Tarnowskie Góry. The best attractions, monuments and interesting places in the area

Tarnowskie Góry is a historical city located in the Silesian Voivodeship, on the edge of the Upper Silesian conurbation. It is about 30 km from Katowice and Gliwice, by the route No. 11. Close to the benefits of large cities, the resort itself is surrounded by forest complexes, hiding attractive water reservoirs, marked bicycle paths and other tourist attractions. 

Tarnowskie Góry is a special place for me, because it is our hometown. In recent years, it has become even more attractive because of UNESCO sites! So I invite you to experience this beautiful and attractive city first virtually and then live!

Attractions of Tarnowskie Góry

The city boasts many attractions,but tourists mainly come here to the Tarnowskie Góry underground, parts of which have been made available to tourists in the form of underground tourist routes.  This is a real peculiarity on a European scale. 

These most valuable attractions of the city have been appreciated in the world. In the summer of 2017, the Tarnowskie Góry underground, both as a valuable natural habitat and a historical souvenir of technical thought, was inscribed on theUNESCO World Heritage List. Check out our guide to the Tarnowskie Góry Mountains, it will definitely help you plan and explore this city!

Silver Mine

The historic Silver Mine at Szczęść Boże Street is the most famous attraction of the city, known throughout Poland! It is visited with a guide, and exploring the underground corridors takes place on foot and in boats. The entire route is 1,740 meters long, 270 of which are traversed by rope-drawn boats. The tour is accompanied by multimedia accents. 
Address: Silver Mine, 81 Szczęść Boże Street, free parking on site
https://kopalniasrebra.pl/

Open-air museum of steam engines

On the surface near the mine, you will additionally see interesting steam engines, including colorful steam locomotives, on which you can climb. There is also a mini open-air railway, which carries tourists for a fee during outdoor events. The whole is located on the Route of Technical Monumentsand is on the UNESCO List until 2017.
Address: Silver Mine, 81 Szczęść Boże Street

Black Trout Adit

You will find it in the beautiful and valuable Repec Park. It is one of the most famous attractions of the city, also located on the Route of Technical Monuments. Visiting the Adit involves boating underground from the New Year's Eve shaft to the Eve shaft, or vice versa. Until 2018, it was the longest underground flow of boats in Poland. Currently, this laurel has been awarded to the Queen Louisa Adit in Zabrze. 

This one in Tarnowskie Góry is 600 meters long. Here, boats are not electric, but are moved by a guide, pushing his hands away from the rocks. Silence and darkness allow you to experience a unique adventure. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition, it is currently possible to raft underground, i.e. rafting on pontoons, and walruses gather here in winter. And the water here is really cold!
Address: Black Trout Adit, Repecka Street, free parking several hundred meters from the adit
https://kopalniasrebra.pl/sztolnia-czarnego-pstraga/

Gwarków Gate

The mining portal called the Gwarków Gate is a unique facility, inscribed on the UNESCO List as 3 entries. It is the outlet of the Fryderyk Deep Adit - a kind of cork of the Tarnowskie Góry Mountains, which allows drainage of extensive post-mining corridors stretching under the city. It is located on the edge of Repecki Park, 1.5 km from the Ewa shaft. It is a stone building from 1834, made of sandstone blocks. It is at this point that the water from the mine flows out, through the so-called spreading, i.e. artificial trough. A few hundred meters away, these clean and very cold waters flow into the Drama River. Interestingly, the water at the Gate is so clean that you can drink it.
Address: Repecki Park

Market

It was located in the 16th century. It was formed quite chaotically, next to mining shafts. Today, it is dominated by the magnificent, magnificent Town Hall  (Rynek 4), considered the pearl of Upper Silesia. At number 1 on the Market Square, the Municipal Museum was located on the first floor in the historic house of Sedlaczek from the 16th century. Right next to it, there are several impressive arcaded houses from the 16th century. In the past, trade used to take place here. 

Opposite stands the historic, magnificent Evangelical church - a remnant of the times when Protestants prevailed in the city. On the slab, it is also worth taking a look at a wooden city well, it has been reconstructed in the place of one of the former mining shafts and reminds you of the mining past of the city. Of course, you will also find cafes and restaurants.

