Spodek, a symbol and icon of Katowice, was opened in 1971. At the time, it was the largest and most modern sports and entertainment facility in Poland. Construction of the entire complex began in 1964 but was interrupted for 1.5 years due to concerns about structural flaws (which were not confirmed). The facility received its customary name “Spodek,” which means “saucer” in Polish, from the local residents who thought that its shape resembled a UFO.

Spodek hosted numerous prestigious cultural events (such as performances by Elton John and Tina Turner) and other significant happenings (including a 6-hour speech by Fidel Castro and the premiere of the Fiat 126p). It was also used for film screenings (with the experience enhanced by a massive screen).

In addition to the main sports and entertainment arena, Spodek complex includes an ice rink, a gymnasium, and a hotel with a restaurant. Today, it is part of the Katowice Cultural Zone, situated near other Katowice landmarks such as the International Congress Centre (MCK), the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR), and the Silesian Museum.

Spodek, a symbol and icon of Katowice, was opened in 1971. At the time, it was the largest and most modern sports and entertainment facility in Poland. Construction of the entire complex began in 1964 but was interrupted for 1.5 years due to concerns about structural flaws (which were not confirmed). The facility received its customary name “Spodek,” which means “saucer” in Polish, from the local residents who thought that its shape resembled a UFO.

Spodek hosted numerous prestigious cultural events (such as performances by Elton John and Tina Turner) and other significant happenings (including a 6-hour speech by Fidel Castro and the premiere of the Fiat 126p). It was also used for film screenings (with the experience enhanced by a massive screen).

In addition to the main sports and entertainment arena, Spodek complex includes an ice rink, a gymnasium, and a hotel with a restaurant. Today, it is part of the Katowice Cultural Zone, situated near other Katowice landmarks such as the International Congress Centre (MCK), the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR), and the Silesian Museum.

The headquarters of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) is one of the most modern music venues in Poland and Europe, built according to the design of the Tomasz Konior architectural studio. Construction began in 2012 and the inaugural concert took place in late 2014 (featuring Krystian Zimerman and the London Symphonic Orchestra, among others).

The façade of the NOSPR draws on the historical buildings of Silesia through brick pillars, plain and bright red recesses, like the windows of the familok of the Nikiszowiec mining residental estate. The interior of the building is very modern, but using natural materials: concrete, marble, wood.

It is part of the Culture Zone of the City of Katowice (other iconic buildings of Katowice are located in the neighbourhood: Spodek, MCK, Silesian Museum).

The museum was established in 2015 on the site of the disused coal mine Katowice (formerly Ferdynand). The building is part of the Culture Zone of the City of Katowice (other icons of Katowice are located in the vicinity: Spodek, NOSPR, MCK).

The architectural concept draws on the industrial history of Silesia and the original function of the site on which it stands – which is why most of the building is underground, while on the surface there are only glazed blocks and restored historical buildings (mainly from the 19th century). The attraction is the 40 m high hoist tower of the Warsaw II shaft, to which a panoramic lift has been added, allowing visitors to reach the upper platform from where there is a view of the entire city. The building has received numerous awards.

A workers’ housing estate for the miners of the Giesche Coal Mine, built between 1908 and 1918, on the initiative of the Georg von Giesche’s Erben concern (Bergwerksgesellschaft Georg von Giesches Erben/Mining Association of Georg von Giesche’s Heirs), designed by Berlin architects Emil and Georg Zillmann. It was constructed when there was no more space left in the Giszowiec estate. It was built on a 20-hectare area, intended to house around 5,000 workers and officials. Nine three-storey buildings were erected, forming quadrangles with inner courtyards (previously, this area housed pigsties, storage rooms, and bread ovens), connected by batten plates. The architectural details are diverse and adorn all the buildings. The entire estate forms a compact, block-like urban development with a central point, Liberation Square [Plac Wyzwolenia], a monumental St. Anne’s Church, and contemporary service buildings such as shops (known as “konzumy”), a restaurant, a police station, a school, a laundry with a drying room, and a bathhouse. Within the estate, there are two charming and stylish places, each with a different atmosphere. The first is a bakery with a long-standing tradition and a developed gastronomic and confectionery section, with an interior reminiscent of an old kitchen with “antique” furniture and a “byfyj” (buffet), located in charming arcades by the market square. The second place is the “Prohibicja” restaurant, somewhat industrial but also retro in style, located in one of familoks [familok – a multi-family house built for coalminers], where the menu combines tradition with modernity.

The Culture Zone in Katowice is located in the immediate vicinity of Katowice’s symbol – the Spodek arena, and encompasses three high-class architectural marvels, repeatedly awarded in competitions: the International Congress Centre (MCK), the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR), and the Silesian Museum.

The museum was established in 2015 on the site of the disused coal mine Katowice (formerly Ferdynand). The building is part of the Culture Zone of the City of Katowice (other icons of Katowice are located in the vicinity: Spodek, NOSPR, MCK).

The architectural concept draws on the industrial history of Silesia and the original function of the site on which it stands – which is why most of the building is underground, while on the surface there are only glazed blocks and restored historical buildings (mainly from the 19th century). The attraction is the 40 m high hoist tower of the Warsaw II shaft, to which a panoramic lift has been added, allowing visitors to reach the upper platform from where there is a view of the entire city. The building has received numerous awards.

A museum set up in a historic building, more than 100 years old, which is part of the Wujek mine. Before World War II, it was used as a place for filling miners’ lamps with carbide and later as a warehouse for working clothes. Yet, the Museum is so much more than just an exhibition — it is a witness to history, the site of the tragic events of 16 December 1981, when shots were fired from the building’s ramp, killing nine miners of the Wujek Mine. This creates a truly solemn atmosphere. One undeniable advantage of the Museum is the possibility to arrange visits accompanied by witnesses of those events.

The monument designed by Alina Borowczak-Grzybowska and Andrzej Grzybowski consists of a 33-meter high cross. Next to the main cross, on the right side, in the plinth, there are urns with soil from the graves of nine miners – victims of pacification, placed in nine crosses. The facility is included in the register of memorial sites in the Silesian Voivodeship.

The Culture Zone in Katowice is located in the immediate vicinity of Katowice’s symbol – the Spodek arena, and encompasses three high-class architectural marvels, repeatedly awarded in competitions: the International Congress Centre (MCK), the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR), and the Silesian Museum.

The Porcelain Factory, otherwise known as the “Park” Porcelana Śląska Industrial and Technological Park, is located at ul. Porcelanowa 23 in Katowice, on a former industrial site. The Porcelain Factory is a unique complex of buildings dating from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. At that time it served as a feed factory, which was rebuilt as the “Giesche Porcelain” factory in 1923-1925. In 1952, the name of plants and the factory sign were changed to “Bogucice”. Today, the Factory Space is a venue for meetings, concerts and interesting cultural events. It also contains the Bogucice porcelain showroom, as well as a gallery and factory that produces collector and commemorative porcelain series. Revitalisation works of the former porcelain factory began on the initiative of the Giesche Foundation. In addition, the facility is the most multifunctional location in the region, as companies from the creative and IT industries are mainly based here. On its premises, you can find fashion designer boutiques, interior decor shops, restaurants, a music club, a fitness club, medical outpatient clinics, and a creative zone for children called “Bajka Pana Kleksa.”

The Old Railway Station complex was built in 1906 in the style of historical modernism. It was rebuilt several times in later years. It was the most important railway facility of Upper Silesia. After World War II, the building proved to be too small and decisions were made to build a new railway station, which was put into operation in 1972, at which time the old railway station fell into disuse. The complex has been undergoing renovation since 2016 and used as a service facility.

The shaft is the largest private art gallery in Poland, with an exhibition area of more than 2,500 m². It is located in the Wilson Shaft building (formerly Richthofen and Hulda), designed by Berlin architects, cousins Emil and Georg Zillmann.

The gallery was opened in 2001 in the revitalised pithead building and bathhouse of the Wilson shaft of the Wieczorek hard coal mine. The gallery is a combination of the post-industrial past and the present.

The gallery is associated with the so-called Janowska Group (official name: Group of Non-Professional Painters); i.e. amateur painters, coming from a working-class environment, usually miners. It is a cultural phenomenon; the history of the group dates back to the 1930s; it was founded by Teofil Ociepka who was fascinated by occultism (he was considered, next to Krynica’s Nikifor, to be the most famous Polish “primitivist”).  After World War II, artists gathered at the company cultural centre at the “Wieczorek” hard coal mine, founded by Otto Klimczok. The gallery has its own unique collection of contemporary art, including the old Janowska Group and contemporary naive artists. One of the most important cyclical events is the Art Naif Festival, presenting works by naive artists from around the world. The gallery is also sometimes made available for holding concerts, festivals, balls, performances, conferences, and is also a venue for shooting films, music videos, artistic photo sessions, fashion shows, etc.

The brewery was built by the Mokrski brothers in the second half of the 19th century. It produced beer and malt until the First World War, then was used as a storage facility. In 1991, it has been revitalised by a private investor, and its buildings now serve as offices and warehouses.

The buildings of the Pułaski Shaft (Carmer) from 1903-1911, in an eclectic style with a predominance of Art Nouveau and historicist elements, designed by Berlin architects: cousins Emil and Georg Zillmann, are a remnant of the Wieczorek (formerly Gische) mine. On the former mine site, you can find:

• pithead building and bathhouse: a single-storey brick building in the shape of an elongated rectangle with a gable roof and a distinctive clock tower. The facade features glazed green bricks with rich decorative elements such as flat pilaster strips (flat vertical projections on the facade), brick friezes (horizontal elements of the cornice), arches, and beams. In the interior, the original equipment is partially preserved;
• headframe with a hoist tower: a three-story building with a steel frame filled with bricks, roughly square in shape, with a gable roof. At the centre of the headframe stands a steel gallows frame, 40 metres in height, equipped with a double four-post headframe with inclined braces (for transporting people and skips (i.e. large containers or buckets for hauling ore, with an automatic loading and unloading device). The shaft, dating back to 1910, reaches a depth of 450 m;
• sorting station: a three-story building with a steel frame filled with bricks, with a layout similar to a rectangle, featuring a gable roof. The historic interior equipment has been preserved.
• engine room and converter building: 1-storey brick buildings (the former on a rectangular plan, the latter trapezoidal). The interior houses preserved Siemens coal haulage machines from 1906.
• smithy and mechanical workshop: a 1-storey brick building in the shape of an elongated rectangle, with a mansard roof (on the west side) and a pulpit roof (on the east side). The facade includes decorative bands, friezes, flat pilaster strips (…), and glazed bricks. In the interior, the original equipment is partially preserved;
• carpentry shop: a 1-storey brick building in the shape of a rectangle, with a gable roof;

The former mine site is currently being transformed into the District of New Technologies – Gaming and Technology HUB which will bring together entrepreneurs from the e-sports and computer gaming industry, as well as technology companies.

One of the largest congress centres in Poland, commissioned in 2015. It can accommodate 15,000 users at a time, with 12,000 inside the multipurpose hall itself. There are 35 conference rooms of varying sizes. The facility combines congress, conference, exhibition, trade and entertainment functions. The concept for the MCK building was to refer to the modernist architecture of the city, to take into account the proximity of the iconic Spodek building and to create a space for leisure activities. It is part of the Culture Zone of the City of Katowice (other iconic buildings of Katowice are located in the neighbourhood: Spodek, NOSPR, Silesian Museum).

