Segiet Nature Reserve

Segiet Nature Reserve (say "SEH-gyet") is a beech-forest reserve on the border of Bytom and Tarnowskie Góry in Upper Silesia, about 20 km north of Katowice. It covers the top of Srebrna Góra, literally "Silver Hill" (347 m), where centuries of silver and lead mining left the ground pitted with shafts and spoil heaps. Nature has reclaimed it with tall beeches and orchids, while the old tunnels below shelter one of Europe's largest bat colonies. Since 2017 it has been part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A forest grown on a mine

Ore mining around Bytom and Tarnowskie Góry lasted from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. Miners riddled Silver Hill with small shafts, and once they left, the forest moved back in. Naturalists pushed for protection as early as 1908, but the reserve was only created on April 27, 1953, covering just over 24 hectares. In 2023 it was enlarged to 92.29 hectares, taking in the neighboring Blachówka quarry, with a buffer zone of 142 hectares.

What to see

• Beech woods: the main stand is around 150 years old, with trees reaching 35–40 m.
• Orchids: more than 100 species of herbaceous plants grow here, including several orchids such as the lady's-slipper orchid, Poland's showiest.
• Mining relics: the round hollows and stony mounds along the paths are collapsed shafts and old spoil heaps. This post-mining landscape is the reason for the UNESCO listing.

Bats, tunnels and UNESCO

Beneath the reserve runs the Tarnowskie Góry–Bytom Underground, more than 300 km of adits, shafts and galleries dug between the 12th and 20th centuries. It is the largest bat hibernation site in Upper Silesia, with 10 species recorded, and Europe's largest winter roost of the brown long-eared bat, protected under the EU's Natura 2000 network. The tunnels themselves are closed to visitors.

On July 9, 2017, Segiet was inscribed on the World Heritage List as part of the "Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver-Zinc Mine and its Underground Water Management System." If you want to go underground, the Historic Silver Mine and the Black Trout Adit boat tour in Tarnowskie Góry belong to the same UNESCO site.

Visiting tips (as of October 2026)

• Free admission, open all year.
• Stay on marked paths: the black trail to Pniowiec in Tarnowskie Góry, the blue Silesian Insurgents' Trail and the "Las Segiecki" educational path. Information boards are in Polish.
• Dogs must be kept on a leash; picking plants and mushrooms is forbidden.
• Allow 1–2 hours. Paths are uneven forest tracks and not stroller-friendly.

Getting there and is it worth it

The reserve is most easily reached by car: park on the side of the Dolomity Sportowa Dolina leisure complex in Bytom, a few hundred meters away. Katowice Airport in Pyrzowice is within easy driving distance, so the reserve also works as a short stop on arrival or departure.

Is it worth visiting? Yes, if you are already exploring the UNESCO mining sites of Tarnowskie Góry: Segiet shows what the mining landscape looks like above ground, and it makes a peaceful walk after a mine tour.