Ślęża Museum in Sobótka

The Stanisław Dunajewski Ślęża Museum in Sobótka tells the story of a mountain that has drawn people for thousands of years – its ancient beliefs, the nature of the massif and the history of the town at its foot. It occupies the Abbot's House, a hospital building erected in 1568 by the Canons Regular. It makes a good stop before or after a hike up Ślęża.

History: from Heimatmuseum to town museum

The museum was founded in 1962 in the pre-war home of the German Heimatmuseum, which had operated in Sobótka since 1926 – it inherited the tradition, though not the collection. The first permanent exhibition, "Beliefs of the Ancient Slavs", opened in 1966, followed in 1974, after its time frame was extended, by "In the Footsteps of Ancient Beliefs". From 1971 to 1992 the museum was a branch of the Archaeological Museum in Wrocław, and since 1993 it has been run by the town of Sobótka. In 1992 it was named after Stanisław Dunajewski, the most active of its founders and its first keeper.

Permanent exhibitions

• "In the Footsteps of Ancient Beliefs" – spiritual culture in prehistory, with objects on loan from the Archaeological Museum in Wrocław and archaeology institutes, among others.
• "Sobótka: From Market Settlement to Early Modern Town" (since 2022) – the town's birth, heyday and crises; its highlight is the "Dunajewski Hoard", a coin deposit studied in 2021.
• "People and Nature of the Ślęża Massif" (since 2024) – an exhibition combined with a film about the mountain's nature, history and everyday life.
• Lapidarium – carved stone architectural fragments and sculpture in the passage and garden.

Most of the collection consists of archaeological finds from the museum's own excavations. There are also rocks, minerals and fossils, two coin hoards from the 16th–18th centuries, maps of the region and old postcards.

Gallery and events

The Ślęża Museum Gallery has been running since 1995. Artists who have exhibited here include Wiesław Ochman, Edward Lutczyn, Jerzy Duda-Gracz, Stasys Eidrigevičius, Franciszek Maśluszczak and Tomasz Sętowski. The museum also hosts chamber concerts, talks, museum lessons and seasonal tours of Górka Castle. On the last Friday of each month (10:00–15:00) an archaeologist advises on chance finds – such as pottery shards or stone objects dug up in a garden.

Tripto tips

The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday, 9:00–16:00. According to the price list on the museum's website, a standard ticket costs PLN 20, reduced and group tickets (10+ people) PLN 10, and a guided visit PLN 30; admission is free on Thursdays. Only 13 people at a time may enter the upper-floor exhibitions, so there can be a queue at weekends – you can book an entry time by phone. Allow about an hour for your visit.