide De Gasperi University of Euroregional Economy in Józefów near Warsaw (partner of the Open Days in Świerk event) will be waiting for kids in special tents full of colourful attractions prepared on the Children’s Day occasion. Kids will be given an opportunity to paint some “smiley” faces and/or a train, to make some beads of pasta, to form some objects of sawdust, to play with cap and scarf/tug-of-war (pull a rope), to fly soap bubbles, to play some cheerful sports. They will be also shown some mysteries of stained glass art. Many surprises and awards are prepared.