Recommended attractions of the Silesian Voivodeship

Największe atrakcje woj. śląskiego

Date added: 11.12.2013

Objects on the trail

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Jasna Góra in Częstochowa

Częstochowa

The Shrine of Our Lady of Jasna Góra is the most popular Polish Marian shrine and one of the most important in the world. In the monastery complex of the Pauline Fathers monastery, people venerate a Byzantine icon with the miraculous image of the Virgin and Child, which was brought to Częstochowa in the fifteenth century. The present buildings of the monastery are mainly from the seventeenth century and represent the Baroque style.

The Ruins of the Castle Olsztyn

Olsztyn

The ruins of the castle in Olsztyn near Częstochowa are among the best-known strongholds of the Polish Jura. A cylindrical, 35- meter tall tower catches the eye from afar. It was built of white limestone, and overbuilt with brown bricks, like a mast of the ship floating in the rough sea. Indeed, the castle witnessed many dramatic events, including the assassination of Maciek Borkowic. From the mid-seventeenth century on, it was falling into disrepair. Eventually, it became a tourist attraction, lying on the popular Eagles’ Nests Trail.

Żarki

The Castle in Mirów

Mirów

Undoubtedly, it is one of the most beautiful monuments on the Trail of Eagles' Nests. A monumental castle building lies on a hill. For some its shape resembles a boat. In spite of many years of being in ruins it is still fairly impressive. The Mirowska fortress is one of the oldest fortifications of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. We know that a stone watchtower was erected in the mid-fourteenth century, during the reign of Casimir the Great.

The Castle in Bobolice

The Bobolice castle is located on a picturesque, rocky hill. It is one of the most famous fortresses lying along the Trail of the Eagles' Nests, in the center of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. The castle is situated less than a half hour walk from the twin fortress in Mirów. There are also trails for longer hikes towards the area of the Rzędkowice and Kroczycze Rocks and other attractive places in the Upland. The castle is an example of the building which after centuries of being a ruin was rebuilt in modern times.

The Ruins of Ogrodzieniec Castle in Podzamcze.

Podzamcze

Ogrodzieniec Castle is the largest castle of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland and, undoubtedly, one the most beautiful castles in Poland. It is located on Mount Janowski at the heart of the Upland. Fantastic rock formations, which were used to construct the castle, make the majestic ruins even more picturesque. The castle is situated in the central part of the Polish Jura and it is easy to get there. The red marked Eagles' Nests Trail runs nearby.

The Smoleń Nature Reserve and the Ruins of the Pilcza Castle

Smoleń

The village of Smoleń lies in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, on the eastern edge of Silesia, near the village of Pilica. Smoleń is known primarily for the castle, which, although much ruined, is one of the most picturesque and attractive fortresses located on the Eagles' Nests Trail. Its tower dominating over the forest is the landmark of the local landscape. The castle is situated with the area of the nature reserve also called Smoleń.

Dąbrowa Lake District - a complex of water reservoirs Pogoria I, II, III and IV

Dąbrowa Górnicza

Zagłębie Dąbrowskie has its own small Masuria - Pojezierze Dąbrowskie. This slightly boisterous name is sometimes referred to as a set of four water reservoirs in Dąbrowa Górnicza, known under the common name Pogoria. Pogoria I, Pogoria II, Pogoria III and Pogoria IV have been centers of rest and recreation for years. They attract beaches, bathing beaches, boarding houses, pubs and yacht clubs. Aquers are fond of anglers and ... rare species of birds.

The Palace in Koszęcin

Koszęcin

The palace in Koszęcin close to Lubliniec is commonly known as home to the popular Stanisław Hadyna National Song and Dance Ensemble "Śląsk". The first residence was built in the sixteenth century. The current, magnificent palace in the Classicist style was erected by Duke Adolf zu Hohenlohe Ingelfingen, the then owner of the Koszęcin property, in the first half of the nineteenth century. The palace is surrounded by a large park with rare trees and shrubs.

The Royal Castle in Będzin

Będzin

The Royal Castle in Bedzin is a medieval stronghold. It is not a royal residence, but a military outpost, which from the times of King Casimir the Great on, guarded the border between the Polish Kingdom and Silesia. Maximilian von Habsburg was kept as a prisoner in the castle. It also served as home for Polish kings. In the 19th century, the castle was embellished by an Italian artist. Fortunately, it has survived to our times. Nowadays, the castle houses collections of theZagłębie Museum.

