Olkusz: Old Town, Mining History and Gothic Art

• The “Srebrny szlak gwarków olkuskich” is an educational and historical trail in the Old Town featuring 18 miner figures.
• “Podziemny Olkusz” covers the city’s history and silver and lead mining, which dates back to the Middle Ages.
• The Gothic Minor Basilica of St. Andrew the Apostle was built at the turn of the 14th century, between the 13th and 14th centuries.
• Silver Park has educational trails and opportunities for inline skating and cycling, as well as an area for bicycle trials and parkour.

The “Srebrny szlak gwarków olkuskich” is an educational and historical trail in the Old Town of Olkusz. Miner figures stand at 18 locations. Each figure has its own attributes and tells a different story about an aspect of the city’s history or a local legend. Along the trail, you encounter a range of individual themes rather than one continuous narrative. If you are interested in Olkusz, the figures offer a thematic introduction to both historical aspects and local legends.

The “Podziemny Olkusz” exhibition presents the city’s history and its tradition of silver and lead mining, which dates back to the Middle Ages. It is located in accessible cellars beneath Olkusz’s former 14th-century town hall on the market square. This brings together two key themes: the city’s history and the mining tradition that has existed there since the Middle Ages.

Mining history is also a theme at Silver Park. Educational trails there feature information boards about the history of mining and the park’s vegetation. The comparison highlights their different focuses: “Podziemny Olkusz” covers the city’s history and silver and lead mining, while the park’s boards address mining history and park vegetation.

The Minor Basilica of St. Andrew the Apostle is a Gothic church built at the turn of the 14th century, between the 13th and 14th centuries. Its Gothic polyptych dates from the late 15th century and is one of four altars of this kind in Poland. The church and altar represent two distinct historical reference points: the period when the building was constructed and the later date of the artwork.

The city’s museums offer further cultural themes. The Africanist Museum in Olkusz was founded in 1971 and collects exhibits related to the everyday lives of communities in West and Central Africa. The Museum of the Artistic Work of Władysław Wołkowski is housed in the historic 19th-century Machnicki Manor. These places complement the themes of city history and mining with collections, each with its own focus.

In addition to its educational trails, Silver Park in Olkusz offers opportunities for inline skating and cycling, as well as an area for bicycle trials and parkour. These activities differ from the topics covered by the information boards: the boards address mining history and the park’s vegetation, while the activities include inline skating, cycling, bicycle trials and parkour. If you are choosing how to explore Olkusz based on your interests, you can consider its cultural themes and active park offerings separately, rather than combining them into a single outing.

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

What can you learn on the “Srebrny szlak gwarków olkuskich”?

Each of the 18 miner figures tells a different story about an aspect of the city’s history or a local legend.

What is “Podziemny Olkusz” about?

The exhibition covers the history of Olkusz and its tradition of silver and lead mining, which dates back to the Middle Ages.

What is there at Silver Park?

There are educational trails with information boards about mining history and park vegetation, opportunities for inline skating and cycling, and an area for bicycle trials and parkour.

For the broader travel overview: Olkusz.