Choose an attraction:
Tourist Service Centre
Gallery Under the Dome
Miniature railway
Open Air Steam Engine Museum
Water wheel
Elevator
Mining stones
Bistro
Parking and access
Tourist Service Centre
Mining Museum – For details please refer to the Touring page.
Timeline – The timeline in the mine main hall presents a calendar of the most important events in the history of mining and metallurgical industry in Tarnowskie Góry. It allows visitors to peek into the abundant history of Tarnowskie Góry. Short descriptions are enriched by attractive photos and archival materials.
Shop and Mineral Exhibition – A treat not only for geology lovers. Not just silver and lead ores, but other attractive treasures of the Earth can be found here.
Gallery Under the Dome
A dozen or so meters high, the dome is a place to rest after your underground roam. It pays to stay here a little longer and take a look at photos of some sites in Tarnowskie Góry and surrounding area, inscribed in July 2017 on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and also images of Bytom Narrow Gauge Railway, castles, palaces or leisure areas.
Free admission.
Miniature railway
A short trip by a small narrow gauge railway is a treat both for children and adults. The train consists of four small carriages which can accommodate ca. 16 people. The route of this railway with track gauge of only 7¼ inches (ca. 18.5 cm), in the shape of a loop, is located in the inner part of the open air museum. The trip starts at a railway station near the mine building. This tour by our rail, among worn-out steam engines, will certainly be a memorable experience. Available from spring till autumn.
Open Air Steam Engine Museum
The open air museum is obligatory when you make a trip to the Historic Silver Mine. Why? Because it is the oldest and the largest collection of historic machinery and steam locomotives. A visit here will take you back in time, to the Age of Steam and its extraordinary contrivances. The oldest one was manufactured in 1883. The area of about 1 ha hosts such exhibits as: road roller, railroad crane, traction engine, numerous steam locomotives, generator, steam pumps and hoisting machines. Our youngest guests often find these much like huge colourful toys, arranged in line with their purpose. Touring is individual. Free admission.
Water wheel
Before the Age of Steam, such giant constructions were used in metal production. They were driven by the water power. Our exhibit has the diameter of as much as 4 m and is a faithful reconstruction of a 17th-century water wheel. This is our only exhibit not classified as a historical treasure of the steam technology.
Elevator
The famous mining elevator is today an integral part of the open air museum and a good spot to take a souvenir photo. The elevator, installed in the Angel mine shaft once, served over 2.2 mln tourist in three decades. In 2009 the worn-out pit-cage was replaced by a transport elevator with much higher capacity.
Mining stones
From a distance they look like gravestones, but when you stroll around the open air museum, you may find it worthwhile to take a closer look at these. They are border stones of ancient mining fields. During the Industrial Revolution they were considered an efficient and very solid method of marking mining operations areas.
10° Restaurant
After your tourist shift you may want to visit the mining inn, not only to eat your fill, but also to taste local beer. The 10° Restaurant is located in the mine pithead building. Its name has not been chosen randomly. It refers to the temperature underground here in Tarnowskie Góry. The interior combines industrial design with a bit of metal mining history. Every starveling will find the menu satisfying. You may taste Silesian and Polish dishes and quick snacks here.
Visit the Restaurant’s website
How to get here
Please refer to the page – How to get here – for more information on how to get to the Mine.
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE
On 9 July 2017 eyes of the world turned to Tarnowskie Góry. During the 41st session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which took place in Krakow from 2 to 12 July, the “Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver-Zinc Mine and its Underground Water Management System” were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Beside the Historic Silver Mine and the Black Trout Adit, the family of the world’s most important historic monuments greeted over 20 post-mining facilities, located mainly in Tarnowskie Góry and in some parts of Bytom and the Zbrosławice commune. Historically and technically, they form a whole, connected with the extraction of silver, lead and zinc ores and underground mine drainage systems and the use of post-mining water for public water supply.
For more information on the World Heritage facilities please visit the website
www.unesco.tarnowskiegory.pl
Below we present a few of them.
Original site of Friedrich mine
Friedrich mine washing tip
Municipal park
Post-mining landscape of the silver mountain
Attractions nearby
The Old Town in Tarnowskie Góry
When you plan a trip to Tarnowskie Góry, you simply must visit the town’s historic centre. It abounds in historic monuments, atmospheric cafés and restaurants. The most important pearls of architecture are to be found in the town square and its immediate surroundings. Strolling around the town’s main square, tourists may admire the town hall from late 1800s, the evangelical Church of the Saviour, famous arcaded houses and many historic tenement houses, among which the building of the “Sedlaczek” winery stands out in particular – the best preserved example of the ancient secular architecture, with Renaissance ceilings, portals and vaults.