An iconic building inspired by the famous Unité d’Habitation by Le Corbusier in Marseille. A housing machine where thousands of people live. Superjednostka is one of the largest apartment blocks in Poland. It was designed by Mieczysław Król and constructed between 1963 and 1970. The apartment block could accommodate nearly 3,000 residents, which was made possible by 762 small flats, most of which were 37m ² in size. Within this limited space, there were two rooms, a small kitchen without windows, and a compact bathroom. Each flat was equipped with a balcony. The building stands on reinforced concrete, anthropomorphic pillars designed to give the massive structure a sense of lightness, facilitate airflow, and minimise seismic vibrations.

The facility presents the history of the development of zinc metallurgy in Upper Silesia in a post-industrial exhibition space of more than 5,000 m2, in the halls of a former zinc rolling mill. The centre-piece of the exhibition is a unique technological line for the production of zinc sheets, consisting of equipment such as smelting furnaces, a heating furnace for zinc plates, a casting carousel, preliminary and finishing rolling mills, and sheet metal cutting shears. Additionally, the museum houses a collection of four original steam engines that were used in the past to power machinery in the rolling mill.

The museum also boasts one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of vintage Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles in Poland. The motorcycle models in the collection date from 1920 to 1986. These motorcycles have been meticulously restored and are in good working condition. During periodic “Machine Start-up” events, the motorcycles are started and showcased to visitors. Since 2016, visitors have had the opportunity to view a collection of over 50 antique stationary combustion engines manufactured by Jacob Peping. These engines span the entire 20th century and provide insight into the history of internal combustion engine development. The museum also houses both small workshop engines that were used to power equipment like lathes and saws, as well as powerful 12-cylinder engines capable of driving large machinery and even ships.

The gallows frame of the Warsaw shaft, measuring about 40 m in height, is a remnant of the Katowice (formerly Ferdinand) mine, which operated from the early 19th century (1823) until the 1990s (among its founders were Stanisław Mieroszewski and Ignacy Ferdynand von Beym).

It is now an integral part of the Silesian Museum, serving as a viewpoint over the entire city.

Please make sure the gallows frame is open on the given day before visiting.

Measuring 68 metres in height, the water tower, featuring Art Nouveau-Modernism style, was built between 1911 and 1912 and was designed by the Berlin architects Georg and Emil Zillmann to serve the expanding zinc plant of the Georg von Giesches Erben concern (Mining Association of Georg von Giesche’s Heirs).

The Jerzy Shaft (Jorg) is a remnant of the Gottwald mine, along with buildings of boiler room and engine room, as well as various mining machinery and equipment. Nowadays, it is part of the Silesia City Centre (a commercial and entertainment complex). This area represents one of the earliest or perhaps the first revitalisation of a mining site on such a large scale.

A workers’ housing estate built between 1906 and 1910 for miners from the Giesche coal mine, commissioned by the company’s director Anton Uthemann, designed by Berlin architects Emil and Georg Zillmann, who were cousins. The estate was built on a 800m x 1200m plot, it included 2-, 3-, and 4-family houses with gardens, inspired by Upper Silesian rural cottages, as well as commercial and service facilities, including a communal laundry with 32 washing stations and a bathhouse (which was a very modern solution at the time). The central point was the Square under the Linden Trees [Plac pod Lipami] and the impressive Silesian Inn [Karczmy Śląskie] building.

One of the most frequently awarded structures in the Metropolis in recent years. The existing brick structure was ingeniously incorporated into a bold new design. The minimalist facade, made of openwork ceramic fittings, blends perfectly with the old part of the building as well as the surrounding architecture. The overall design draws inspiration from both traditional Silesian architecture and pre-war modernist heritage. The building was designed by BAAS Arquitectura and Grupa 5 Architekci, who skillfully integrated it into the old 19th-century urban fabric and incorporated a section of the brick facade from a typical Silesian familok [a multi-family house built for coalminers] into its facade.

Workers’ colony located in the city centre of Katowice (within the block formed by J. Poniatowskiego, B. Głowackiego, Skalna, and Barbary streets), dating from 1915-1916 to 1920. It was constructed for the workers of the Wujek coal mine, based on the design by Berlin architect Bruno Taut (who also designed the rowhouse colony in Załęska Hałda), commissioned by the Hohenlohe Werke company (owner of the Oheim [later Wujek] mine).

The colony consists of 11 buildings with simple bodies and diverse architectural details, all inspired by early modernism. The construction of first three buildings (located at 8, 10, and 12 Barbary Street [ul. Barbary 8, 10,12]) began in 1915, followed by other buildings built in 1916 on Głowackiego Street (ul. Głowackiego) and Skalna Street (ul. Skalna). They were added to the tenements of the southern side of J. Poniatowskiego Street (ul. J. Poniatowskiego) of 1907, designed by Joseph Kutz. In later years of the 20th century, some buildings had additional stories added. The layout of the flats (their size and standard) was nearly identical to the Nikiszowiec estate (with apartments featuring enfilade rooms: kitchen and 2 rooms, with access to drying rooms, a laundry room, attic, and cellars; one toilet was shared between two flats on the landing).

Each of the houses has a different facade: sections with brick, plastered and stone finishes, some with semi-circular windows adorned with brickwork, contrasting with plastered facades and rectangular windows on the upper floors.

Inside the block, there are no outbuildings or so-called “pigsties”, which was a reference to the social housing standards of Berlin at the time. The flats were well-lit and ventilated, with inner courtyards featuring greenery, accessible through two gates.

A 1909 building that was expanded between 1913 and 1921, situated on the site of the Boże Dary workers’ colony established between 1901 and 1903 according to the garden city concept (few of its buildings remain, including a 1904 villa at 76 Tadeusza Boya-Żeleńskiego Street).

Originally intended as a home for unmarried workers (with 234 beds), it is now a multifunctional facility offering catering and housing services and serving as home to the Municipal Cultural Centre South.

Initially, its central area included a high, spacious dining hall measuring 200 m². The building’s side areas were used for dormitories and day rooms; the largest dormitory (45 m²) contained 18 beds, while the others had 14 beds each. The building has two staircases — in the west and east sections. The building’s ground floor has been redeveloped to adapt it for use as a community centre.

The building was constructed between 2005 and 2007. It was designed by KoniorStudio. The new building is connected to the main building via a glazed atrium.  The newly built part houses, among other things, a concert hall for approximately 400 people, an education centre and libraries.

The housing estate consists of 5 high-rise residential buildings (three 82 m high and two 56 m high), with a shape similar to a corncob and circular balconies (hence the common name “Maize”)), from the 1980s, designed by a well-known duo of Polish architects: Henryk Buszko and Aleksander Franta. It was inspired by the twin skyscrapers of Chicago’s Marina City.

A building from ca. 1907 with elements of the historicist style, commissioned by the Georg von Giesches Erben concern; ca. 1920 it was extended with a second wing; it was used as a workers’ house for miners (so called “Arbeiterheim”), but also as the seat of cultural and sports societies. After World War II, it was used as a workers’ hotel for mine workers and currently it is a retail and service building, at 204 Gliwicka Street.

The Eastern Shaft No. II (formerly Schwarzenfeld II) with its buildings (gallows frame built between 1913 and 1916, with engine room and headframe from 1913–1921) in brick historicist style is a remnant of the Kleofas mine (formerly Cleophas); it served various functions: not only ventilation but also personnel transport, materials transport and mining. The tower features a two-compartment steel structure: the 1921 east shaft reaching down to a level of 519.8 m and the west shaft (completed in 1927), with cast steel wheels measuring over 22 m in diameter (only one pair survives); it is the only such pre-war gallows frame in the Katowice area.

The Eastern Shaft No. I (demolished in the mid-20th century) was built first, followed by the Eastern Shaft No. II (now protected), located 12 m away. The mine had a total of 3 shafts: the Gottwald Mine Shaft (Katowice – Dąb), Eastern Shaft No. I, II (Katowice – Witosa and Załęże Estates) and the Ulrich Shaft (Chorzów-Batory).

The site comprises buildings from 1908 to 1912 — the remnants of the Uthemann Zinc Works (formerly Wilhelmina, dating back to 1834). It is located in what was once the village of Szopienice. It comprises a management building with a clock tower and water tower designed by Berlin architects, the cousins Emil and Georg Zillman, as well as other early 20th-century or modernist-style buildings: a zinc rolling mill hall with historical equipment (machinery and equipment), a high narrow-gauge railway on a flyover, a rolling mill complete with its equipment, a boiler house, a carpenter’s workshop and late 19th-century buildings: a mechanical workshop (a locomotive depot, a rail wagon depot and a staff building).

During the 19th century, the village of Szopienice steadily evolved into a vital zinc smelting centre; an important railway line was also laid here, enabling the transport of industrial products.

The Wilhelmina zinc smelter was built in 1834 by the Georg von Giesches Erben concern (Mining Association of Georg von Giesche’s Heirs). Decades later, in its immediate vicinity, the construction of further metallurgical plants began under the supervision of general manager Anton Uthemann, resulting in the establishment of the Bernhardi, Walter Croneck and Uthemann smelters (with the latter named after Uthemann himself). At the time, the metallurgical plant covered a vast area and comprised two complexes: a zinc works and a sphalerite roasting plant; it also produced cadmium.

In the early 20th century, the Szopienice metallurgical plant produced almost 25,000 tonnes of zinc and employed more than 2,100 people. After the annexation of Upper Silesia to Poland in 1922, most of its production resources ended up on the Polish side. From 1926, the smelter was controlled by the Silesian-American Corporation, a holding company in which shares were held by US capital and the previous owners (Giesche S.A. companies). During World War II, the German owners bought back the shares held by their US counterparts. After the war, the Szopienice zinc works were nationalised and merged into one plant named Zakłady Cynkowe Szopienice (Szopienice Zinc Works), later Zakłady Hutnicze Szopienice (Szopienice Metallurgical Plant), and from 1972 — Huta Metali Nieżelaznych Szopienice (Szopienice Non-Ferrous Metals Plant). In 1998, the state enterprise began its transition into a company wholly owned by the State Treasury. In 2000, it was incorporated into the Impexmetal S.A. group of companies, and in 2008, its liquidation was commenced, a process that was eventually suspended at the request of the State Treasury.

Buildings are covered by conservation protection.

The buildings of the Pułaski Shaft (Carmer) from 1903-1911, in an eclectic style with a predominance of Art Nouveau and historicist elements, designed by Berlin architects: cousins Emil and Georg Zillmann, are a remnant of the Wieczorek (formerly Gische) mine. On the former mine site, you can find:

• pithead building and bathhouse: a single-storey brick building in the shape of an elongated rectangle with a gable roof and a distinctive clock tower. The facade features glazed green bricks with rich decorative elements such as flat pilaster strips (flat vertical projections on the facade), brick friezes (horizontal elements of the cornice), arches, and beams. In the interior, the original equipment is partially preserved;
• headframe with a hoist tower: a three-story building with a steel frame filled with bricks, roughly square in shape, with a gable roof. At the centre of the headframe stands a steel gallows frame, 40 metres in height, equipped with a double four-post headframe with inclined braces (for transporting people and skips (i.e. large containers or buckets for hauling ore, with an automatic loading and unloading device). The shaft, dating back to 1910, reaches a depth of 450 m;
• sorting station: a three-story building with a steel frame filled with bricks, with a layout similar to a rectangle, featuring a gable roof. The historic interior equipment has been preserved.
• engine room and converter building: 1-storey brick buildings (the former on a rectangular plan, the latter trapezoidal). The interior houses preserved Siemens coal haulage machines from 1906.
• smithy and mechanical workshop: a 1-storey brick building in the shape of an elongated rectangle, with a mansard roof (on the west side) and a pulpit roof (on the east side). The facade includes decorative bands, friezes, flat pilaster strips (…), and glazed bricks. In the interior, the original equipment is partially preserved;
• carpentry shop: a 1-storey brick building in the shape of a rectangle, with a gable roof;

The former mine site is currently being transformed into the District of New Technologies – Gaming and Technology HUB which will bring together entrepreneurs from the e-sports and computer gaming industry, as well as technology companies.