Town Hall

A magnificent building - a gem of the city and all of Upper Silesia. Previously, the authorities were based in other buildings on the market. The current Town Hall was built in the years 1896-98 in the style of the Northern Neo-Renaissance with elements of Gothic. The solemn dedication of the town hall took place on August 11, 1898, in the presence of Count Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck - one of the most influential  people of Europe at that time. The façade shows the figure of a  Tarnów dialect from 1959.
Address: Town Hall, Market Square 4

The promenade or Krakowska Street

In recent years, the pedestrian street has become beautiful, and several interesting tenement houses have been renovated. Especially in the lower part of the street, where in 2013, at the intersection with Rear Street, there was also an interesting sculpture by Gwarek, the first of the entire series of sculptures. The entire pavement on Krakowska Street was replaced, and in addition, small architecture was created, i.e. stylish lighting, diamonds and benches. Many sites take care of greenery and flowers, making it more pleasant on the main road of the city.
 Address: Deptak, ul. Krakowska

Castle in Stare Tarnowice

In the Old Tarnowice district, you can visit a beautiful castle from the 16th century. The building remained in total ruin for years, but thanks to a private investor it regained its former splendor. The complex consists of a stronghold with the Wrochem Inn in a historic mast-house, a hotel in a former barnand a beautiful detour. The facility is open to tourists, the entrance to the area by the castle is free, but tours of the interiors and the entrance to the inner courtyard are paid.
 Address: Castle, Pyskowicka Street, free parking

Belfry of Gwarków

The wooden object stands on Gwarków Square, next to the church of St. Apostles Peter and Paul. It dates back to the 19th century and was moved to its current location in 1955. Previously, the bell tower stood in the quarry in Bobrowniki, where it set the working time of the former Tarnowskie Góry bark, i.e. the miners, with a bell bell.
Address: Dzwonnica, Pl. Gwarków

Sculptures of Gwarków

Gwarków are former miners who dug underground corridors under the city and mined precious metal. Today, we remember them by crossing the Tarnogóra trail with their statues. The first one stood on the promenade in 2013 and since then another sculpture has appeared in the vicinity of Barbórka every year. In 2020, the eighth sculpture was erected, near the old church of St. Martin,and in 2021 the ninth sculpture in Strzybnica. Below you will find a map with marked monuments.

Nakło Reservoir Chechło

A few kilometers north of the city there is an interesting recreational reservoir with sandy beaches and water and tourist infrastructure. Recommended here is OW Żagiel, where you can have a tasty meal, relax on the terrace and rent a pedal boat or kayak. During the summer, it is crowded at the lake, and walruses are active here in winter. 

After mulling, you can drink mulled wine at Adik's, from the side of Nowy Chechł. From the side of the Silesian Town, it is worth recommending the Hrabina Wrońska Restaurant, with a thatched beach. The car parks around the lake are free, but in summer the entrance by car is paid. Bicycles are exempt from fees.
Address: Nakło Chechło Lake, Rekreacyjna Street, Świerklaniec

Traffic light mock-up

The railway mock-up is located at the historic railway station, on the first floor. A large exhibition reminiscent of Kolejkowo in Gliwice has been prepared here. It's a great place for children, but not only. In the place of an authentic, extensive railway junction, a model with train models has been created that you will surely like.
Address: Mock-up at the station, ul. Częstochowska 1C,
https://www.facebook.com/MKSEMAFOR/

City Park

Tarnowskie Góry is a green city, in its heart there has been a park with a fountain, an amphitheater, a playground and numerous paths for over 100 years. The park was established in 1903 and I will add that it is the first example of the revitalization of post-mining areas in Poland, and perhaps in Europe. It was created on varpas, i.e. remnants of nineteenth-century ore mines. Its area is over 20 hectares. 