The Dietl Palace in Sosnowiec

Sosnowiec

The palace of Dietl in Sosnowiec is one of the most beautiful residential buildings not only in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, but also in whole Silesia. The palace was erected by Heinrich Dietl at the end of the nineteenth century. Heinrich Dietl was a German entrepreneur, who launched in Sosnowiec the first worsted spinning mill in the Polish Kingdom. The palace was built in the neo-Baroque style. It impresses with its magnificent interior design.

Black Trout Adit

Tarnowskie Góry

"The Black Trout Adit in Tarnowskie Góry is one of the most interesting remains of the centuries-old mining of galena, lead and silver ores in this area. In the nineteenth century, it was built as a drainage tunnel in the mine ""Frederick."" Today, it is a remarkable tourist attraction, offering the longest underground boat rafting in Poland. It is up to 600 meters long! Along the route one can see a spectacular rocky gorge, ""black"" trout and bats. We can also listen to interesting mining stories.

Historic Silver Mine

Tarnowskie Góry

"Tarnowskie Góry was a mining town already in the medieval times. For centuries, mining of silver and lead ores ensured prosperity of its residents. Mining ceased in the 20s of the last century. The Historic Silver Mine and the Open Air Museum of Steam Machines in Tarnowskie Góry invite to a nearly two-kilometer walk along the tourist underground route, as well as to the exhibition devoted to ore mining and the open-air museum with a collection of steam engines and locomotives - mostly from the early twentieth century."

"Guido" Coal Mine

Zabrze

The historic Coal Mine "Guido" in Zabrze may surprise by diversity of its tourist offer. For those who love the history of mining there are a surface and two underground routes on the levels of 170 and 320 meters. Here you can learn all about coal mining in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Besides, "Guido" invites you to theater performances and concerts.

Zabrze

The Museum of the People’s Republic of Poland in Ruda Śląska

Ruda Śląska

In Silesia there are many memorials dedicated to the victims of communist totalitarianism, such as the camp in Jaworzno or the monument commemorating the miners shot dead by the riot police in the Wujek coal mine. But we can also find a place where the contemporary everyday life of the years from 1945 to 1989 is illustrated in an absurd and comic way. The grim reality of the state created by Stalin and ruled by the first secretaries of the Communist Party sometimes had such a face. This place is the Museum of the People’s Republic of Poland in Ruda Śląska.

Silesian Uprisings' Museum

Świętochłowice

The Silesian Uprisings' Museum is located in the building of the former Police Headquarters at 1, Wiktora Polaka Street in Świętochłowice. In the revitalized object designed by the Zillmann brothers the visitors are invited to find the permanent exhibition of modern and multimedia character. The exhibition is arranged on four floors: from the ground floor where one can see the „Świętochłowice A. D. 1919” room with an interior inspired by the main street from the period of uprisings, to an entresol - a perfect place to admire the staff special session.

The Museum "Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzów"

Chorzów

One of the tourist sights located in the Silesian Park (formerly the Regional Park of Culture and Recreation) is an open-air museum with an area of 22 hectares, in which there are more than 70 historic buildings. The exhibits collected in the museum come from the five sub-regions of Upper Silesia (the Beskids, the Piedmont, Pszczyna-Rybnik, the Industrial sub-region and Lubliniec) and from Zagłębie (Coal Basin). The Museum "Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzów" is on the Wooden Architecture Trail of the Silesia province.

Culture Zone in Katowice

Culture Zone in Katowice is located between Spodek arena and new buildings which are the seat of the International Congress Center (MCK), The National Orchestra of Polish Radio (NOSPR) and the Silesian Museum. The location of the Space of Culture adapted the area of former coal mine "Katowice". There you can find, according to a characteristics for Upper Silesia urban designs and motifs, amazing buildings. Tourist can admire a fantastic view from the green roof of the MCK, and Hoist tower of the former pit shaft, on which a panoramic lift is mounted (the Silesian Museum)

Silesian Museum

Katowice

The complex of buildings of the Silesian Museum, situated in the former Katowice coal mine, along with other institutions which are being built here will create the so-called Cultural District - the new centre of cultural life for the city. The coal mine "Katowice" operated from the third decade of the nineteenth century until the end of the last century. In total, about 120 million tons of coal were mined. Characteristic old buildings have remained of the mine, many of whom were built as early as the nineteenth century, and each individual building was given the features inspired by the Romanesque and Gothic styles.