The construction of the estate began in the late 19th century after the Warsaw Society of Coal Mines and Steel Works took over mining interests in 1874. This society not only modernised the mines but also built facilities for workers of the mines. The expansion of the estate continued for many years, encompassing both residential buildings and public utility buildings such as a school, children’s shelter, community house, a hall for games and theatrical performances, library, inn with a ballroom, billiards, and reading room, bathhouse, and a home economics school for girls, as well as a hospital. The largest and most interesting structure in the complex is the inn from 1902-1903, designed in the Zakopane style (now a hotel and restaurant), created by renowned Warsaw architects – Franciszek Lillpop and Kazimierz Jankowski. This architectural style during the period of partitions was a form of patriotic expression (promoted, among others, by Stanisław Witkiewicz in the 1890s).

It is one of Upper Silesia’s most beautiful water towers and the oldest in Gliwice. Constructed in 1894 in the Neo-Gothic style (backsteingotik), the tower is a brick cylinder set up on a stone plinth with a diameter of about 17.5 m. Its upper part is topped with a 2-storey decorative arcaded frieze with battlements and brick rosettes forming an attic and a flat conical roof with a spire. The tower’s architectural style hearkens back as much as possible to the medieval history of the city of Gliwice.

The estate consists of 7 apartment blocks built between 1970 and 1978 in the shape of an eight-armed star (hence the nickname “Gwiazdy,” which means “Stars” in English), designed by three well-known Polish architects: Henryk Buszko, Aleksander Franta, and Tadeusz Szewczyk.

An office complex consisting of two office buildings: .KTW I which is 66 m high, and .KTW II which is 134 m high. The first building was constructed in 2018, while the second was built in 2019. The architectural concept was developed by Przemo Łukasik and Łukasz Zagała of the Bytom-based Medusa Group. The office buildings were built on the site of a demolished skyscraper of the State Railways Directorate, right next to the Culture Zone. It was awarded a BREEAM Interim certificate of Excellent in 2018 (a multi-criteria building certification system (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), introduced in 1990 in the UK; used in 77 countries).

The two buildings joined together at the base were constructed in 1981 and 1982, built using the top-down construction method. Such building are rare in Europe. The structure’s core is a reinforced concrete shaft, transferring vertical compressive loads to the building foundation. On top of it are set ceilings in the form of prestressed platforms suspended from steel cables. Cables – tensile elements are fixed to the top of the shaft and carry the weight of the ceilings onto it; they are also anchored at ground floor level to reinforce the structure.

Katowice’s unique buildings were designed by Yugoslav architect Georg Gruićić in the late 1970s. They are among the tallest buildings in Katowice, rising to 97 and 92 metres.

A shared library of two higher education institutions: the University of Economics and the University of Silesia. The CINiBA is a so-called hybrid library enabling, among other things, all types of documents to be collected and made available in parallel, regardless of their storage medium. The library was launched in 2012. It also doubles as a venue for exhibitions, cultural meetings and scientific conferences.

The Black Trout Adit is a section of a drainage adit built in the 19th century to dewater the royal silver, zinc, and lead mine, Fryderyk. It was carved into the dolomite rock to prevent the inflow of water into the mines – a function it still serves today . The site is located in the central part of the Repty Park (covering an area of approximately 200 hectares), with a rich tree stand (including beeches, oaks, hornbeams, ash trees, and lime trees).

A museum set up in a historic building, more than 100 years old, which is part of the Wujek mine. Before World War II, it was used as a place for filling miners’ lamps with carbide and later as a warehouse for working clothes. Yet, the Museum is so much more than just an exhibition — it is a witness to history, the site of the tragic events of 16 December 1981, when shots were fired from the building’s ramp, killing nine miners of the Wujek Mine. This creates a truly solemn atmosphere. One undeniable advantage of the Museum is the possibility to arrange visits accompanied by witnesses of those events.

A historic building from the turn of the 20th century, extended between 2005 and 2007 to house the SYMFONIA Centre for Music Learning and Education. It has maintained an excellent, balanced relationship between “old and new”, i.e. contemporary elements, with extensive glazing, fit harmoniously into the historic fabric of the original building.

Award of the Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship in 2008 in the competition for the Best Public Space in the category of modernisation.

The former hotel building from the turn of the 20th century, located at 3 Wojciecha Korfantego Street, was home to the Silesian Museum from December 1984. The adaptation of the four-storey building continued until 1992, when the final exhibition rooms were made available.

The Silesian Museum has a collection of over 118,000 artefacts from various fields of art, as well as archaeology, ethnography, history, photography and non-professional art.

Today, the Silesian Museum is headquartered on the premises of the former “Katowice” Coal Mine.

Spodek, a symbol and icon of Katowice, was opened in 1971. At the time, it was the largest and most modern sports and entertainment facility in Poland. Construction of the entire complex began in 1964 but was interrupted for 1.5 years due to concerns about structural flaws (which were not confirmed). The facility received its customary name “Spodek,” which means “saucer” in Polish, from the local residents who thought that its shape resembled a UFO.

Spodek hosted numerous prestigious cultural events (such as performances by Elton John and Tina Turner) and other significant happenings (including a 6-hour speech by Fidel Castro and the premiere of the Fiat 126p). It was also used for film screenings (with the experience enhanced by a massive screen).

In addition to the main sports and entertainment arena, Spodek complex includes an ice rink, a gymnasium, and a hotel with a restaurant. Today, it is part of the Katowice Cultural Zone, situated near other Katowice landmarks such as the International Congress Centre (MCK), the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR), and the Silesian Museum.

The buildings from the early 20th century, remnants of the Gliwice coal mine (Gliwitzer Grube), include a pithead building with a monumental pressure tower, a bathhouse, and an engine room, designed by Berlin architects who were cousins, Emil and Georg Zillmann.

Currently, the engine room houses a branch of the Museum in Gliwice called the Artistic Foundry Branch (offering a multimedia exhibition showcasing artistic castings and the history of foundry work in the city).

Starganiec is a former pond, which during the times of the People’s Republic of  Poland, was adapted by Baildon Smelter into a water and recreational centre for its employees. The creation of recreational centres for heavy industry workers and the inhabitants of today’s Metropolis was a constant practice of workplaces operating in the 20th century, examples of which include: Nakło-Chechło in the Tarnogórski district, the Miner’s Valley for employees of the Barbara coalmine in Chorzów, Pogoria lakes in Dąbrowa Górnicza, or Lake Paprocańskie. Following modernisation by the City of Katowice, a holiday complex was opened in 2023. It consists of a combination of fixed and floating piers, new paths and footbridges over the water at the extension of the paths. The banks were reinforced and the whole area was made free of architectural barriers so that it can be used by people with limited mobility. Small architectural elements appeared around Starganiec: arbours, benches, deckchairs, bicycle racks, as well as portable toilets, hotels for insects, nesting boxes for birds, new trees: apple trees, cherry trees, pear trees and plum trees; beach volleyball courts, a barbecue area and a small catering area (stands for food trucks). The whole area is illuminated by solar lamps and protected by municipal CCTV.

A 2-storey post-production hall from the end of the 19th century, at the time part of the largest in Upper Silesia (Obereisen). The lower part serves as a concert venue and the upper part is an exhibition space. It is now a venue for cultural events – concerts, exhibitions, workshops, film screenings. The lower part of the hall is used for concerts, the upper part mainly for exhibitions. There are plans to revitalise the building.

The museum was established in 2015 on the site of the disused coal mine Katowice (formerly Ferdynand). The building is part of the Culture Zone of the City of Katowice (other icons of Katowice are located in the vicinity: Spodek, NOSPR, MCK).

The architectural concept draws on the industrial history of Silesia and the original function of the site on which it stands – which is why most of the building is underground, while on the surface there are only glazed blocks and restored historical buildings (mainly from the 19th century). The attraction is the 40 m high hoist tower of the Warsaw II shaft, to which a panoramic lift has been added, allowing visitors to reach the upper platform from where there is a view of the entire city. The building has received numerous awards.

A workers’ housing estate for the miners of the Giesche Coal Mine, built between 1908 and 1918, on the initiative of the Georg von Giesche’s Erben concern (Bergwerksgesellschaft Georg von Giesches Erben/Mining Association of Georg von Giesche’s Heirs), designed by Berlin architects Emil and Georg Zillmann. It was constructed when there was no more space left in the Giszowiec estate. It was built on a 20-hectare area, intended to house around 5,000 workers and officials. Nine three-storey buildings were erected, forming quadrangles with inner courtyards (previously, this area housed pigsties, storage rooms, and bread ovens), connected by batten plates. The architectural details are diverse and adorn all the buildings. The entire estate forms a compact, block-like urban development with a central point, Liberation Square [Plac Wyzwolenia], a monumental St. Anne’s Church, and contemporary service buildings such as shops (known as “konzumy”), a restaurant, a police station, a school, a laundry with a drying room, and a bathhouse. Within the estate, there are two charming and stylish places, each with a different atmosphere. The first is a bakery with a long-standing tradition and a developed gastronomic and confectionery section, with an interior reminiscent of an old kitchen with “antique” furniture and a “byfyj” (buffet), located in charming arcades by the market square. The second place is the “Prohibicja” restaurant, somewhat industrial but also retro in style, located in one of familoks [familok – a multi-family house built for coalminers], where the menu combines tradition with modernity.

A workers’ housing estate built between 1906 and 1910 for miners from the Giesche coal mine, commissioned by the company’s director Anton Uthemann, designed by Berlin architects Emil and Georg Zillmann, who were cousins. The estate was built on a 800m x 1200m plot, it included 2-, 3-, and 4-family houses with gardens, inspired by Upper Silesian rural cottages, as well as commercial and service facilities, including a communal laundry with 32 washing stations and a bathhouse (which was a very modern solution at the time). The central point was the Square under the Linden Trees [Plac pod Lipami] and the impressive Silesian Inn [Karczmy Śląskie] building.

The facility presents the history of the development of zinc metallurgy in Upper Silesia in a post-industrial exhibition space of more than 5,000 m2, in the halls of a former zinc rolling mill. The centre-piece of the exhibition is a unique technological line for the production of zinc sheets, consisting of equipment such as smelting furnaces, a heating furnace for zinc plates, a casting carousel, preliminary and finishing rolling mills, and sheet metal cutting shears. Additionally, the museum houses a collection of four original steam engines that were used in the past to power machinery in the rolling mill.

The museum also boasts one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of vintage Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles in Poland. The motorcycle models in the collection date from 1920 to 1986. These motorcycles have been meticulously restored and are in good working condition. During periodic “Machine Start-up” events, the motorcycles are started and showcased to visitors. Since 2016, visitors have had the opportunity to view a collection of over 50 antique stationary combustion engines manufactured by Jacob Peping. These engines span the entire 20th century and provide insight into the history of internal combustion engine development. The museum also houses both small workshop engines that were used to power equipment like lathes and saws, as well as powerful 12-cylinder engines capable of driving large machinery and even ships.

