Stary Młyn – Muzeum Dawnych Rzemiosł w Żarkach
A multimedia museum in a renovated electric mill presents five traditional crafts: milling, baking, cooperage, wheelwrighting and shoemaking.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Stary Młyn building in Żarki was originally an electric mill, founded at the turn of the 1920s and 1930s. For decades grain was milled there, brought from near and far. The first mentions of milling in Żarki date from the end of the 14th century, and before the Second World War five mills operated in the town, one of them electric.
In 2013–2015 the gmina rebuilt the building for the museum’s needs with EU funds. Since 2 August 2015 the Stary Młyn has housed the first multimedia museum of historic crafts in Poland. The building was awarded in the competition for the Best Public Space of the Silesian Voivodeship, and since 1 January 2017 it has been on the Szlak Zabytków Techniki Województwa Śląskiego (Silesian Voivodeship Route of Technical Monuments).
The exhibition is interactive: visitors can touch, check and try things out. The permanent exhibition presents five crafts that have been present in Żarki for centuries: milling, baking, cooperage, wheelwrighting and shoemaking. Visitors grind grain themselves and try to build a barrel, and on a glass mezzanine they meet the 19th-century owner of Żarki, entrepreneur Piotr Steinkeller. Two routes are available, one for children and one for adults, both always with a guide.
Highlights
- five traditional crafts in an interactive exhibition
- original equipment of the electric mill and grain milling
- building a barrel in the crafts hall
- two routes: one for children and one for adults
- glass mezzanine with a figure of Piotr Steinkeller
Permanent exhibition
- Wystawa stała – pięć dawnych rzemiosł – Interactive exhibition on milling, baking, cooperage, wheelwrighting and shoemaking, with original mill equipment, multimedia games and audio plays.
- Founded
- 2015
- Operated by
- Gmina Żarki
Admission & discounts
| Adults | 30 zł |
|---|---|
| Reduced | 28 złchildren and school pupils, students up to 26 years old, pensioners and disability pensioners, people with disabilities and their carers |
| Children & teens | 28 złfree up to age 2 · Children under 3 enter free. |
| Groups (15+ people) | 26 zł per personGroup ticket for groups of 15 or more people; one carer per 15 people enters free; the maximum group size is 50 people. |
| Families | 90 złTwo adults and two children, as well as holders of the Large Family Card (Karta Dużej Rodziny), regardless of the number of children (up to 18 years old, or up to 25 years old if studying). |
Visits are possible only with a guide and last about an hour.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 2 |
| Family ticket | 90 zł · Two adults and two children, as well as holders of the Large Family Card (Karta Dużej Rodziny), regardless of the number of children (up to 18 years old, or up to 25 years old if studying). |
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
A separate guided route is prepared for children; the programme includes interactive stations, games and flour-making workshops.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
The easiest way to get to Żarki is via Myszków (Koleje Śląskie trains or PKP Intercity), and then by private minibuses on the Żarki–Myszków route. Some lines stop at the museum; in other cases it is a few minutes’ walk from Plac bł. Ludwika Gietyngiera along ul. Armii Krajowej, ul. Leśniowska, ul. Piaski and ul. Ofiar Katynia.
By car
Parking available
Parking for cars and small buses at ul. Ofiar Katynia 5 and at ul. Ofiar Katynia 3 (building of the OSP volunteer fire brigade in Żarki), about 35 m from the museum.
The museum is at ul. Ofiar Katynia 5, on voivodeship road no. 789 towards Lelów.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Coat check
The museum has a free cloakroom; backpacks, bags and outerwear must be left in the cloakroom.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography is for private use only, without additional lighting, tripods or selfie sticks. |
| Good to know | Children under 15 visit under adult supervision. Bringing animals in is prohibited (except guide dogs), as is eating and drinking in the exhibition rooms. |
