Pszczyna lies in the south of the Silesian region on the Pszczynka River and is often called the pearl of Upper Silesia. For centuries it was the capital of the Duchy of Pless, and from the 19th century the residence of the Hochberg family, one of the wealthiest in Silesia. The main sight is Pszczyna Castle with its museum and many original interiors, surrounded by a large park. In and around the park you will find the Ducal Stables, and by the Market Square a bench of Princess Daisy, the castle's most famous resident. With children, head to the Bison Farm to see these animals up close, and to the open-air museum of regional wooden buildings. The Museum of the Silesian Press and the Lutheran church on the square are also worth a visit. One day is enough. Take the train from Katowice or drive the S1 expressway. May to October is best, when the park is green.
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Churches & monasteries
Pszczyna
On Pszczyna's Market Square, right next to the town hall, stands a church that burned down twice and came back twice, each time thanks to money from its congregation and the local princes. The Lutheran church is now a neo-Baroque building…

Monuments & mounds
Pszczyna
On the Market Square in Pszczyna, a few steps from the castle gate, a bronze Princess Daisy sits on a bench – leaving a free seat beside her for anyone who wants a photo. The monument was unveiled on 1 May 2009, and miniature versions of i…

Museums
Pszczyna
In a low house with a shingle roof on Pszczyna's pedestrian street, you can print your own souvenir sheet on a historic press. The Wojciech Korfanty Silesian Press Museum describes itself as the only museum of its kind in Poland that, besi…

Old towns & squares
Pszczyna
Every day at noon a bugle call rings out over the market square in Pszczyna, but it is not a solemn fanfare: it is based on a cheeky local folk song. The square, stretched from east to west, is one of the largest in southern Poland and kee…

Museums
Pszczyna
In the eastern part of Pszczyna's historic park, in the shade of old trees, stands a village that never stood here. Its cottages, barns, granaries and forge were moved from villages around Pszczyna, and since 1975 they have formed the Zagr…

Museums
Pszczyna
The ducal horses of Pszczyna lived in a Gothic Revival hall with rib vaults resting on cast-iron columns, each in one of 36 stalls – the interior looks more like a church than a stable block. The Ducal Stables on ul. Basztowa, a few steps…

Zoos
Pszczyna
The European Bison Show Farm in Pszczyna (PSHCHI-nah) lets you get close to Europe's heaviest land mammal in the leafy historic park of a small Silesian town. Its animals belong to the famous Pszczyna line of lowland bison, which helped sa…

Castles
Pszczyna
Pszczyna Castle (say "PSHCHI-na") is a former princely residence in southern Poland that now houses one of the country's best-preserved aristocratic interiors. Around 80% of its furnishings are originals from the days of the Hochberg princ…

Nature
Pszczyna
Two bison from the forests of Pszczyna, the cow Planta and the bull Plebejer, were among the twelve animals from which the whole species was rebuilt after the First World War. The best place to learn their story is Jankowice near Pszczyna,…