The Porcelain Factory, otherwise known as the “Park” Porcelana Śląska Industrial and Technological Park, is located at ul. Porcelanowa 23 in Katowice, on a former industrial site. The Porcelain Factory is a unique complex of buildings dating from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. At that time it served as a feed factory, which was rebuilt as the “Giesche Porcelain” factory in 1923-1925. In 1952, the name of plants and the factory sign were changed to “Bogucice”. Today, the Factory Space is a venue for meetings, concerts and interesting cultural events. It also contains the Bogucice porcelain showroom, as well as a gallery and factory that produces collector and commemorative porcelain series. Revitalisation works of the former porcelain factory began on the initiative of the Giesche Foundation. In addition, the facility is the most multifunctional location in the region, as companies from the creative and IT industries are mainly based here. On its premises, you can find fashion designer boutiques, interior decor shops, restaurants, a music club, a fitness club, medical outpatient clinics, and a creative zone for children called “Bajka Pana Kleksa.”

A 11-metre-high antenna tower, made of larch wood, bolted together with brass screws. To this day it is the tallest wooden structure in Europe. Its history is linked to the so-called Gliwice provocation (31 August 1939). It was an attack by a seven-person German unit disguised as Silesian insurgents on a building on Tarnogórska Street (ul. Tarnogórska), with the aim of holding Poland responsible for the outbreak of World War II and justifying its start by the Germans (as necessary defence). After the staff had been terrorised, the attackers attempted to read out in Polish a proclamation announcing the Polish offensive and calling for an uprising. Only the beginning of the proclamation was delivered, and the content  did not gain much coverage, as the actual sound equipment was elsewhere. This was confirmed in the testimony given at the Nuremberg trial by the commander of the action, Alfred Helmut Naujocks (SD security service officer and SS officer). In 2017, it was included in the list of Monuments of History, which includes objects of special tangible and intangible value for Poland’s cultural heritage. Today, the surroundings of the tower are open to visitors, and the tower itself still serves communication purposes as a mast for dozens of different antennas.

The shaft is the largest private art gallery in Poland, with an exhibition area of more than 2,500 m². It is located in the Wilson Shaft building (formerly Richthofen and Hulda), designed by Berlin architects, cousins Emil and Georg Zillmann.

The gallery was opened in 2001 in the revitalised pithead building and bathhouse of the Wilson shaft of the Wieczorek hard coal mine. The gallery is a combination of the post-industrial past and the present.

The gallery is associated with the so-called Janowska Group (official name: Group of Non-Professional Painters); i.e. amateur painters, coming from a working-class environment, usually miners. It is a cultural phenomenon; the history of the group dates back to the 1930s; it was founded by Teofil Ociepka who was fascinated by occultism (he was considered, next to Krynica’s Nikifor, to be the most famous Polish “primitivist”).  After World War II, artists gathered at the company cultural centre at the “Wieczorek” hard coal mine, founded by Otto Klimczok. The gallery has its own unique collection of contemporary art, including the old Janowska Group and contemporary naive artists. One of the most important cyclical events is the Art Naif Festival, presenting works by naive artists from around the world. The gallery is also sometimes made available for holding concerts, festivals, balls, performances, conferences, and is also a venue for shooting films, music videos, artistic photo sessions, fashion shows, etc.

This institution features exhibitions primarily showcasing the interiors of flats and everyday objects used in Poland from 1945 to 1989. Additionally, the museum has a Monument Park where monuments from the PRL (Polish People’s Republic) era are displayed. The outdoor exhibition also includes collections related to automotive technology from that period.

The museum is operated by the Minionej Epoki Foundation and is open seasonally.

This branch of the Museum in Gliwice exhibits a collection of artistic bronze and iron castings and is located in the former engine room of the Gliwice mine.

An underground and surface mining complex open to visitors, based on one of the oldest coal mines in Upper Silesia. It stands as a true monument to the industrial history of the region while also being a unique tourist attraction in Europe. The Zabrze section, approximately 2.5 km in length, is open to tourists (the total length is over 14 km, from the outlet in the centre of Zabrze to the former Król mine in Chorzów – Krug shaft, which has been closed since 2015). The exploration of this complex begins at the Łańcuszkowa Bathhouse [Łaźnia Łańcuszkowa].

Dating back to the first half of the 20th century, the Maciej Shaft features a Siemens-Schuckertwerke double-drum winding machine and is a remnant of the Concordia Mine. Other surviving parts of the facility include a complex of 7 buildings and a waste rock dump. Today, the headframe building houses the industrial restaurant and bistro Pod Napięciem, as well as a banquet hall on its top level. The adjacent timber yard includes a railway overpass that once connected the mine to Gliwice and Bytom and now serves as an open-air stage.

The Concordia mine operated from 1841 and belonged to Karl Lazarus Henckel von Donnersmarck (owner of Zabrze). More than a decade later, the Donnersmarck coking plant and ironworks were established near the mine, and in 1801 the Amalia Mine (the first private mine in Zabrze) began its operations.

The site is located on the Industrial Monuments Route of the Silesian Voivodeship. The complex is listed in the Register of Historic Monuments.

A historic coal mine open for tours. This unique place in Europe was actually created in a functioning mine founded by Count Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck in 1855.  Visitors can descend to two levels, 170 and 320 metres below ground, ride on cable cars, hear the roar of combined cutter loader, navigate through narrow corridors, touch a real coal wall, and finally enjoy a slice of bread with lard. This place vividly illustrates the work of miners and the specific nature of the mine. Since 2013, it has been merged with the Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze to form a single institution called the Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze.

The complex of buildings of the Bobrek power plant (Kraftwerk Oberschlesien, Kraftwerk Bobrek, Bobrek power plant, later Szombierki) from 1920, designed by Berlin architects Georg and Emil Zillmann. Covering an area of almost 18 ha, there are facilities such as the boiler house, pump house, engine house, power distribution, “Clock” water tower, coal tower, three factory chimneys, management building, guard house and surroundings.

This is a railway with a track gauge of 785 mm, established in the mid-19th century and primarily serving the transportation of raw materials and semi-finished products between industrial facilities in the Upper Silesian Industrial District.

Today, the Upper Silesian Narrow-Gauge Railways (in Polish: Górnośląskie Koleje Wąskotorowe) operate as a tourist railway on a portion of the former rail network with a length of 21 km, running between Bytom and Miasteczko Śląskie (now the oldest historical line).

Location of individual stations:

• Bytom Wąskotorowy (Bytom station, from the side of Zabrzańska Street)
• Szombierki Elektrownia
• Bytom Karb Wąskotorowy (end of Reja Street in Bytom)
• Dąbrowa Miejska (request stop)
• Sucha Góra (Łokietka Street near the former Jopka plant)
• Kopalnia Srebra (Staffa Street, a 7-minute walk to the silver mine)
• Tarnowskie Góry Wąskotorowe (near Blachnicki Roundabout, Bytomska Street)
• Lasowice Zalew
• Miasteczko Śląskie Zalew (about a 5-minute walk from the Miasteczko Śląskie Reservoir)
• Miasteczko Śląskie Wąskotorowe

The Ficinus Housing Estate is one of the oldest workers’  colonies in Upper Silesia, dating back to the second half of the 19th century (1860 – 1867). It was established for the workers of the Gottessegen mine (later renamed Błogosławieństwo Boże with the Andrzej Shaft) and founded by one of the branches of the Henckel von Donnersmarck family. Approximately 90% of the residential buildings have been preserved, forming a compact complex consisting of 16 detached four-family houses (the outbuildings were demolished due to their poor technical condition). Each flat consisted of a porch, kitchen, and a small room, with outbuildings and small cultivated fields located behind them. The architecture of the estate has a rural-industrial character and is distinguished by its unusual construction material: the buildings were built using natural sandstone from local quarries, rather than bricks as in the case of typical familoks [multi-family houses built for coalminers]. The buildings are currently owned by the city, and revitalisation works were carried out in the 1990s (including the creation of commercial and service premises).

It was established at the end of 2004 in one of the oldest breweries in Poland – beer has been brewed here since the beginning of the 17th century (1629). It was founded on the initiative of the Promnitz family, but it was extended by Hans Heinrich XV von Hochberg, Prince of Pszczyna, a visionary and entrepreneur.

Buildings are covered by conservation protection.

A historic complex of several post-industrial buildings from the 19th century, built according to a unified design (as one establishment). It boasts great architectural (detailing) and historical and cognitive qualities (well-preserved spatial layout of the brewing plant). The former brewhouse and malthouse with a drying room have been converted into a restaurant, serving its own beer, an art gallery and a science and technology park. The Obywatelski Brewery has a unique spot in the industrial style: Tichauer restaurant and art gallery.

The building which now houses the museum was built between 1839 and 1842 on the initiative of the Management Board of the Polish Bank in Warsaw. It was the headquarters of the Western Mining District Board, and from 1889. School of Mining and Metallurgy, known as the Sztygarka. In 2010, it was opened to the public as an underground tourist route.

The Prezydent shaft (formerly św. Jacek) from 1933, designed in the modernist style, is a remnant of the Prezydent mine (formerly  Prezydent Mościcki, originating from the division of the Król mine, previously Prinz Carl zu Hessen). It boasts a unique reinforced concrete structure with a height of 42 metres (maintaining the form of a headframe with inclined brace). At the time, it was one of the most modern gallows frames in Europe, equipped with two parallel wire rope drums with a diameter of 5.5 m each (capable of extracting over 320 tonnes of coal per hour). The tower was designed by engineer Ryszard Heileman from Katowice, who utilised French technological patterns. The Sztygarka Complex comprises directorate buildings, an old assembly hall, and a casino, a new casino, steiger’s residential building, mining fire station, and a liquid air storage facility. The name of the complex refers to the fact that steigers lived in one of the buildings during the interwar period. Nowadays, it functions as a hotel and gastronomic complex, including a restaurant, café, loft-style music club, and gallery (with a conference room). The site became a registered monument.

The Król mine (formerly Prinz Karl von Hesse) was a state-owned or fiscal mine, founded at the end of the 18th century (1791) by F.W. von Reden. It was one of the oldest and longest-operating mines in the region, as well as one of the largest and best-equipped. Over time, it expanded and was divided into four mining fields: western (Św. Barbara), eastern (Św. Jacek, later Prezydent), southern (Król Piast), and northern (Wyzwolenie). In 1937, it was split into two mines: Prezydent Mościcki and Barbara-Wyzwolenie. Meanwhile, the Gräffin Laura mine (renamed Chorzów in 1936) was separated from the reserve field of the Król mine in 1780. In 1970, the Barbara-Wyzwolenie and Chorzów mines were merged into one called Barbara-Chorzów, while the Prezydent mine was incorporated into the Polska mine in Świętochłowice. Both mines ceased operations in the mid- 1990s.

A museum presenting the achievements and heritage of Polish firefighting and documenting the development of firefighting history and technology in our country. It boasts more than 4,000 exhibits. The museum was opened on 14 September 1975, with its first headquarters being the buildings of the former Nazi camp on Powstańców Street in Mysłowice. In 1991, the museum was moved to Stadionowa Street in Mysłowice. In 1992, the museum was incorporated into the structures of the State Fire Service and renamed the Central Museum of Firefighting.

The headquarters of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) is one of the most modern music venues in Poland and Europe, built according to the design of the Tomasz Konior architectural studio. Construction began in 2012 and the inaugural concert took place in late 2014 (featuring Krystian Zimerman and the London Symphonic Orchestra, among others).

