Museum of Nature and Technology "Ekomuzeum" in Starachowice

A blast furnace from 1899, blown out in 1968, still towers over Starachowice, preserved together with its rail tracks, charging tower and machinery. Around it, on 8 hectares of the former ironworks, is the Jan Pazdur Museum of Nature and Technology "Ekomuzeum" – where one visit takes in a 19th-century iron plant, Star lorries and dinosaur footprints.

History

Starachowice lies in the Old Polish Industrial Region, where iron ore was mined and smelted for some two thousand years. An ironworks was built here in 1841, and a new blast furnace started up in 1899. The museum was founded in 2001, championed by Professor Jan Pazdur, a historian of technology and director of the state archive in Kielce. The ironworks complex is a listed monument.

What to see

• The 1841 ironworks – the surviving engine house and casting hall; the three original furnaces were demolished in the early 20th century.
• The 1899 blast furnace – with its line of rail tracks and the charging tower that fed the furnace. The machinery includes a piston blower made in Riga and a hand-operated crane from 1898.
• Iron ore mining – an exhibition in the former water tower.
• Automotive technology – the story of the Star lorry factory, including a Star 20, a Star 266R that took part in the Paris–Dakar Rally, and a Star 660, a replica of the only Polish-built popemobile.
• Palaeontology – dinosaur tracks from the region, including Wióry, Sołtyków and Bałtów, and models of reptiles.
• Archeopark – a reconstructed settlement of ancient iron smelters with bloomery furnaces and the huts of a blacksmith, goldsmith and weaver.

Tripto tip

Entry is on the hour and only with a guide, from 95 Piłsudskiego Street. In the summer season (1 April – 31 October) the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, usually from 8:00 or 10:00 until 15:00–17:00 (last entry); shorter hours in winter. Closed on Mondays. Tickets can also be bought online. Allow 2 hours for the full route. The Cistercian abbey in Wąchock, a few kilometres away, makes a good stop on the way.