Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzów

In the middle of Poland's most industrialised region, a few minutes from the Silesian Stadium, stand log cottages from Istebna, octagonal barns from Kobiór, windmills and a wooden church from 1791. The Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzów is a park-style open-air museum of about 33 hectares, with 78 rural buildings from Upper Silesia and the Dąbrowa Basin dating from the 17th to the 20th century. It lies inside the Silesian Park, so it is easy to combine with the zoo, the planetarium and a walk in the park.

History: a museum on reclaimed land

The first plans for a Silesian open-air museum date from 1928, and in 1938 a wooden church from Syrynia was moved to Kościuszko Park in Katowice. The war stopped the project. The idea was revived in the 1950s: in 1956 some 850 wooden heritage buildings were recorded in the region, and in 1964 the first two were moved here, a granary from Warszowice and a windmill from Grzawa. The site had been damaged during construction of the Silesian Stadium, so it first had to be reclaimed and landscaped. The museum opened to visitors on 1 June 1975 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025.

What to see

The exhibition is divided into sectors representing different areas:

• Silesian Beskids: cottages from Istebna (1794 and 1876), a shepherds' complex from Brenna with a hut and sheep sheds, a tannery from Koniaków and a fulling mill from Brenna.
• Cieszyn Foothills: a smithy from Zamarski (1843), a school from Wapienica (1853) and a manor granary from Simoradz (1738).
• Pszczyna and Rybnik area: octagonal barns, a mill from Imielin, a windmill from Grzawa, the church from Nieboczowy built in 1791 and an inn from Świerczyniec (1870).
• Bytom, Tarnowskie Góry and Lubliniec areas: a village headman's farmstead and forest workers' homes.
• Dąbrowa Basin: a wealthy farmer's homestead from Łazy near Błędów and a manor granary from Wojkowice Kościelne dated 1675, one of the oldest buildings in the museum.
• Lutheran church from Bytom-Bobrek (1932), reconstructed in 2014–2017 as an example of industrial-era building.

Interesting facts

Director Lech Majewski shot part of his film The Mill and the Cross here, using among others the cottages from Frydek and Istebna, the Simoradz granary and the Grzawa windmill. The grounds also appeared in the Polish TV comedy Święta wojna. The museum coordinates the Wooden Architecture Route of Silesia Province. On Museum Night, actors play Silesian demons and figures from local legends, and on 1 May the church from Nieboczowy hosts a church fair for St Joseph the Worker combined with the Śląskie Gody folk festival. In 2019 the museum welcomed more than 100,000 visitors.

Tripto tip

The entrance is at ul. Parkowa 25 in Chorzów. The grounds are large, so allow 2–3 hours and wear comfortable shoes, as paths are earth and grass. According to the Silesian Tourist Organisation, on Mondays you can usually only walk around the grounds without going inside the cottages, so pick another day if you want to see the interiors. Check current hours and prices on the museum website. The historic inn from Świerczyniec serves food. The visit combines easily with the Silesian Planetarium, the zoo and the Legendia amusement park in the same park.