Museum of Metallurgy in Chorzów

Until 1934 Chorzów was called Królewska Huta – Royal Ironworks – after the plant around which the town grew. The hall of that ironworks' former power station now houses the Museum of Metallurgy, the first museum in Poland devoted entirely to iron and steel making. Among huge machines, it tells the story of the people who worked at the furnaces and rolling mills.

History: from power station to museum

The power station hall of the Royal Ironworks, later the Kościuszko Steelworks, is more than a hundred years old. The city bought the listed building from Bank Handlowy in 2010, repaired the roof and for several years used it for events such as the World Press Photo exhibition, the Metropolitan Night of Theatres and Industriada, the festival of the Industrial Monuments Route. The conversion was funded through a project shared with the Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze. The museum was founded in 2019 and officially opened on 26 November 2021. Since 2023 it has been part of the Silesian Industrial Monuments Route.

What to see

• Permanent exhibition "Kingdom of Iron" – the title refers both to the Royal Ironworks and to the town's old name. Its backbone is recorded memories of steelworkers, men and women, complemented by stories of nine figures who shaped Upper Silesian metallurgy.
• Work zone with original machines – the most impressive are a bridge hammer weighing almost 17 tonnes and part of a rolling mill with a 6-metre flywheel, the oldest machine on display.
• Spherical cinema – a ten-minute film, "Kingdom of Iron", on a panoramic screen shows the role of iron and steel in building the modern world; included in the ticket.
• Relics of the Kościuszko and Batory steelworks – objects donated by former workers, works memorial rooms and public collections.
• Children's trail – a separate route through the exhibition for younger visitors.

Interesting facts

The exhibition also tells the story of the monument to Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden, linked to the beginnings of the Royal Ironworks – its fate mirrors the tangled history of Silesia.

Tripto tip

The museum is at 4a Metalowców Street. It is open Tuesday and Saturday 10:00–18:00, Wednesday to Friday 9:00–16:00 and Sunday 13:00–18:00, when admission is free. Closed on Mondays. A standard ticket costs PLN 21, reduced PLN 15; an unguided visit including the film takes about an hour, and the ticket also covers the temporary exhibition. Tickets can be bought online. The visit combines well with Silesian Park, home to the Planetarium and the Silesian Zoo.