Another interesting feature are the erratic boulders in the park, the largest of which has a circumference of over 5 meters and is a natural monument. In winter, white madness blooms on a large hill in the central part of the park. There are tennis courts next to it.
 Address: Municipal Park, Wyszyńskiego Street, free parking spaces at the park

Repecki Park

In the district of Stare Tarnowice, at Repecka Street, there is a magnificent park, resembling a real forest in some places. It is a historic park, which was founded by the Donnersmarck family. It was their hunting asylum, fenced, with a non-existent family palace from the 1990s. Of the 19th century, preserved to this day forester's lodge from 1824, game and wonderful trees checked from Europe! 

Today, the network of paths encourages walks here, especially since the Black Trout Adit and the picturesque Drama Valley are located in the park. The park is huge, about 200 hectares and one of the largest in the whole region, the Drama River flows through it.
Address: Park Repecki, ul. Repecka

Segiet Forest Reserve

It was established in 1953 on Srebrna Góra and stretches on the border of Tarnowskie Góry and Bytom, all the way to the Blachówka Dolomite Quarry. These are great places for recreation - cycling and walking. Beautiful beechwood grows here, so the place is excellent in autumn. The reserve has an area of over 20 hectares, but the entire Segiecki Forest is already 500 hectares. This mountain was mined already in the Middle Ages, silver was mined here, hence its name.
Address: Segiet Reserve, ul. Długa pod Kopinni i Żeromskiego z Rept

Wash heap

An orange hill of dolomite with iron ore rises between the Mine and the Segiet Reserve. It is nothing more than waste from the extraction of zinc, lead and silver ores. But it looks so picturesque. You can enter the heap, today it is one of the UNESCO sites.
Address: Hałda, ul. Mała

Water Park

A year-round facility offering indoor swimming pools and an outdoor children's area. It was built on the outskirts of the city and is a great family place. There are many water attractions here, as well as saunas. In winter, there is an ice rink.
Address: Water Park, 8 Bypass Street

Sports Hall

In 2015, a modern Sports Hall was built near the Water Park, which serves both amateurs and professionals. You can train here all team games, there is also a climbing wall and squash.
 Address: Hala Sportowa, ul. Obwodnica

Sport Valley

Even in winter, you can not get bored in the city, because on the border of Tarnowskie Góry and Bytom, in the Blachówka quarry, a great sports center Sport Dolina was created. It offers many attractions, but the most important is the ski slope with a ski lift, a learning place for children, equipment rental and instructors. There are many walking paths around, it is a nice area for family recreation.
Address: Sport Dolina, ul. Blachówka, Bytom

Old Church of St. Martin

There has been a small church in Stare Tarnowice since the 15th century, which was slightly expanded in the Baroque era. Today, it is the oldest temple in the city and at the same time a valuable monument, available for visiting by telephone (tel. 783-376-789). It is taken care of by the Heritage Association. The church stands in the cemetery, too much larger, the new church of St. Martin, which, moreover, is new only in name, because it is also old.
Address: Old Church of St. Martin, Niedziałkowskiego Street

Goethe manor house

Near the Market Square, at Górnicza Street, there is a historic manor house that today houses the Praha restaurant. In the past, it hosted the poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, hence its name today.
Address: Goethe Manor House, ul. Górnicza

Murals

In 2021, an interesting, colorful mural "Gwarki 2021" was created at Opolska Street. Łukasz Zasadni's mural measures nearly 12 by 11 meters. Its design was selected in the competition and, interestingly, its ecological paints absorb smog. Once there was the famous Tarmilo Clothing Plant in Poland. However, it was demolished and a parking lot was created in its place, and on the wall of one of the tenement houses just this unique mural telling about the mining history of the city. 

You will also find other murals in the city, e.g. in the gate at Bondkowskiego Street. Kamila Loskot's mural was created in 2022 in garages by the Ring Road, near the Osada Jana housing estate. It is 84 meters long. It refers to the Gwarków march. From 2022, you will also see murals at 64 Żeromskiego Street, in the Repty Śląskie district. The colorful work was created by Jerzy Staszczyk in cooperation with the Bytom Culture Fair Association.
Address: Mural, Opolska Street and others

Adventure and Attraction Park in Wilkowice

It's a fantastic entertainment complex for the whole family. It is located in Wilkowice near Zbrosławice, several kilometers west of Tarnowskie Góry. The park provides fun for the whole day, outdoors, away from the main streets and the hustle and bustle of the city, because it was created in a vast landscape park. 