Museum in Tarnowskie Góry
The Museum is located on the second floor of the Sedlaczek House and, apart from tokens of remembrance related to the town history, you may see here the collection of modern Western Europe paintings and an exhibition dedicated to the stay of Jan III Sobieski, who stopped in Tarnowskie Góry on his way to the relief of Vienna in 1683.
(more on: www.muzeumtg.pl)
Gwarki Bell Tower
The wooden bell tower, located near the town square, is the only historic monument of the kind in Poland. It served to notify miners working underground at the Friedrich Mine about the start and the end of their shift. Until 1954 the bell tower was used in the open-cast mine Blachówka in Bobrowniki Śląskie. In February 1955, on the initiative of the Tarnowskie Góry Land Lovers Association, it was moved to Gwarki Square, where once miners’ meeting house had stood.
Church of Saints Peter and Paul
It is simply hard to miss. Raised in the 16th century, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, with its nearly 60-meter tower, dominates the town. Inside the temple, which was rebuilt many times, tomb slabs, set of stained-glass windows and a few very good quality paintings have lasted down to our times. Adjacent to the church is St. Barbara’s Chapel, where the Saint is worshipped as the patroness of miners.
Church of St. Martin
Built at the turn of 15th century, the Church of St. Martin is one of the oldest sacred historic buildings in Silesia. The church tower was erected in 1400, which is evidenced by a preserved inscription. The oldest extant parts of the church are a 15th-century door with fittings between the nave and the northern churchporch and a Gothic stone stoup inside the porch.
Castle in Stare Tarnowice
The only castle in Tarnowskie Góry is located near the Repecki Park. It was built in-between 1520 and 1570. Its construction was initiated by Piotr Woch, who earned quite a lot from mines being established at the time. Over the years, the castle had various owners and was redeveloped many times. In the years 1820 – 1945 it was owned by the Donnersmarcks. Recent years have seen its comprehensive modernisation, aimed to restore the castle’s Renaissance features and adapt it to new needs. Now the castle hosts the Fine Arts and Old Crafts Centre. It can also offer rich cultural experience. Concerts, shows and tournaments take place there. The castle should be a must-see place on your list. More information: www.fundacjakomplekszamkowy.pl
Park in Repty and Drama River Valley
The Park in Repty is one of the largest (over 400 ha) areas of this kind in the region and also the biggest cluster of veteran trees in Upper Silesia. You will find over 150 such trees here. The park’s history dates back to the early 1800s, when this area became part of lands owned by the Henckel von Donnersmarck family. The family decided to turn the forest, which had grown there since the Middle Ages, into a park and create a space for hunting. In 1898 a grand palace was put into use in the park. This was when the park gained the English style. In 1945 the palace was burned and in 1966 the Communist authorities blew it off. In 1970s the Upper Silesian Rehabilitation Center was built on the site. Right in the middle of the park you will find two shafts of the Black Trout Adit, inscribed in July 2017 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Upper Silesian Narrow Gauge Railways
A tour by the world’s oldest uninterruptedly operating narrow gauge rail is a treat you cannot miss planning your visit to Tarnowskie Góry. The train runs between Bytom and Miasteczko Śląskie. It stops near the Historic Silver Mine on its way. The railway, part of the Industrial Monuments Route, is available for tourists the whole year through. It is operated by the Upper Silesian Narrow Gauge Railway Association (www.sgkw.eu)
Water Park and Climbing Wall
Apart from history- or wildlife-related attractions, Tarnowskie Góry has a lot to offer recreation and sport lovers. This includes mainly two modern sport facilities – the Water Park and the Sports Hall. The first one mentioned was raised as one of the biggest recreation and swimming centres in Poland. A few swimming pools with the total water surface area amounting to 1159 square meters, saunas, gym, salt cave and many other attractions await guests to the Water Park. Nearby you will find a skate park and an artificial ice rink available in the winter.
The Sports Hall is a separate facility, where guests gain access to a multifunctional sports field with grandstands, tennis and badminton fields, four courts for squash and a climbing wall.
