African Museum in Olkusz

In the centre of Olkusz, in an outbuilding of the former hospital at 32 Szpitalna Street, sits a remarkable collection of art and everyday objects from West and Central Africa. The African Museum was founded in 1971 on a gift from a local doctor who worked in Niger for more than a decade and advised its president. Masks, fetishes, instruments and weapons gathered by successive travellers make a striking contrast with the small-town setting.

History: a doctor from Olkusz in Niamey

The collection's founder was Dr Bogdan Szczygieł (1928–1986), a doctor, writer and traveller who was born and died in Olkusz. In 1964–1965 he led a medical team of Service Civil International in Algeria, and in 1966–1977 he lived in Niamey, the capital of Niger: he ran the radiology ward, lectured at the medical faculty and served as the president's health adviser. He described his African years in more than ten books, from "Tubib wśród nomadów" (1966) to "Reportaże afrykańskie" (1986).

In 1971 Dr Szczygieł and Bożena Szczygieł gave the first objects to the town. They went into a building at 11 Szpitalna Street that had once housed a coffee-grinder workshop owned by the doctor's father. In 1984 everything moved to the outbuilding of the former hospital at 32 Szpitalna Street. The interiors were fitted out by volunteers – secondary-school pupils and ethnology students from the University of Wrocław. In 2005 the display of about 1,000 objects moved into renovated rooms in the same building.

What to see

The exhibition shows the everyday life of peoples of West and Central Africa. Objects of the Tuareg, Dogon, Bambara and Bushongo hold a special place. Many were used in ceremonies and rituals, which gives the collection its authenticity. You will see:

• decorated masks and fetishes,
• musical instruments, weapons, traditional dress and children's toys,
• wood and metal sculpture, textiles and leatherwork,
• ivory and malachite ornaments and African painting.

A separate section is the Anna and Leon Kubarski Collection of Black African Art and Painting, opened in February 2007. Professor Anna Kubarska and pilot Leon Kubarski made gifts from 2001 onwards – today it numbers more than 900 objects, including malachite carvings and a set of small ivory heads with original African hairstyles.

Tripto tips

• Hours: according to the Municipal Cultural Centre (MOK), the museum opens Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00–17:00, last entry half an hour before closing; closed on Mondays (as of October 2026). Check current prices on the MOK website.
• Time: allow 45–60 minutes.
• Nearby: MOK also runs the Władysław Wołkowski Museum and the Olkusz Minerals Collection, plus the "Underground Olkusz" route – together a good half-day plan in town.