The façade of the NOSPR draws on the historical buildings of Silesia through brick pillars, plain and bright red recesses, like the windows of the familok of the Nikiszowiec mining residental estate. The interior of the building is very modern, but using natural materials: concrete, marble, wood.

It is part of the Culture Zone of the City of Katowice (other iconic buildings of Katowice are located in the neighbourhood: Spodek, MCK, Silesian Museum).

One of the largest congress centres in Poland, commissioned in 2015. It can accommodate 15,000 users at a time, with 12,000 inside the multipurpose hall itself. There are 35 conference rooms of varying sizes. The facility combines congress, conference, exhibition, trade and entertainment functions. The concept for the MCK building was to refer to the modernist architecture of the city, to take into account the proximity of the iconic Spodek building and to create a space for leisure activities. It is part of the Culture Zone of the City of Katowice (other iconic buildings of Katowice are located in the neighbourhood: Spodek, NOSPR, Silesian Museum).

The museum was established in 2015 on the site of the disused coal mine Katowice (formerly Ferdynand). The building is part of the Culture Zone of the City of Katowice (other icons of Katowice are located in the vicinity: Spodek, NOSPR, MCK).

The architectural concept draws on the industrial history of Silesia and the original function of the site on which it stands – which is why most of the building is underground, while on the surface there are only glazed blocks and restored historical buildings (mainly from the 19th century). The attraction is the 40 m high hoist tower of the Warsaw II shaft, to which a panoramic lift has been added, allowing visitors to reach the upper platform from where there is a view of the entire city. The building has received numerous awards.

A museum set up in a historic building, more than 100 years old, which is part of the Wujek mine. Before World War II, it was used as a place for filling miners’ lamps with carbide and later as a warehouse for working clothes. Yet, the Museum is so much more than just an exhibition — it is a witness to history, the site of the tragic events of 16 December 1981, when shots were fired from the building’s ramp, killing nine miners of the Wujek Mine. This creates a truly solemn atmosphere. One undeniable advantage of the Museum is the possibility to arrange visits accompanied by witnesses of those events.

The facility presents the history of the development of zinc metallurgy in Upper Silesia in a post-industrial exhibition space of more than 5,000 m2, in the halls of a former zinc rolling mill. The centre-piece of the exhibition is a unique technological line for the production of zinc sheets, consisting of equipment such as smelting furnaces, a heating furnace for zinc plates, a casting carousel, preliminary and finishing rolling mills, and sheet metal cutting shears. Additionally, the museum houses a collection of four original steam engines that were used in the past to power machinery in the rolling mill.

The museum also boasts one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of vintage Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles in Poland. The motorcycle models in the collection date from 1920 to 1986. These motorcycles have been meticulously restored and are in good working condition. During periodic “Machine Start-up” events, the motorcycles are started and showcased to visitors. Since 2016, visitors have had the opportunity to view a collection of over 50 antique stationary combustion engines manufactured by Jacob Peping. These engines span the entire 20th century and provide insight into the history of internal combustion engine development. The museum also houses both small workshop engines that were used to power equipment like lathes and saws, as well as powerful 12-cylinder engines capable of driving large machinery and even ships.

The Philharmonic was founded in 1945. From its earliest days, it has been very active in promoting music, organising concerts, also outside its premises. In 2011, it was named in memory of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki.

The building that houses the Silesian Philharmonic was built in 1873 at what was then Karlsstraße 2 (now Sokolska Street). The building was constructed in neoclassical style. It was renovated between 2010 and 2013.

The building was constructed between 2005 and 2007. It was designed by KoniorStudio. The new building is connected to the main building via a glazed atrium.  The newly built part houses, among other things, a concert hall for approximately 400 people, an education centre and libraries.

The theater was founded in 1990 by Michał Bryś (later replaced by Mirosław Neinert), Bogdan Kalus and Grzegorz Wolniak. Since 1997, the theater has been based in the so-called December Palasta. The stage of the Korez Theater is one of the smaller theater stages. It hosts own performances, guest performances and non-theatrical performances. The theater is a co-organizer of the Summer Theater Garden.

One of the oldest puppet groups in Poland, existing since 1945. The current repertoire is addressed mainly to children, both as classic fairy tales and contemporary items. The theater is located in a historic, neo-baroque tenement house from the end of the 19th century, at św. John 10.

Since 2002, the theater has been organizing the International Puppet Theater Festival “Katowice – for Children”.

Building completed in 2006; located on a roundabout in Katowice, in the immediate vicinity of Spodek

The shaft is the largest private art gallery in Poland, with an exhibition area of more than 2,500 m². It is located in the Wilson Shaft building (formerly Richthofen and Hulda), designed by Berlin architects, cousins Emil and Georg Zillmann.

The gallery was opened in 2001 in the revitalised pithead building and bathhouse of the Wilson shaft of the Wieczorek hard coal mine. The gallery is a combination of the post-industrial past and the present.

The gallery is associated with the so-called Janowska Group (official name: Group of Non-Professional Painters); i.e. amateur painters, coming from a working-class environment, usually miners. It is a cultural phenomenon; the history of the group dates back to the 1930s; it was founded by Teofil Ociepka who was fascinated by occultism (he was considered, next to Krynica’s Nikifor, to be the most famous Polish “primitivist”).  After World War II, artists gathered at the company cultural centre at the “Wieczorek” hard coal mine, founded by Otto Klimczok. The gallery has its own unique collection of contemporary art, including the old Janowska Group and contemporary naive artists. One of the most important cyclical events is the Art Naif Festival, presenting works by naive artists from around the world. The gallery is also sometimes made available for holding concerts, festivals, balls, performances, conferences, and is also a venue for shooting films, music videos, artistic photo sessions, fashion shows, etc.

A revitalised space and building of the former Michal mine, combining the past with the present. Inside there is a historical coal haulage machine and an exhibition  presenting the history of the industry and the traditions of the mining  profession, while at the same time it is a modern auditorium with a recreational and cultural function. It is now the Siemianowice Cultural Centre.

The theater in Sosnowiec was founded in 1897 and was the sixth permanent stage in Poland (after Warsaw, Krakow, Lviv, Lublin and Kalisz). It was planned as a complex: Winter Theater, Summer Theater and Hotel Saski.

The theater building was built with private funds from the entrepreneur Count Mortimer Renard. The building, which is currently the theater’s independent seat, was built according to the plans of architect Karol Steczkowski and was then an element of the entire planned complex. The complex included:

• Winter Theater (unofficial name at that time, the building survives to this day and is the seat of the Theater)
• Guest rooms – Hotel Saski
• Wooden Summer Theater.

The building of the Winter Theater – the current theater – was rebuilt many times. It gained its current form during the modernization carried out in 1976-1978 and after the expansion in 1992. Elements of the original interior design and furnishings have not survived.

The Black Trout Adit is a section of a drainage adit built in the 19th century to dewater the royal silver, zinc, and lead mine, Fryderyk. It was carved into the dolomite rock to prevent the inflow of water into the mines – a function it still serves today . The site is located in the central part of the Repty Park (covering an area of approximately 200 hectares), with a rich tree stand (including beeches, oaks, hornbeams, ash trees, and lime trees).

Historic English-style park, which was established in 1885 by the Schön brothers, designed in neo-Romantic style around the Schön and Wilhelm Palace complex.

A 3-storey palace, in Neo-Baroque style, from the end of the 19th century, built by the brothers Ernst and Franz Schoen of Saxony (descendants of German industrialists), according to the design of the Wrocław architect Karl Grosser. To this day, the body of the building has not changed, but the interior has been rebuilt over the years. It is located in a park, with which it forms a palace and park complex.

Today it is the headquarters of the Sosnowiec Museum. In the Palace, a branch of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom was established in 1985, and 10 years later the facility was taken over by the Sosnowiec local government as an independent cultural institution. The mission of the Museum is to preserve the cultural heritage of Sosnowiec for future generations and to disseminate the material and spiritual culture of the city, as well as the Dąbrowa Basin (Zagłębie Dąbrowskie), through many years of collecting memorabilia of the past and scientific research.

This branch of the Museum in Gliwice exhibits a collection of artistic bronze and iron castings and is located in the former engine room of the Gliwice mine.

Underground tourist route in the tunnels of a silver ore mine, carved through Triassic dolomite and limestone. The mine’s facilities include a cinema/conference room and a restaurant. Since 2017, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (encompassing the Tarnowskie Góry underground including drainage systems, water supply infrastructure and numerous cultural landscapes).

Underground tourist route in the tunnels of a silver ore mine, carved through Triassic dolomite and limestone. The mine’s facilities include a cinema/conference room and a restaurant. Since 2017, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (encompassing the Tarnowskie Góry underground including drainage systems, water supply infrastructure and numerous cultural landscapes).

This institution features exhibitions primarily showcasing the interiors of flats and everyday objects used in Poland from 1945 to 1989. Additionally, the museum has a Monument Park where monuments from the PRL (Polish People’s Republic) era are displayed. The outdoor exhibition also includes collections related to automotive technology from that period.

The museum is operated by the Minionej Epoki Foundation and is open seasonally.

Willa Caro from the late 19th century (1882 – 1885), built in the Neo-Renaissance style. The interior is very representative, eclectic, representing various styles (from Neo-Renaissance, to Neo-Baroque, to Empire and Biedermeier). In the interiors, the well-preserved decoration remains: richly decorated ceilings, panelling, parquet floors, door and window woodwork. It is named after the Gliwice industrialist Oscar Caro, to whom it belonged. In 1934, it was donated by the city as the permanent home of the Museum.

The two gallows frames of shafts I and II, dating back to the late 19th century (1873), are structures of unique but different design. They are remnants of the Poland Coal Mine (much like the preserved buildings of the mine management office — now the Świętochłowice police headquarters).

Dating back to 1908, the shaft I gallows frame is a bascule structure about 30 m high and reaching down to as far as 180 m deep. It is based on a support structure comprising four riveted lattice pillars, braced at three levels, with stud walls (steel grates filled with brick). The top (head) houses a hoisting device, including one of Europe’s first electric hoist machinery. It is one of the first towers of this type and the oldest of the three surviving in the Silesian Voivodeship.

A trestle structure dating back to 1889–1891, the shaft II gallows frame is about 23 m high and reaches down to 225 m. It is made of steel, solid-wall elements, and is set up on a superstructure comprising 4 riveted corner posts with a rectangular cross-section, inclined at about 60 degrees. The posts support a platform with 4 hoist wheels (this is the only such tower preserved).

Today, it serves as a recreation zone, allowing visitors to relax in the presence of a “witness” to the industrial past. The gallows frame serves as a viewpoint (accessible by lift), and its head features an exhibition space which houses an exhibition on the city’s mining history. The idea of how to develop the surroundings of the gallows frame was based on the mine elements and environments, with the area eventually separated into water, earth, wood, steel and air zones.

A former pre-funeral house on the site of the new Jewish cemetery (Kirkut) dating back to 1902–1903, designed by the famous Viennese architect Max Fleischer (now the only surviving cemetery designed by Fleischer left in Poland). It is likely the second largest of its kind in Poland, after the pre-funeral house in Łódź.

The neo-Gothic building is made of red clinker bricks. The main hall – the prayer room (10.5 m x 17.6 m, height of 10 m) with a rib vault, decorated with a painting depicting a starry sky, two monumental stained-glass windows in the gable walls, and an ornamental arrangement of black and white ceramic tiles on the floor (one of the toilets preserved the original tiles, now somewhat worn out). Award of the Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship in 2016 in the competition for the Best Public Space in the category of revitalised public utility facility. It is now a branch of the Museum in Gliwice (the building is listed on the Registry of Cultural Property).