Nikiszowiec Settlement

Katowice

The housing estate of Nikiszowiec together with nearby Giszowiec in Katowice is one of the most interesting examples of the workers’ colonies in Europe from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The both settlements designed at the request of the Georg von Giesche’s Erben Company by eminent architects from Berlin - Emil and Georg Zillmann. The construction of Nikiszowiec began in 1908 and ended in 1919. Nine brick blocks public buildings and even a church were built.

Central Museum of Firefighting

Mysłowice

"The origins of the Central Museum of Firefighting in Mysłowice date back to 1974, when a social committee to organize the museum was established. Already after a year, one could see an exhibition house in the building of the old police prison. Since the early 90s of the last century, the museum has been operating in its present location. Everyone will be interested in its great collection of firefighting equipment, uniforms, decorations and medals, anners, archives and many other exhibits."

Villa Caro in Gliwice

Gliwice

“Villa Caro” is located in the center of Gliwice, at Dolnych Wałów Street. It was built in the 1880s in the style in which the then richest entrepreneurs in Gliwice used to erect their residences. The villa was built for Oscar Caro, who managed such family businesses as the Hermina steel plant in Łabędy and an iron industry company. The interior of the villa has preserved the spectacular décor of the era. Today, the building is the seat of the Gliwice Museum. It also houses the "Reading Room of Art", which is a gallery of contemporary art. One can see here interesting exhibitions and participate in educational and artistic events.

Gliwice Radio Station

Gliwice

"The wooden transmitting tower of the radio station in Gliwice is a marvel of engineering and prewar thought and the testimony of its builders’ courage. With a height of 111 m, it now occupies the first place on the list of the world's tallest structures, built entirely of wood. It was built in 1935 within the premises of the newly created broadcasting station at Tarnogórska Street. On August 31, 1939, the building was the scene of a provocation carried out by officers of the Nazi SS, known in historiography as the “Gleiwitz incident”."

The Museum of the Duke’s Brewery

Tychy

"The tradition of brewing in Tychy goes back in 1629, which is marked in the beer label - under the crown prince. A modern brewery was built in this town by Duke Johann Heinrich Hochberg von Pless XI in the second half of the nineteenth century. It was later developed into one of the largest breweries in the Polish lands. The Tychy Brewery presents its history and today’s times .This is a combination of a modern museum with a tour of the modern facility and tasting a recognized brand of beer."

The Nature Reserve " Żubrowisko" in Jankowice

Jankowice

The Nature Reserve "Żubrowisko" in Jankowice, near Pszczyna, was created in 1996. It is a partial reserve, which covers an area of 744.61 hectares. It aims at protecting the population of the European bison, our largest land mammal and the symbol of our characteristic fauna. In the reserve, there is a herd of about 40 animals. The area is fenced and mainly due to the health reasons, it is not open to the public.

Castle in Pszczyna

Pszczyna

Castle in Pszczyna, which probably dates back to the eleventh century, is now a Baroque residence, whose shape is the result of several reconstructions made in the following centuries. It is one of the most valuable monuments of this kind in Poland, which is additionally reinforced by the fact that its original furnishings have been preserved to this day. For years, after the war, the castle has been a museum with some interesting collections – including, amongothers, militaria and miniatures.

Żory

The Post-Cisterian Monastery Complex in Rudy

Rudy

For a long time, there have been no monks in their characteristic white robes, with black scapulars, in the Cistercian monastery in Rudy, near Racibórz. The monastery was dissolved at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Before that, for nearly six centuries, people had prayed, culture had been spread, land cultivated, factories built in this corner of Silesia. A beautiful white church and a monastery complex of the Diocese of Gliwice – that is what has been left after the monks. Efforts are underway to put the complex onto the UNESCO World Heritage LiSt

Histori Narrow-Gauge Railway Station

Rudy

The Rudy train station is located in the middle of the old narrow-gauge railway line between Gliwice and Racibórz. There is an open air railway museum, with a mile-long stretch of track (along which tourist trains run). It is an attraction on the Industrial Monuments Route. The narrow-gauge railway appeared in Rudy at the end of the nineteenth century. It was in March 1899 that “Kramer and Partners” opened a 23-kilometer railway line from Gliwice through Nieborowice to Rudy and Racibórz Płonia, and three months later, it started carrying passengers.