There is a picturesque pond, and around it a beach, a great playground and a game area with interesting species of animals accustomed to feeding local food, so they push to people from behind the fences. The whole is surrounded and filled with wonderful, well-groomed vegetation.
Address: Adventure Park, Księżoleśna 1, Wilkowice

JumpWorld Trampoline Park

It is a great place for children to go wild, although adults can also practice here. In addition to the usual trampolines, there are also arenas for games and competitions.
Address: Park Trampolin, ul. Korczaka 21

Colorful lakes of the Apiary

Picturesque ponds of various colors, spilling in the forest, on the site of the former Bibiela iron ore mine, in the so-called Pasieki, between Miasteczko Śląski, Bibiela and the Green Lagoon.  A yellow cycling trail, the so-called Leśno Rajza, leads to the former mine.

Palace in Rybna

It is an interesting facility located in the Rybno district. This is where you can listen to live concerts. The palace, on the other hand, is late Baroque, erected in 1796 for the Warkocz family - the then owners of the settlement.
Address: Palace in Rybna, ul. Powstańców Warszawskich 83, Rybna district

Map of Tarnowskie Góry attractions

Below we provide a map of the Tarnowskie Góry Mountains with marked attractions. I hope it will come in handy when planning your stay in this charming city.

Gwarki - annual party

The festival of the city called the Days of Tarnogórskie Gwarków is popularly called Gwarków. Organized on the second weekend of September, since 1957. People from all over Upper Silesia come here.

The most important element of the event is the historic, colorful march, passing through the streets of Tarnowskie Góry at 11.00 on Sunday. In the procession, you will see more than 100 historical figures that were associated with the city. The march opens with the legendary peasant Rybka, who found the first shard of ore and thus began the history of this city. You can also meet the Treasurer - the legendary spirit of the mine, the knight Adam de Tarnowice, the founders of the city, the kings of Poland such as Jan III Sobieski or Augustus II the Strong. There are also European emperors in the form of Tsar Alexander I or William II of Hohenzollern. Hundreds of participants take part in the historic march and it is one of the largest and most unique events of its kind in Poland. 

The Days of Gwarków is not only a march, but also a multi-day event with the participation of stars of the Polish stage. It attracts crowds of people because concerts are free. The main stage is located on the Market Square, but the whole old town turns into a big market during the Gwark weekend. There are even carousels waiting at Strzelecka Street, and handicrafts at Plac Wolności.

Where to eat in Tarnowskie Góry?

In the city, tourists are invited to a lot of good restaurants and cafes, where you can not only eat well, drink coffee in nice circumstances, but also meet friends. Cafes are primarily focused around the climatic market, here I recommend BarCelona or Café Silesia - Gryfny Kafyj. Next to it you will find a tasty restaurant with Italian cuisine Sapori Divini and a traditional restaurant and wine bar Sedlaczek. In one of the tenement houses there is also the elegant Skarbiec Restaurant, and next to it there is the U Wojtachy Restaurant.

On the promenade, I recommend the Brick Restaurant with delicious cuisine, and on Karol Miarka Street, also in the center - Bistro Miarki 8 - delicious food and a cool atmosphere! In addition to fast, but very tasty food, you can also visit the Pizzeria U Wronów (Karol Miarki Street), in the center you will also find the Taco Mexicano (Stalmacha Street), which is popular with locals. For Georgian cuisine, visit NaOkołoo on Dolna Street. In the castle buildings in Stare Tarnowice, it is worth visiting the Wrochem Inn, in Ptakowice I recommend the Lando Restaurant and Equestrian Center, and in Wilkowice the Pod Platanami Restaurant.