The gallery is a former mine power plant converted into a cultural facility. The power plant building was built in 1902-1908 based on the design of the Polish architect Józef Pius Dziekoński. A characteristic element of the building is a Gothic-style tower with embrasures. The façade of the building consists of brick, unplastered walls in a frame division with axes, cornices and brick architectural details. Inside the building there are original machines and equipment of the former power plant preserved in excellent condition.

A facility providing exhibits illustrating the history of the electricity industry, including: equipment, documents and photographs relating to the generation, transmission and application of electricity.

Tours only possible with prior application and confirmation by the Energy Museum.

The Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze is one of the most important tourist and cultural facilities operating in the post-industrial space, being a unique monument of mining technology on a global scale. Since 2013, following the merger of the Guido Historic Coal Mine and the former Coal Mining Museum, it has been a single cultural institution. It also includes the Queen Louise Adit complex (the name “Queen Louise Adit” is a modern name, created in order to carry out tourist traffic in two connected historic buildings: the “Queen Louise” mine and the Main Key Hereditary Adit), consisting of the excavations of the Queen Louise Mine and the Main Key Hereditary Adit, which, together with the Guido mine, ranks among the most interesting tourist attractions in Silesia

Carboneum – Knowledge Centre for Coal is a modern exhibition combining a science centre and a classical educational exhibition. It features a scientific exhibition on carbon as an element.  It is located in an old water tower.

The water tower is part of Zabrze’s municipal water supply system that dates back to 1909; it is 46 m tall and has an unusual shape, designed by the architect August Kind and building adviser Friedrich Loose. It is an octagonal plan brick building with eight side pillars and one central pillar, with a mansard roof. Lower floors were once used as residential quarters and utility rooms.

The philharmonic building was formerly the Donnersmarck library, dating back to the interwar period of the 20th century. In the 1950s, it served as the administrative building of the Zabrze Steelworks. As a result of industrial restructuring, it lost its purpose and was gradually destroyed.

A private educational and cultural museum, mainly exhibiting equipment and objects relating to the history of bread making, as well as ethnographic artefacts and school memorabilia.

Teatr Nowy was established in 1959. In 1974, the institution was awarded the Golden Badge of Merit in the Development of the Katowice Voivodeship. It was also awarded the Medal of the National Education Commission. The theatre is housed in the historic building of the former Donnersmarck Ironworks casino, built in 1901, which is part of the company-sponsored Donnersmarck Ironworks complex set up between 1903 and 1922. The complex includes, among other things, the Małe Zabrze housing estate, a library, a Housekeeping School, an indoor swimming pool and gymnasium and the Ironworks Park.

The office building from the end of the 19th century, where some historic documents and photographs are on display (the construction of the station began between 1894 and 1895). A little later, there was a reconstruction of the facility in the modernist style (1927-1929) – the pumping station was renovated and additional  structures were built, including a workshop, bath house, warehouse, garages, fire station building and chimney. To this day, the historic interior furnishings have been preserved in the facility (including the original equipment for steam-driven pumping station, which is preserved at its former workstations). Clean water is still drawn from a deep well drilled in 1882, at a depth of approximately 200 m. This site is a registered monument and is open for free visits.

A music theatre founded in 1945 by Adam Didur. The seat of the Silesian Opera is located in the building of the former municipal theatre, which was constructed between 1899 and 1901 according to the design of Berlin architect Albert Bohm in the neoclassical style. The official founding date of the opera is considered to be the premiere of Stanisław Moniuszko’s “Halka” on 14 June 1945. The Opera building consists of two interconnected parts – the opera house and the Concert Hall. In 1927, the Concert Hall underwent modernisation and reconstruction by architect Hans Poelzig, which included changes to the interior of the Concert Hall and the appearance of the facade. The building underwent several renovations and reconstructions in the 1950s and and 1960s.

The building probably dates from the late 16th century or early 17th century; commonly known as “Walencinek”. Now a sanctuary with the relics of St Valentine.

The facility opened in 1932, built in modernist style (from 1929-1930), designed by A. Stütz and H. Hettler; only half of the facility was completed due to the world economic crisis.

The museum currently has five substantive departments: Archaeology, Ethnography, History, Nature and Art, as well as auxiliary departments: such as Education or the Promotion and Publishing Department. The museum also has a specialist library with around 61,000 volumes.

Bytom’s ROZBARK Theatre was established in 2013. The theatre is housed in the historic guildhall (assembly hall) of the Rozbark mine (in operation from 1870 to 2004), which is listed in the Registry of Cultural Property (as are other mine buildings). The theatre has a mobile auditorium with approximately 200 seats. The theatre is a result of a long-standing tradition of contemporary dance created in Bytom by the defunct Silesian Dance Theatre.

In 2017, a 1935 statue of a miner (by Walter Tuckermann) was placed in front of the building, which was previously located on the site of Bytom’s Centrum mine.

An early 16th century building; interior with a Baroque main altar with a 17th century painting of St Lawrence. (dating from 1880, transferred from the demolished wooden church of St Margaret in Bytom) and side altars from the 18th century, an 18th century pulpit and a sculpture of Christ from the 17th century.

This institution features exhibitions primarily showcasing the interiors of flats and everyday objects used in Poland from 1945 to 1989. Additionally, the museum has a Monument Park where monuments from the PRL (Polish People’s Republic) era are displayed. The outdoor exhibition also includes collections related to automotive technology from that period.

The museum is operated by the Minionej Epoki Foundation and is open seasonally.

A historic complex of several post-industrial buildings from the 19th century, built according to a unified design (as one establishment). It boasts great architectural (detailing) and historical and cognitive qualities (well-preserved spatial layout of the brewing plant). The former brewhouse and malthouse with a drying room have been converted into a restaurant, serving its own beer, an art gallery and a science and technology park. The Obywatelski Brewery has a unique spot in the industrial style: Tichauer restaurant and art gallery.

The site is located on the Industrial Monuments Route of the Silesian Voivodeship.

It was established at the end of 2004 in one of the oldest breweries in Poland – beer has been brewed here since the beginning of the 17th century (1629). It was founded on the initiative of the Promnitz family, but it was extended by Hans Heinrich XV von Hochberg, Prince of Pszczyna, a visionary and entrepreneur.

Buildings are covered by conservation protection.

The theatre was established in 1965 as a company cultural centre at the “Ziemowit” Coal Mine, and later at Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych, an automotive manufacturing plant. In 1991, it was acquired by the city and later became a seat of the Municipal Cultural Centre following a 1994 refurbishment. Since 2000, it has been a municipal cultural institution financed by the Tychy City Council. The theatre does not have its own ensemble of actors; it functions as an impresario theatre.

A 3-storey building from 1951-1958, in the socialist realist style, with a facade made of red brick and sandstone, designed by architect Zbigniew Rzepecki. It is an example of a bygone era in architecture: a monumental structure with rich ornamentation, marble interiors, spacious halls with massive pillars, walls covered with hand-painted tiles, historic wood paneling, and large mirrored panels.

The building which now houses the museum was built between 1839 and 1842 on the initiative of the Management Board of the Polish Bank in Warsaw. It was the headquarters of the Western Mining District Board, and from 1889. School of Mining and Metallurgy, known as the Sztygarka. In 2010, it was opened to the public as an underground tourist route.

The Museum of Steelwork is located on the Industrial Monuments Route of the Silesian Voivodeship. The facility allows visitors to learn more about the history of steelwork (human toil, machinery, history) in the Chorzów area (formerly the Royal Ironworks), which has been present here for more than 200 years, as well as more about the specifics of this branch of industry, integrally connected with the history of Upper Silesia up to the times of political and socio-economic transformation at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. Museum located in a revitalised historic gym building dating from 1895. A facility created in a real post-industrial space combined with modernity. The site was originally the power station of the Huta Królewska. From 1898 to 1911, it powered the town of Królewska Huta (now Chorzów), and after the Chorzów power station took over this function, it powered the steelworks.

Open-air ethnographic museum with an area of 22 hectares, established in 1975 on the premises of the Silesian Park (formerly the Provincial Park of Culture and Recreation), where 70 historical rural buildings from five Upper Silesian sub-regions (Beskid, Podgórze, Pszczyna-Rybnica, industrial subregion, and Lubliniec) and the Dąbrowa Basin (Zagłębie Dąbrowskie) region are gathered.

A monumental and extremely interesting building from 1929. It consists of 4 main wings, with a central parliamentary section (the Silesian Parliament Hall for 140 people) inside. The building comprises 4 high floors, a low ground floor, and 2 underground floors (with a shelter and vault protected against undermining by a pool and an  underground tunnel leading outside). The building’s volume is almost 161,500 cubic metres, with over 600 rooms and 1,300 windows, a total corridor length of over 6 km, and a perimeter corridor on the upper floor of about 400 metres (similar to an athletics track).

The most representative place, resembling Renaissance courtyards with cloisters, is the vestibule with a dome-shaped roof with rosette panels (featuring the coat of arms of Silesia as a district of Poland and 11 coats of arms of cities that were part of the Silesian Voivodeship during the interwar period). A unique attraction is the so-called paternoster lift (a rare sight in Europe, with only 2-3 such devices in Poland).

A theatre specialising in musical shows and musicals. Though the theatre’s beginnings date back to the 1970s, it has only been operating under its current name since 1985. Based in Chorzów, the institution has theatre, vocal and ballet ensembles, as well as its own orchestra. Its repertoire includes both large-scale musical shows (such as the famous musicals “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Jesus Christ Superstar”) and chamber forms. The theatre is housed in the historic building of Królewska Huta’s former exclusive hotel — the “Graf von Reden”. One distinctive feature of the building is the oriel window, decorated with statues of a steelworker and a miner and topped with a turret. Currently, the theatre has two stages — a large and a small one (600 and 100 seats, respectively). The year 2008 saw the completion of modernisation work on the building, an effort met with rave reviews and several architectural awards.

A theatre specialising in musical shows and musicals. Though the theatre’s beginnings date back to the 1970s, it has only been operating under its current name since 1985. Based in Chorzów, the institution has theatre, vocal and ballet ensembles, as well as its own orchestra. Its repertoire includes both large-scale musical shows (such as the famous musicals “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Jesus Christ Superstar”) and chamber forms. The theatre is housed in the historic building of Królewska Huta’s former exclusive hotel — the “Graf von Reden”. One distinctive feature of the building is the oriel window, decorated with statues of a steelworker and a miner and topped with a turret. Currently, the theatre has two stages — a large and a small one (600 and 100 seats, respectively). The year 2008 saw the completion of modernisation work on the building, an effort met with rave reviews and several architectural awards.

A museum presenting the achievements and heritage of Polish firefighting and documenting the development of firefighting history and technology in our country. It boasts more than 4,000 exhibits. The museum was opened on 14 September 1975, with its first headquarters being the buildings of the former Nazi camp on Powstańców Street in Mysłowice. In 1991, the museum was moved to Stadionowa Street in Mysłowice. In 1992, the museum was incorporated into the structures of the State Fire Service and renamed the Central Museum of Firefighting.

An open-air museum established in 1976 and devoted to the history of the Tarnowskie Góry mining industry, at that time based on steam technology. It contains several dozen exhibits, such as steam engines and steam  locomotives, a road roller, a railroad crane, a compressor, a locomobile, a power generator, steam pumps, and coal haulage machinery. Admission to the open-air museum is free. The open-air museum is part of the Historic Silver Mine and is open to the public during its opening hours.