The Castle Hill in Cieszyn

Cieszyn

The Castle Hill in Cieszyn, located on the Olza river, is a small hill with steep slopes, situated in the center of Cieszyn. There are a few historic buildings worth mentioning on the hill, among others, remains of the ducal castle, a Romanesque rotunda of Saint Nicolas and a Classicist palace of the Hapsburgs. Besides the monuments, there is a romantic park with trees, which some of them are monuments of nature.

The Palace of the Counts of Larisch in Cieszyn. The Museum of Cieszyn Silesia

Cieszyn

The palace of the Counts of Larisch in Cieszyn was erected after the big fire of the city in 1789. The Larisches had owned, for over three decades, a house situated at the then Konwiktowa Street, which in the course of time, it was not enough for them. The new residence was built on the initiative of Count Johann Joseph Anton von Mönnich Larisch. He held numerous positions in the Grand Duchy of Cieszyn, as well as in the court of Vienna. Today, the palace is home to the Museum of Cieszyn Silesia.

The Mansion of the President of the Republic of Poland on Zadni Groń in Wisła

Wisła

The Mansion of the President of the Republic of Poland in Wisła is a Modernist building, erected in the years 1929-1930, in a picturesque, wooded area on the slopes of the hill called Zadni Groń, in the southern part of Wisła. It is the Residence of the President. The mansion resembling a medieval castle was designed by Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz. It was built from donations of the inhabitants of Silesia and ceremoniously handed over to President Ignacy Mościcki.

The Wooden Hut of the Kawulok Family (Chimneyless Hut) in Istebna

Istebna

The Kawulok’s wooden cottage was built in 1863. It now houses an exhibition presenting the old household equipment and musical instruments, such as a gaida (bagpipe), a shepherd's horn, or a fujara, which is a large sophisticated folk shepherd's fipple flute .The interesting exhibits and the stories of the local guides have long enjoyed great popularity among tourists. It is located on the Wooden Architecture Trail of the Silesia province.

The Historic Brewery in Żywiec

Żywiec

The Żywiec Archducal Brewery is one of the most famous and successful producers of beer in Poland. The history of the plant began in the mid-nineteenth century, when the decision was taken by Archduke Albrecht Friedrich Habsburg, the then owner of Żywiec to build a brewery. Many of the original brewery buildings have been preserved to this day. They were designed by Karol Pietschka. The Żywiec Brewery Museum astounds with modern solutions, where we will learn the history of the plant and the process of beer production.

Żywiec Lake

Tresna

Żywiec Lake was created by the damming of the Soła river in the 60s of the last century whose valley was divided by a dam. The southern end of the lake, located within the Żywiecka Valley, almost reaches the area of downtown Żywiec. The northern part of the lake (in the vicinity of the dam) occupies a narrow valley, cutting into the slopes of the Little Beskids. The Żywiec reservoir is used for producing energy, flood control and tourism and recreation.

Mount Żar

Międzybrodzie Żywieckie

Mount Żar is a popular tourist destination. It is located in the Little Beskid. The peak rises to 761 m. above sea leve over steep, wooded slopes dominating over Międzybrockie Lake. On the artificially flattened top there is a water reservoir, which is part of the pumped-storage hydroelectricity, which was put to use in 1979. The reservoir is 650 meters long and 250 meters long, with the maximum depth of 28 meters. Its volume is 2 310 000 cubic meters.

The Sułkowski Palace in Bielsko-Biała

Bielsko-Biała

The origins of the Castle of Bielsko-Biała date from the Piast dynasty, but it owes its present eclectic appearance to the Sułkowski family, who were its owners from the middle of the 18th century to 1945. Nowadays, the castle houses collections of the Bielsko-Biała Museum. During the visit to the castle we can experience the past elegance and learn more about the history of the city, admiring old and contemporary art, and even listen to good music.

the Animated Film Studio in Bielsko-Biala

Bielsko-Biała

They bewitched the imaginations of millions of Poles. They entertained and taught us. Bolek and Lolek, Reksio, Wawel Dragon, animal hunter Pampalini, Captain Clipper, whether in black and white, or in color - they embellished the gray reality of the communist era. It's all thanks to the artists of the Animated Film Studio in Bielsko-Biala. Since its establishment in 1947 until now they have produced over 1000 cartoons both for children and for adults. Anyone can take a close look how it is being done. The studio is open to the public.

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