Technical monuments

Gasworks Museum in Paczków

A few steps from the town walls of Paczków, at 6 Pocztowa Street, stands the former gasworks — the only site in Poland where the installations for producing town gas have survived complete. Today it is the Gasworks Museum, whose collections have no counterpart in the country.

From gasworks to museum

The plant was built in 1898–1901, and the first gas reached the town on 31 December 1901. It lit the streets and the market square, powered the waterworks pumps and cookers; in the 1930s some 700 customers used gas. Production ended on 15 July 1977 — the last coke cart was extinguished with a symbolic bottle of champagne, and today it stands in the museum. The museum opened on 23 November 1991 and was thoroughly modernised in 2005–2007; after the gale of 2013 that tore off the roof, the building was restored again.

What to see

The collection counts over 3,000 exhibits: gas cookers, heaters, curling irons, irons, even a gas fridge — most of them still technically operational. The highlight is the largest collection of 600 household gas meters in Europe, gathered in one place. On the courtyard, gas lamps still provide light, and the original production line shows the full process of making and purifying gas. The museum also organises temporary exhibitions, concerts and open-air performances.

Practicalities

The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday; other times can be arranged by phone. Please confirm current hours and prices at muzeumgazownictwa.pl. Nearby: Lake Otmuchowskie (8 km) and the castle in Otmuchów (12 km).