Olkusz: Silver History, Art and Active Adventures

Traces of Silver and Gothic Art

Another historical highlight is the Basilica of St Andrew, a Gothic church built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its most valuable work of art is a Gothic winged altarpiece from the late 15th century—one of only four such altarpieces in Poland. The “Podziemny Olkusz” exhibition includes displays in the cellars of the former 14th-century town hall and the former Royal Quarter. The Olkusz mining authorities once had their headquarters there. Visitors to “Podziemny Olkusz” can also set models and replicas of historical mining equipment in motion themselves.

Art, Firefighting History and Minerals

Alongside its mining-related attractions, Olkusz also offers insights into a range of different collections. The permanent exhibition of GSW BWA includes around 300 works of contemporary Polish art, primarily paintings, graphics, sculpture, ceramics and photography. The Museum of the Works of Władysław Wołkowski is housed in the historic 19th-century Machnicki Manor and holds the largest collection of his works in Poland. The Firefighting Museum of the Olkusz Region features a historic fire engine from the Second World War era: “Jaśek.”

Another collection is devoted to the minerals of the Olkusz Region and fossils from the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. It includes several thousand exhibits, among them valuable ores and minerals as well as 150-million-year-old limestones. The themes therefore range from contemporary art and a single historic vehicle to geological finds. If you would like to plan your days around different interests, these cultural highlights can be combined with a stroll or an active excursion.

Active Experiences in Olkusz

The “Silver Park” recreational and landscape park offers opportunities for active recreation for children, teenagers and adults. The indoor swimming pool complex has a 64-metre-long “Anakonda” water slide with a one-metre-deep run-out pool. The “Zagadki olkuskiej starówki” city game follows a route of about 1.5 kilometres through the Old Town. For a bike ride, there is the “Od olkuskich gwarków do rabsztyńskich rycerzy” cycling game: its 14-kilometre loop runs from Olkusz to Rabsztyn Castle and back.

Cycling and Nature Destinations in Olkusz Municipality

If you are planning to venture beyond the city, you will find further described destinations in Olkusz Municipality. The 38-kilometre blue “Okrężny” cycle trail connects historical and natural attractions, including the ruins of Rabsztyn Castle, Januszkowa Mountain and the sources of the Sztoła River. Januszkowa Mountain covers 56 hectares and is part of the “Jaroszowiec” Natura 2000 site. A five-kilometre educational trail runs through the Pazurek Nature Reserve.

The cycle routes also offer different ways to plan your ride: the green-marked “Wschodni” trail explores the municipality’s north-eastern areas and forms a 19-kilometre loop with the blue “Okrężny” trail. The black “Szlak Kordonu Granicznego” is also a circular route and is 20 kilometres long; the red PTTK Eagle Nests Trail runs through Olkusz Municipality. In the wider region, the Velo Przemsza walking and cycling route connects key attractions of Olkusz County.

Choose Accommodation Based on Your Travel Plans

When looking for a holiday apartment in Olkusz, it helps to first organise what you would like to do each day: should the focus be on the Old Town and art, activities in the city, or cycling and nature destinations in the municipality as well? This way, you can choose accommodation that suits the kind of stay you actually want.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Zawada, Olkusz, Osiek, Bukowno, Małyszyce, Małobądz, Wolbrom, Klucze, Jeżówka, Dłużec, Zabagnie, Golczowice.

For the broader travel overview: Lesser Poland.