The museum commenced its operations in 1958. The museum’s first exhibitions were located in a townhouse on the market square, known as Sedlaczek’s house, which is still the seat of the institution today. The following year, the museum was a branch of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, while later it was administered by the Presidium of the National Council of the City of Tarnowskie Góry. In 1990, It was transformed into an independent cultural institution run by the Municipality of Tarnowskie Góry.

At present, the Museum’s collection comprises more than 8,000 exhibits. They are collected in three departments: History, Ethnography and Art. The History Department is mainly objects related to local mining, municipal organisations, cartographic and iconographic artefacts, old prints and prints, as well as military accessories. The Department of Ethnography boasts numerous collections, mainly from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including folk costumes, jewellery, furniture and other furnishings, everyday equipment and tools, objects related to rituals, children’s toys and works by local non-professional artists. In the Art Department, in addition to paintings, “Sobiesciana” (works connected with the Sobieski family) and tin, it is worth noting the collection of exhibits related to the Tarnowskie Góry crafts guilds, examples of artistic craftsmanship, contemporary paintings and artistic photography.

The Zagłębie Museum in Będzin was established in 1956. Currently, the Museum offers to visit: Mieroszewski Palace, the Castle including the tower, the “Mizrachi” House of Prayer, the revitalised Castle Hill. The Będzin Underground has also been opened to the public under the Museum’s Castle Hill, which will in time be enriched with designed arrangements referring to the history of Będzin throughout history.

The facility presents and protects tangible and intangible heritage assets relating to the history of the three Silesian Uprisings and the city of Świętochłowice.

The gallery is a former mine power plant converted into a cultural facility. The power plant building was built in 1902-1908 based on the design of the Polish architect Józef Pius Dziekoński. A characteristic element of the building is a Gothic-style tower with embrasures. The façade of the building consists of brick, unplastered walls in a frame division with axes, cornices and brick architectural details. Inside the building there are original machines and equipment of the former power plant preserved in excellent condition.

This is the only facility of its kind in Silesia. It was built on the basis of a complex of railway roundhouse buildings. The museum contains 60 exhibits, including steam locomotives, diesel locomotives, freight and passenger wagons, EW90 Electric Multiple Unit, EDK300 crane. The collection of steam locomotives has also been enriched by exhibits from Łazy and the open-air museum in Krzeszowice.

A facility providing exhibits illustrating the history of the electricity industry, including: equipment, documents and photographs relating to the generation, transmission and application of electricity.

The institution presents the tragic story of the deportation to forced labour in the Soviet Union in 1945 of tens of thousands of inhabitants of Upper Silesia (which in 1939 belonged to the German Reich); the Soviets treated them as a “form of war reparations” for the damage caused by the Germans in the USSR. People from the territory of the Republic of Poland were also deported (activists of the Polish independence underground, soldiers of the Home Army and people who were victims of denunciation).

The facility was built in a mid-19th century building, which no longer served as a railway station and had been neglected by the Polish Railway. It was handed over to the town, and under an agreement between the Municipality of Radzionków and the Katowice branch of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), this unique memorial was created. It is a moving exhibition, created in a symbolic place – the railway station, naturally associated with departures – but also in an authentic spot, as some 250 people were deported from Radzionków in 1945. Artefacts have been successfully collected, but you can still bring memorabilia recording this time. Also movingly impressive is the “krowiak” – a wagon used to transport people over very difficult and long distances.

A private educational and cultural museum, mainly exhibiting equipment and objects relating to the history of bread making, as well as ethnographic artefacts and school memorabilia.

Object from the 17th or 18th century; relocated from nearby Przyszowice in 1937-1939; rectangular nave with triangular enclosed presbytery; roof with bell-shaped spire; a tower with a chamber with an onion-shaped, Baroque spire with a lantern of columnar construction (i.e. the vertical columns are joined at the top by a horizontal joist which supports the ceiling); furnishings mostly from the Baroque and early Baroque periods and late Gothic reliefs of Saints Peter and Paul.

The “Chudów Castle” Museum has an archaeological and historical profile. It operates in the partially reconstructed tower of the 16th century castle built by Jan Gierałtowski. Its collections were created mainly thanks to the archaeological research carried out at the castle by the “Chudów Castle” Foundation (the initiator of the action to save the castle). The Chudów historical complex includes 3 buildings: the ruins of a 16th century castle, a two-storey granary from the 18th century (the mansard roof was reconstructed at the end of the 1990s) and the building of a former inn (reconstructed on the basis of old illustrations) – today the Oberża pod Swietym Jerzym restaurant.

The castle ruins are a venue for outdoor events.

This branch of the Museum in Gliwice exhibits a collection of artistic bronze and iron castings and is located in the former engine room of the Gliwice mine.

Tourist marina in the Gliwice Port on the Gliwice Canal, with motorboat and kayak rental as well as mooring spots for your own vessel. Foxtrot and Dziewanna passenger ship cruises start from here. This waterway can take you from Gliwice to Amsterdam, Paris and even Marseille. The hydrotechnical infrastructure of the Gliwice Canal (locks and weirs) was built just before World War II. It allows covering approx. 41 km from Gliwice to Koźle, with a terrain level difference of up to 43 m. Navigation is enabled by 6 locks, of which the 2 most important are over 10 m high, and the lowest (Łabędy lock in Gliwice) is 4.2 m high.

A mid-17th century building; nave and presbytery of a log frame construction (i.e. horizontally laid wooden joists connected at the corner and projecting beyond the outline of the building); tower of post construction (i.e. vertical joists connected at the top by a horizontal joist supporting the ceiling); all covered with shingles; roof with bell-shaped spire; inside, a valuable Gothic painting Ognissanti Madonna surrounded by apostles.

The Gliwice lofts, located on the site of the former barracks, were built in a 19th-century granary which served the Prussian, later Soviet and Polish armies (it was, among other things, a warehouse for grain and flour, uniforms and medicines). It is now a multi-storey building, with an area of 5,000 m2 (including: 30 residential lofts ranging from 80 m2 to over 300 m2 and commercial units), completed in 2009, following redevelopment as part of a plan to revitalise the entire complex of buildings of the former Prussian Provision Office.

A timber-framed building built in the 17th century and extended in the 18th century; of a log frame construction (i.e. horizontally laid wooden joists connected at the corner and projecting beyond the outline of the building); square nave, gabled roof with a little bell and a Baroque spire; next to it stands a belfry with a chamber and a pyramidal spire from 1520; the oldest of the four bells was cast in 1536.

This institution features exhibitions primarily showcasing the interiors of flats and everyday objects used in Poland from 1945 to 1989. Additionally, the museum has a Monument Park where monuments from the PRL (Polish People’s Republic) era are displayed. The outdoor exhibition also includes collections related to automotive technology from that period.

The museum is operated by the Minionej Epoki Foundation and is open seasonally.

An underground and surface mining complex open to visitors, based on one of the oldest coal mines in Upper Silesia. It stands as a true monument to the industrial history of the region while also being a unique tourist attraction in Europe. The Zabrze section, approximately 2.5 km in length, is open to tourists (the total length is over 14 km, from the outlet in the centre of Zabrze to the former Król mine in Chorzów – Krug shaft, which has been closed since 2015). The exploration of this complex begins at the Łańcuszkowa Bathhouse [Łaźnia Łańcuszkowa].

A historic coal mine open for tours. This unique place in Europe was actually created in a functioning mine founded by Count Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck in 1855.  Visitors can descend to two levels, 170 and 320 metres below ground, ride on cable cars, hear the roar of combined cutter loader, navigate through narrow corridors, touch a real coal wall, and finally enjoy a slice of bread with lard. This place vividly illustrates the work of miners and the specific nature of the mine. Since 2013, it has been merged with the Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze to form a single institution called the Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze.

Dating back to the first half of the 20th century, the Maciej Shaft features a Siemens-Schuckertwerke double-drum winding machine and is a remnant of the Concordia Mine. Other surviving parts of the facility include a complex of 7 buildings and a waste rock dump. Today, the headframe building houses the industrial restaurant and bistro Pod Napięciem, as well as a banquet hall on its top level. The adjacent timber yard includes a railway overpass that once connected the mine to Gliwice and Bytom and now serves as an open-air stage.

The water tower is part of Zabrze’s municipal water supply system that dates back to 1909; it is 46 m tall and has an unusual shape, designed by the architect August Kind and building adviser Friedrich Loose. It is an octagonal plan brick building with eight side pillars and one central pillar, with a mansard roof. Lower floors were once used as residential quarters and utility rooms. Today, the interior houses the state-of-the-art Carboneum exhibition.  It features a scientific exhibition on carbon as an element. Parachute tower in Kościuszko Park.

A building from the early 16th century, single-nave, of a log construction, but made of round logs (i.e. horizontally laid wooden joists, joined at the corner and protruding beyond the outline of the building); roof with a little bell; moved in 1938 from Syrynia (in the Rybnik district) along with a wooden fence featuring three gates and a freestanding belfry from the 17th century; it was intended to be the beginning of an open-air museum; inside, there is a late Gothic sculpture of Our Lady with the Child from the early 16th century, 17th-century pulpit, a 15th-century stoup and remnants of the original polychrome.

A mine bathhouse from 1890, the first of its kind in Upper Silesia. It was a significant testimony to the social level of the establishment, deviating from the common standards of the time. It is a magnificent brick building with a basilica layout, an area of 1,500 m² and a height of 10 m; the original division of the main rooms, structural elements and some of the original furnishings have been preserved to this day. Currently, this is the first element of the tourist route in the Queen Louise Adit complex, from where the tour of the complex begins, with the main attraction being the Main Key Hereditary Adit. The interior of the building is also a good space for cultural events.

This company-sponsored housing estate was built in the 1860s and 1870s for the workers of the Borsig industrial facilities, under the initiative of the son of August Borsig, the industrialist. It consists of approximately 60 nearly identical single- or two-storey brick buildings (often referred to as “familoki”), each with a gabled roof. Those houses were constructed along a regular grid of streets and were originally occupied by around 3,000 people (families only; single men were accommodated in workers’ hostels). In addition to residential buildings, the complex also included public utility facilities such as a school, teachers’ residence, gymnasium, an evangelical chapel with a cemetery, a canteen, shops, and a post office.

To the north of the housing estate, there is a smaller residential area for technical staff, featuring more diverse, larger, and better-equipped flats. In 1855, a Neo-Renaissance palace with some classical elements, known as the “castle”, was built in a small landscape park (today serving as the seat of the Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal).

The estate from the late 19th century (1899) for workers from the nearby Castellengo mine, built at the initiative of Count Franciszek von Ballestrem, according to the design of Berlin architect  Hans von Poellnitz (the count’s brother-in-law). It was constructed in three stages: 1905-1908, then 1912-1915, and in the 1930s. At the time of its creation, it was one of the most modern company-sponsored housing estates in Poland and Europe.

The housing estate was built for the miners of the Luiza coal mine, starting from 1869 under the initiative of the treasury management. Over time, the estate was expanded, and the new section was called Kolonia B – Na Czternastym, named after the nearby shaft No.14 of the Main Key Hereditary Adit. The construction system involved providing workers with free land plots and allowing them to take non-bearing interest loans for the construction of two-storey familoks [familok – a multi-family house built for coalminers]. Public utility facilities were also constructed as part of the development.

A workers’ housing estate (built in 1903-1922) designed by a group of architects from Berlin. It consists of approximately 40 three-storey residential buildings, with similar symmetrical layouts but diverse shapes and roofs. The facades are made of red brick, with elements of wooden timber framing (inspired by historicism, Art Nouveau, folk architecture, and English architecture). A separate villa was built next to it, which belonged to the director of the ironworks.

