Black Trout Adit in Tarnowskie Góry

A masterpiece of underground hydrotechnics on the Trail of Technical Monuments

The Black Trout Adit in Tarnowskie Góry is an undeniable masterpiece of technical thought, which allowed in the 19th century to get rid of excess water from the Royal Fryderyk Metal Mine in a relatively cheap and simple way, which was the biggest problem in mining of that time. Today, this former drainage adit, carved in the rock, has become a tourist hit, offering an unforgettable, extremely atmospheric underground rafting in boats moved only with the help of a guide.  The Black Trout Adit is actually a fragment of the 19th-century Fryderyk Deep Adit, and it got its current name when it was rediscovered, and in the poor light of the lamps, the trout encountered here were actually black. Today, the Adit is one of the 40 facilities on the Silesian Route of Technical Monuments and one of the five anchor attractions of this Route, the so-called Technology Stars.

Black Trout Adit - Unesco facility

The Black Trout Adit has been enjoyed by tourists from all over the world since the 1950s, but this place gained additional fame and prestige in July 2017, when it was recognized as a monument of the highest world rank and was included on the UNESCO Heritage List. Then, along with the Silver Mine and the Black Trout Adit, about 20 other post-mining facilities from Tarnowskie Góry and the surrounding area were entered on this prestigious List. This is the only Unesco record from Silesia at the moment (2021), and next to Tarnowskie Góry monuments on the List there are such celebrities as Wawel Castle, Wieliczka Mine, Taj Mahal in India, the Great Wall of China, the Blue Mosque in Turkey, or the American Yellowstone National Parks and the Grand Canyon National Park.

Visiting the Black Trout Adit

The Black Trout Adit was opened to tourists in September 1957, along with the first celebrations of the Tarnogórskie Gwarków Days. This adit offers a 600-meter section of the former "Deep Adit Frederick", which passes by boats from the "New Year's Eve" Shaft (30 m deep) to the "Eve" Shaft (20 m deep) or vice versa - swinging movement. Visiting the Adit takes place all year round, only with a guide. It is one of the longest underground boat flows in Europe, taking place in the light of a small carbide with a flame. The adit itself is also poorly lit, which gives it an amazing atmosphere. Rafting is also planned here.

• Visiting the Adit takes place by swinging between two shafts
• Visiting the Adit takes about 1 hour, it consists of descending the winding stairs down the rotunda of the Shaft, in the New Year's Eve Shaft it is 30 meters deep into the ground, and in the Ewa Shaft - 20 meters
• Information from which shaft the tour begins is located inside the pit rotunda
• The temperature in the Adit is around 10 degrees Celsius throughout the year and the air humidity is high, so it seems to be a bit cooler

In recent years, next to the New Year's Eve shaft, there has been an additional, very interesting building that offers a cash register, a souvenir shop, toilets, and in the future probably also a café with a cool terrace. The place is developing well, there are also plans to open a bicycle rental and the possibility of year-round walking in the Adit. That would be an interesting experience 🙂

Adit - a fragment of the underground in Tarnowskie Góry

The Black Trout Adit in Tarnowskie Góry is a fragment of the extensive undergrounds of Tarnowskie Góry, which stretch through an underground labyrinth under the city. It is estimated that the length of these underground corridors is about 150 km, which is more than the total length of the streets of Tarnowskie Góry. It is an unusual tourist attraction, rarely available in Poland. Until 2018, visiting the Tarnowskie Góry Adit was the longest underground flow of boats in Poland. Since then, the Queen Louise Adit in Zabrze has been offering twice as long a rafting trip, but electric boats are used there, and in Tarnowskie Góry it is the guide who moves the boats, pushing themselves away from the rocks. Feelings are completely different, because it is more climatic, and bustling, which you will not experience either in Luiza or in the Tarnowskie Góry Mine, where, in turn, boats are pulled by a rope. So it's still unique on a national and even European scale!

Repecki Park

The Black Trout Adit is located in the district of Tarnowskie Góry called Stare Tarnowice, and more specifically in the Repecki Park. It is best to park in the free parking lot at Repecka Street and go for a walk from here. The Shaft is less than 15 minutes away. Repecki Park is the one where the Upper Silesian Rehabilitation Center is located. The park is located on the route to Zbrosławice and Pyskowice.

The landscape park "Park w Reptach i Dolina Dramy" is a very interesting, historical park, which was founded by the Donnersmarck family as their hunting asylum. Their palace once stood here, in the place of today's GCR, but as a result of the historical turmoil of the 20th century, it was blown up and there was nothing left of it. And it's a pity, because together with the park it would be a very interesting tourist attraction. This powerful Silesian family also built its forester's lodge here, and in the park they planted 10-meter trees and those that did not grow in Poland - ginkgo, plane trees and other interesting species imported from Europe. Some of them have survived to this day. They were planted in the form of an amphitheater to allow you to admire the animals released into the Park. The whole area was surrounded by a fence, and by the river the area was not wooded and there were amphibians for animal observation. To this day, the park is not a small attraction, with numerous paths inviting you to walk, which residents and tourists are eager to use. 

Between the shafts, near the bridge, it is worth entering the red trail, which will lead to the recently revitalized portal of the outlet of the Fryderyk Deep Adit in Zbrosławice.

Silver Mine

While in Tarnowskie Góry, it is necessary to visit another part of the underground - the historic Silver Mine at Szczęść Boże Street, located near the Adit. You can buy a package ticket for both attractions, which give you the opportunity to get to know fragments of the underground labyrinth of the former Royal Fryderyk Metal Mine, from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. In the immediate vicinity of the Black Trout Adit, it is also worth seeing the castle in Stare Tarnowice and the old church of St. Martin in Stare Tarnowice.

Practical information

VI-VIII daily 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00
IX-X Tue-Fri 12.00, sb-nd 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00
XI-III Mon-Fri 12.00, sb-nd and Holidays 13.00, 14.00
IV-V Sat-nd and Holidays 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00
Tickets: normal PLN 37, reduced PLN 30, family PLN 93 (2+1)
Adit + Mine package: normal PLN 74, reduced PLN 61
The possibility of paying by card
The current opening hours and ticket prices can be found at:
https://sztolniapstraga.pl Parking: free at the entrance to the Repecki Park at Repecka Street, about 500 meters from the New Year's Eve Shaft
The facility is inaccessible to wheelchairs
The facility is accessible to people from 4 years of age

Black Trout Adit
ul. Repecka, Repecki Park, Tarnowskie Góry
tel. 32/ 285-49-96

What's worth seeing in the area?

You don't have to travel far to find more interesting places. Within a radius of 100 kilometers, there are many attractions waiting for you that will certainly enrich your stay Your trip with additional memories.

• Pławniowice Palace, distance: 23.8  km
• Gródek Park in Jaworzno, distance: 42.5  km
• Błędowska Desert, distance: 52.5  km
• Bobolice Castle, distance: 52.7  km
• Eagle's Nest Trail, distance: 52.9  km
• Krakowskie valleys, distance: 72.1  km
• Moszna Castle, distance: 73.6  km
• Castle in Żywiec, distance: 86.8  km
• Kazimierz in Kraków, distance: 91.2  km
• Palace in Kopice, distance: 99.2  km