Muzeum Śląskie w Katowicach
A large museum in the Culture Zone in Katowice, built on the site of a former mine, with galleries of Polish art and an exhibition on the history of Upper Silesia.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Silesian Museum was founded as a regional institution in the 1920s: in 1924 the Association of the Silesian Land Museum was set up, and in 1929 the Silesian Sejm formally established the museum. A separate building for the collections was begun, but after the outbreak of the Second World War the museum ceased to exist, the collections were dispersed, and the almost completed building was demolished down to its foundations.
After the war the regional heritage was assigned to the museum in Bytom. The Silesian Museum in Katowice was revived only in 1984; for the following decades it was housed in the former Grand Hotel on al. Korfantego. In 2007 an international competition for the new seat was won by the Riegler Riewe Architekten studio from Graz.
The new complex was opened in 2015 on the site of the closed Katowice mine, in the Bogucice district. Most of the building lies underground, and above it rises the historic tower of the Warszawa II shaft. Former mining buildings were also gradually restored, including the Main Bathhouse (Łaźnia Główna), the Joinery (Stolarnia) and the machine house of the “Bartosz” shaft.
The museum holds more than 118 thousand objects, the most notable among them Polish art from the 19th century onwards, outsider art, photography, posters, ethnography and stage design.
Highlights
- Building partly underground, on the site of the former Katowice mine
- Galleries of Polish art and the exhibition “Światło historii” (Light of History) on the history of Upper Silesia
- Observation tower by the historic Warszawa II shaft
- Study Store (Magazyn Studyjny) in the Gwarek building
- Tuesdays – free admission for everyone
Permanent exhibitions
- Światło historii – Exhibition on the history of Upper Silesia through the centuries.
- Galeria Sztuki Polskiej 1800–1945 – The gallery presents Polish painting and sculpture from the beginning of the 19th century to the end of the Second World War.
- Magazyn Studyjny – Permanent exhibition in the Gwarek building, showing the museum’s collections in the form of a study store.
- Founded
- 1929
- Operated by
- Muzeum Śląskie w Katowicach (instytucja kultury Województwa Śląskiego)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | 29 zł |
|---|---|
| Reduced | 19 złSeniors from the age of 60, pupils, students and doctoral students, people with a certificate of disability, teachers, veterans and selected groups of holders of decorations and activists of the anti-communist opposition (proof of entitlement required). |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 6 · Children up to the age of 7 enter free of charge. |
| Seniors | 19 złFrom the age of 60. |
| Visitors with disabilities | 19 złcompanion free · The carer of a person with a disability enters free of charge. |
| Students & apprentices | 19 złPupils, students and doctoral students. |
| Groups (10+ people) | 19 zł per personGroup ticket standard PLN 19, reduced PLN 15; for groups from 10 people, sold only at the ticket office. |
| Families | 69 złFamily ticket for all exhibitions for at least 2 adults and 1 child, up to 10 people; sold only at the ticket office. |
| Temporary exhibitions (standard ticket) | 20 złReduced PLN 15, family PLN 45. |
| Observation tower (standard ticket) | 15 złReduced PLN 10, family PLN 29; sold only at the ticket office. |
| Industrial ticket: tower, Study Store and the machine house of the “Bartosz” shaft (standard) | 18 złReduced PLN 14, family PLN 39. |
| Guided tour (standard ticket) | 35 złReduced PLN 23; guide fee for a group: PLN 180 in Polish, PLN 300 in a foreign language. |
| “Na tropie Tomka” – educational space (standard) | 14 złReduced PLN 9, family PLN 35. |
| Annual pass | 200 złReduced PLN 150; admission to permanent and temporary exhibitions for 365 days. |
| Combined ticket with the museums in Bytom (standard) | 32 złReduced PLN 21; one entry to each object within 3 months. |
Free admission: Every Tuesday – free admission for everyone.
Prices apply to a ticket for all exhibitions (permanent and temporary), valid for one day. Holders of the Karta Dużej Rodziny receive a 50% discount on the standard or reduced price (not applicable to group and family tickets). Tickets can be bought online at bilety.muzeumslaskie.pl or at the ticket office; group, family and most additional tickets only at the ticket office.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description
For wheelchair users the recommended entrance is through the underground car park at ul. Dobrowolskiego, from where lifts take visitors to the main and administration buildings. Two wheelchairs can be borrowed at the ticket offices. Toilets are available on every floor, and in the administration building also with a couch for hygiene procedures. Tactile graphics are displayed in the galleries, and selected sculptures can be touched with an assistant after prior arrangement. Induction loops are located at the ticket offices, the reception and the auditorium. The offer includes guided tours with a PJM interpreter, guided tours with audio description, easy-to-read texts and Braille guides. The ramp between levels −2 and −4 has no handrail; the machine house of the “Bartosz” shaft is not adapted.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 2.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
| Family ticket | 69 zł · Family ticket for all exhibitions for at least 2 adults and 1 child, up to 10 people; sold only at the ticket office. |
- Family tours & workshops
- Baby changing facilities
For families there is a family ticket and a separate educational space, “Na tropie Tomka”. The museum runs workshops and museum lessons. Baby-changing tables are in the toilets in the Stolarnia and Łaźnia buildings.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available
Surface car park (120 spaces, including 9 for coaches and 7 for people with reduced mobility) and underground car park (3 levels, 220 spaces, including 12 for people with reduced mobility); entrance from ul. Dobrowolskiego. Parking is free for up to 3 hours; each further hour costs PLN 5. Cars with LPG installations and vehicles over 2 m high must park in the surface car park. Motorcycles and scooters park free of charge.
- Accessible parking
The museum is in the Culture Zone in Katowice; the main building lies 14 m below ground level.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Lockers
Bistro and café Moodro in the administration building (level 0). Museum shop in the main building on level −2, and an online shop.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | The museum recommends 2.5 to 3.5 hours for a visit. Guided tours are intended for organised groups, schools and adults; enquiries: obsluga.publicznosci@muzeumslaskie.pl. The events calendar includes lectures, curator-led tours and workshops. |
