Olkusz: Mining History, Art and City Stories

Mining History in the Old Town

The “Srebrny szlak gwarków olkuskich” is an educational and historical trail in the Old Town of Olkusz. At 18 locations, you’ll find miner figures, each with their own attributes. Each one tells a different story about an aspect of the city’s history or a local legend. The trail thus links together different stories about Olkusz, rather than focusing on just one period of the past.

The “Podziemny Olkusz” exhibition also explores the city’s history and its silver and lead mining tradition, which dates back to the Middle Ages. It is housed in the accessible cellars of Olkusz’s former 14th-century town hall, on the Market Square. The trail and the exhibition take different approaches: one focuses on the miner figures and their stories, while the other explores the city’s mining history in the former town hall cellars.

Gothic Architecture and a Remarkable Altarpiece

The Gothic Minor Basilica of St. Andrew the Apostle in Olkusz was built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its Gothic polyptych dates from the late 15th century and is one of only four altars of this kind in Poland. The church and the altar therefore belong to different periods. This difference in age helps distinguish the history of the building from its sacred art: the basilica points to an earlier era, while the polyptych is a later work that also holds a special place among its counterparts in Poland.

Museums Exploring Different Subjects

The Museum of the Artistic Work of Władysław Wołkowski is housed in the historic 19th-century Machnicki Manor House. Here, a museum devoted to Wołkowski’s artistic work meets a building with its own historical significance. This makes it a different cultural focus from the exhibition on the city’s mining history.

The Africanist Museum in Olkusz was founded in 1971 and collects exhibits related to the everyday lives of communities in West and Central Africa. Its subject matter differs markedly from the local architectural and mining history: the focus is on ways of life in these two African regions. If you’d like to include a range of cultural topics in your trip planning, it offers another perspective alongside the historical attractions.

Educational Trails and Outdoor Activities at Silver Park

Educational trails in Silver Park in Olkusz have information boards about the history of mining and the park’s vegetation. The topics thus bring together industrial history and the park’s plant life. The park also offers opportunities for inline skating and cycling, as well as areas for bicycle trials and parkour. Silver Park offers both informative trails and a range of active leisure opportunities. These activities differ from the Old Town’s cultural and historical attractions and provide a separate focus when planning your time in Olkusz.

Discover more destinations: Jeżówka, Wolbrom, Małyszyce, Dłużec, Golczowice, Zawada, Klucze, Bukowno.

Go to the main travel overview: Olkusz.