Tarnowskie Góry - accommodation

Tarnowskie Góry offers several interesting accommodation facilities, the Opera Hotel with a delicious restaurant located on the Silesian Tastes Trail was established in the very center a few years ago, you will find the Młotek and Perlik Hostel even closer to the market, ideal for group tours, and the Neo Hotel is located next to the Water Park. If you want to spend the night away from the center, in a quiet area, I recommend Lando, where horse riding is also waiting for you.

History of Tarnowskie Góry

It is one of the oldest mining towns in Europe. The oldest traces of prehistoric settlement were discovered in Rybna and Repeck (today's districts of the city). They come from the Stone Age and date back to 10,000-4,000 BC. The first mention of these lands comes from 1201, when the Cistercians founded the village of Repty. Already in 1247, they received mining privileges, and the first lump of silver-bearing ore, according to legend, was excavated by the farmer Rybka. Around 1490, settlers began to arrive here, and "mountains" or old Polish mines began to be created in the village of Tarnowice. This is where the name of the city came from.

City rights

The creation of the city was therefore directly related to the discovery of mineral riches - zinc and lead ores with an admixture of silver. It was founded by the Duke of Opole John II the Good in 1526. In the same year, the city received city rights from him, and the co-founder of the center was Jerzy von Ansbach of the Hohenzollern line, who at that time managed the city. He also gave the coat of arms. In 1528, Tarnowskie Góry received Ordunek Gorny, the first mining act. Thanks to this, the Gwarków, i.e. miners, worked hard in the underground pavements, and the townspeople became rich.

It was the so-called golden age for the city, the greatest development took place, Tarnowskie Góry overtook the much older Bytom, it was here that the most important offices were located. In the next century, due to the Thirty Years' War, the Hohenzollerns were exiled, and the city fell to the Henckel von Donnersmarck family for imperial debts, who ruled these lands for over 300 consecutive years.

The industrial revolution in the city

A big problem in the Tarnowskie Góry mines was the water flooding the sidewalks. In the 19th century, steam engines were brought here to help drain the corridors, and Count Frederick Wilhelm von Reden contributed to this. The first steam engine imported from England in Tarnowskie Góry was launched in 1788. It was one of the first on the whole continent! Rudolf von Carnall, who headed the Upper Silesian Mining School in Tarnowskie Góry, also played an important role in the history of the city. 

In addition to the steam engine, there were also horse tracks in the mine to drain the sidewalks. However, they needed as many as 40 horses at a time, 120 a day, so both the steering wheels and steam engines were very expensive to maintain. The cheapest way turned out to be drainage adits, such as the 19th-century Fryderyk Deep Adit, a fragment of which is now available in the form of the Black Trout Adit. At that time, there were 78 industrial plants here, a railway was created, which over time became a powerful railway junction. 

After World War I, Tarnowskie Góry was within Polish borders, but during World War II, the city, as well as the entire Silesian Voivodeship at that time, was incorporated into the Third Reich until 1945, when it became Polish again.

The End of Mining

At the beginning of the 20th century, due to the depletion of ore resources, the mining of ore in the city was terminated. After centuries of mining exploitation in the city, a dense network of underground excavations, about 150 km long, remained under the city. Some even talk about 300 kilometers. 

They stretch all over the city to the borders of the surrounding towns. Only small fragments of them are available for viewing, but they give a good idea of what is happening underground. The corridors are inhabited by bats.

See the list of the most beautiful cities of the Silesian Voivodeship

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What's worth seeing in the area?

If you have already visited this attraction, it is also worth visiting several other interesting ones places nearby. Within a radius of 100 kilometers you will find many interesting places places that can diversify your stay in this part of Poland.

• Silver Mine in Tarnowskie Góry, distance: 2.2  km
• Pławniowice Palace, distance: 27.6  km
• Gródek Park in Jaworzno, distance: 40.8  km
• Bobolice Castle, distance: 48.8  km
• Eagle's Nest Trail, distance: 49.4  km
• Błędowska Desert, distance: 49.6  km
• Krakowskie valleys, distance: 69.8  km
• Ojców National Park, distance: 74.4  km
• Moszna Castle, distance: 77  km
• Kazimierz in Kraków, distance: 89  km