Stara Fabryka

About the museum

Stara Fabryka is located in the Żywiecki Przedmieście district, in the buildings of a former works that from 1887 was a cloth and woollen goods factory founded by the Bielsko cloth maker Karol Büttner. The complex was expanded step by step: a two-storey house with workshops was built, in 1888 a multi-storey factory building, and at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries the hall at Plac Żwirki i Wigury, which now houses the main exhibition. In the 1930s the company employed 150 workers. After the war the factory was nationalised and merged into the Bewelana Wool Industry Works.

In 1979 the Textile Technology Museum was set up at the Regional Museum. It moved into the former factory premises in 1983, and the first part of the exhibition opened on 2 December 1996, by then as the Museum of Technology and Textiles (Muzeum Techniki i Włókiennictwa). Inclusion in the Trail of Technical Monuments of the Silesian Voivodeship in 2006 launched a thorough reconstruction: in 2010 the attic rooms were opened for temporary exhibitions, and in 2013–2015 a permanent historical exhibition was created. Since the end of 2013 the institution has been called Stara Fabryka.

Today visitors can see the history of industry in Bielsko-Biała in the exhibition “Od włókiennictwa do małego fiata”, a unique collection of textile machines such as the wolf, the self-acting mule and the shearing machine, and enlarged postcards and photographs showing Bielsko-Biała at the beginning of the 20th century.

Highlights

• Exhibition “Od włókiennictwa do małego fiata” (From Textiles to the Little Fiat) on the industry of Bielsko-Biała
• Unique collection of textile machines: wolf, self-acting mule, shearing machine
• Views of Little Vienna – enlarged postcards and photographs from the early 20th century
• “Galeria w Fabryce” in the attic – temporary exhibitions
• Stop on the Trail of Technical Monuments of the Silesian Voivodeship
• Saturday – free admission

Permanent exhibitions

• Od włókiennictwa do małego fiata – Permanent exhibition on the history of industry in Bielsko-Biała in the 19th and 20th centuries, introducing the machines collected in the museum.
• Wilk, selfaktor, postrzygarka… – Collection of machines and equipment that once worked in the Bielsko-Biała textile works, mainly for producing coarse woollen cloths (tkaniny zgrzebne) and the famous Bielsko dresses.
• Widoki Małego Wiednia – Set of enlarged reproductions of unique postcards and photographs from the early 20th century, decorating the main staircase.

Founded

1979

Operated by

Samorząd Województwa Śląskiego (Muzeum Historyczne w Bielsku-Białej)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every Saturday – free admission (excluding temporary exhibitions).

Holders of the Large Family Card and the Family Plus Card (programme “Śląskie dla rodziny”) pay PLN 11 for a standard ticket or PLN 5.50 for a reduced ticket. A pass valid for all branches costs PLN 50 (reduced PLN 30).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The building is a historic monument and is not accessible for wheelchair users. Guide dogs and assistance dogs may enter the museum.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum offers a family ticket and educational workshops for children of various ages.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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