A 2-storey house, dating from 1927, which contains 4 flats of approximately 50 m² (two-room). Built of metal walls, composed of eight parts, cast in the Donnersmarck Ironworks (later the Zabrze Ironworks). At the time, it was a very economical and innovative solution as well as the result of construction experiments originating in America in the first half of the 19th century (the building was erected in just 26 days, with only one crew of 16 people).

The building was part of a complex of workers’ dwellings and public buildings associated with the Donnersmarck Ironworks.

The complex of buildings of the Bobrek power plant (Kraftwerk Oberschlesien, Kraftwerk Bobrek, Bobrek power plant, later Szombierki) from 1920, designed by Berlin architects Georg and Emil Zillmann. Covering an area of almost 18 ha, there are facilities such as the boiler house, pump house, engine house, power distribution, “Clock” water tower, coal tower, three factory chimneys, management building, guard house and surroundings.

The only relic of the Bobrek ironworks (former Julia – Julienhutte), which operated from the end of the 19th century for almost a century and a half. It includes two interconnected brick buildings with a gable roof, a Neo-Romanesque style, of a long rectangular plan: the first building is from 1900, the second from 1908. Nearby are the workers’ colonies of the Julia ironworks and the Joanna mine.

Dating back to the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, these buildings are the remnants of the Rozbark Mine (formerly Heinitzgrube). The following have been preserved: the 1907 engine room of the Bończyk Shaft (formerly Mauve or Malwa) and the 1911 guildhall (now housing the ROZBARK Dance and Movement Theatre), both designed by Berlin architects Emil and Georg Zilmann, as well as a 1915 boiler house (partly destroyed by a collapsed chimney), and an 1886 retaining wall.  Reaching down to a minimum depth of 540 m, the Bończyk shaft is a 2-storey rectangular brick building. Designed as a neo-Gothic style hall with a hipped roof, it features large windows with cascades, arcades and pointed arches on its facade. Around 1912, an innovative electric hoist machinery powered by a steam turbine was fitted inside it.  The pithead building is the most intriguing part of the development complex: this 2-storey elongated rectangle building in Neo-Baroque or historicist style features windows with sharp arches and a red and green facade. It has a three-nave interior; the walls of the assembly hall are covered with white and green glazed bricks. The building was used, among other things, to celebrate St Barbara’s Day (it housed an altar to St Barbara, now moved to St Hyacinth parish in Bytom). Scenes for Kazimierz Kutz’s films Pearl in the Crown and Salt of the Black Earth were filmed inside.  The pithead building was converted into an auditorium with a capacity of around 200 (it has been home to the Rozbark Dance and Movement Theatre since 2013). In 2017, a 1935 miner statue, previously located on the premises of Bytom’s Centrum Mine, was placed in front of the guildhall. Next to it is the former mine administration building, which has been converted into a hotel.  Buildings are covered by conservation protection.

The Krystyna Shaft (formerly Kaiser Wilhelm), built in 1928, is a remnant of the Hohenzollern mine (later Szombierki), founded in 1870 by Joanna Gryzik (an adopted daughter of the Silesian industrialist Karol Godula). It is a modernist brick flanking tower, standing at a height of 57 metres, shaped similarly to a mining hammer and pick emblem. The first electric coal haulage machines in Silesia, with a power of 2700 and 2400 horsepower (originating from the Donnersmarck Ironworks in Zabrze), were used there, powering wheels with diameters of up to 7 m.

Made of reinforced concrete and high-quality cement and measuring over 44 metres in height, this is one of Upper Silesia’s most interesting water towers in terms of structure. It was built between 1934 and 1935 and its architectural design refers to functionalism, which made the shape of a building dependent on its function. The water tower rests on deep foundations and pillars arranged in an octagon shape (inscribed in a circle with a radius of 16 m). The water tank (the wider part at the top) is a cylinder with a flat roof and a lantern. The tank’s capacity is 1,000 m³.

The workers’ colonies known as the New Workers’ Colony were constructed in the early 20th century at the initiative of the owners of the Julia Ironworks (Julienhutte, later Bobrek) and the Graefin Johanna Coal Mine (later Bobrek).

Today, more than 50 structures have survived (located in the streets of Czajkowskiego, Olszewskiego, Jachymczyka, Stelmacha, and Żwirowa).

A late Gothic-style building, dating from the 15th century but rebuilt a few times; roughly square in plan,  of a log frame construction (i.e. horizontally laid wooden joists connected at the corner and projecting beyond the outline of the building), on a brick and stone foundation, covered by shingle eaves; all covered with shingles; gabled roof topped by a bell-shaped spire from 1960.

This workers’ colony, dating from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, was established for the employees of the Hubertus Ironworks (later Zygmunt Ironworks). It is one of the best-preserved examples of company-sponsored complexes in Bytom (alongside the colonies of the former Johann mine and Julia ironworks in Bobrek). Today, over 30 bungalows and single-storey brick houses have survived, along with separate buildings for laundry facilities, bakeries, and characteristic pigsties. After 1989, the colony underwent partial revitalisation.

One of the first lofts in Poland, located in Bytom. The residential building was constructed between 2002 and 2003 following the modernisation and adaptation of the lamp room building of the former Orzeł Biały mining and smelting works at Bolko shaft. The Bolko loft is a single-storey building supported by eight reinforced concrete columns. It was designed by Przemo Łukasik of Medusa Group Architects.

This is a railway with a track gauge of 785 mm, established in the mid-19th century and primarily serving the transportation of raw materials and semi-finished products between industrial facilities in the Upper Silesian Industrial District.

Today, the Upper Silesian Narrow-Gauge Railways (in Polish: Górnośląskie Koleje Wąskotorowe) operate as a tourist railway on a portion of the former rail network with a length of 21 km, running between Bytom and Miasteczko Śląskie (now the oldest historical line).

Location of individual stations:

• Bytom Wąskotorowy (Bytom station, from the side of Zabrzańska Street)
• Szombierki Elektrownia
• Bytom Karb Wąskotorowy (end of Reja Street in Bytom)
• Dąbrowa Miejska (request stop)
• Sucha Góra (Łokietka Street near the former Jopka plant)
• Kopalnia Srebra (Staffa Street, a 7-minute walk to the silver mine)
• Tarnowskie Góry Wąskotorowe (near Blachnicki Roundabout, Bytomska Street)
• Lasowice Zalew
• Miasteczko Śląskie Zalew (about a 5-minute walk from the Miasteczko Śląskie Reservoir)
• Miasteczko Śląskie Wąskotorowe

A disused railway station from the end of the 19th century, made available after revitalisation for social and cultural purposes to the inhabitants of the city, especially the Chebzie district. In addition to its function as a library, the historic building has retained its passenger function. It will be the focal point of the planned interchange station in the Chebzie district.

An imposing, monumental structure measuring 40 m in height. Located in Ruda Śląska – Nowy Bytom, it is now one of the most important symbols of Polish metallurgy. The furnace was finally damped for environmental reasons in 2004. In 2012, the site became a registered monument.

To learn more about the history of the Great Blast Furnace, visit the website of the city’s Heritage Conservator (also available in English and German): and in a dedicated brochure (in Polish and English): https://www.wirtualnaruda.pl/wielki%20piec/Broszura_WielkiPiec.pdf

two-storey department store from the early 20th century, with a mansard roof, on an L-shaped plan (from which the estate gets its name). It is one of the first department stores in Europe (predating the famous London Harrods by a year).

The heap is an example of the revitalisation of a metallurgical waste landfill (usually difficult to manage due to its chemical composition). This is one of the 4 zinc spoil heaps in Ruda Śląska, a remnant of the Liebe-Hoffnung zinc works, operating from the first half of the 19th century to 1925, which is located almost in the city centre. The area of the heap is 6.5 hectares.

During the revitalisation, for the first time on a large scale in the country, supported phytostabilisation was used, i.e. the introduction of appropriate additives to the soil to limit the bioavailability of heavy metals, and the sowing of selected grass species that do not absorb pollutants into the above-ground (leafy) part.

Reclamation was carried out on the basis of scientific research and in consultation with the Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas in Katowice. The heap was formed, illuminated walking paths were created, with benches, hammocks and spacious cubes with lounge sunbeds, as well as a large playground, a BMX track, a climbing wall and a fragment of the cliff as the so-called witness to history – which allows visitors to see a cross-section of the heap. What is more, an illuminated sledding hill was created in the northern part of the heap. A telescope installed at the top of the heap allows visitors to see the Beskids in clear weather A historical and educational path is also located there.

A recreational space on a former industrial site, comprising a park with two zones: an area next to the historic buildings, with footpaths and small architectural elements, and a green area without defined footpaths. It features two children’s playgrounds, park benches and deckchairs, lighting fixtures, a toilet and parking spaces.

A building from 1928-29, on an atypical twelve-sided ground plan, with four surrounding towers with copper spires; furnishings from 1930-41; the second church in Zabrze from the Wooden Architecture Route is the Evangelical church in Mikulczyce.

The Mikołaj shaft from 1912 is a remnant of the Wolfgang mine (later Walenty). It consists of an engine room with a powerful coal haulage machine made by Siemens, featuring a flywheel with a diameter of 6 m and weighing 20 tonnes. Initially, it reached a depth of 445 meters into the ground, later extending to 800 metres. The complete set of shaft buildings belongs to the city. For more information about the history of the Shaft, please visit the website of the municipal conservator of monuments (also available in English and German): https://www.wirtualnaruda.pl/1851.htm

The building was built in 1937 in less than two months using ecological Scandinavian solutions (the air between the two layers of wall boards acts as a thermal insulator); one nave with a presbytery and a small belfry; internal walls lined with panels made from compressed wood processing waste; modest decoration; the second church in Zabrze from the Wooden Architecture Route is the St Hedwig’s Church.

The workers’ housing estate, located on the border of the  districts of Nowy Bytom and Chebzie, dates back to the mid-19th century and early 20th century. It was built for workers by the owners of the Friedenshütte ironworks (later known as Pokój Ironworks). The oldest buildings are brick two-storey multi-family houses, commonly known as “familoks” (located on Niedurnego Street [ul. Niedurnego]), with gable roofs (flats are small, and the toilets are either in the hallway or outside).

An early 17th century building, on a stone foundation, of a log frame construction (i.e. horizontally laid wooden joists connected at the corner and projecting beyond the outline of the building) rectangular ground plan, with a trilateral closed presbytery from the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries; later renovated in 1905-1906 and 1937-38; located in the cemetery.

The Ficinus Housing Estate is one of the oldest workers’  colonies in Upper Silesia, dating back to the second half of the 19th century (1860 – 1867). It was established for the workers of the Gottessegen mine (later renamed Błogosławieństwo Boże with the Andrzej Shaft) and founded by one of the branches of the Henckel von Donnersmarck family. Approximately 90% of the residential buildings have been preserved, forming a compact complex consisting of 16 detached four-family houses (the outbuildings were demolished due to their poor technical condition). Each flat consisted of a porch, kitchen, and a small room, with outbuildings and small cultivated fields located behind them. The architecture of the estate has a rural-industrial character and is distinguished by its unusual construction material: the buildings were built using natural sandstone from local quarries, rather than bricks as in the case of typical familoks [multi-family houses built for coalminers]. The buildings are currently owned by the city, and revitalisation works were carried out in the 1990s (including the creation of commercial and service premises).