Things to do in Katowice: a beginners guide to plan the perfect trip

Despite all the bad myths of Katowice, it is truly one of Poland’s most beautiful towns. This is a thriving city that offers a fun-filled holiday for visitors. There is so much to see and explore in this mysterious location, from an experience of diverse cultures to indulging in local cuisine, and from seeing fascinating structures to stunning city scenes. The popular Culture Zone, renowned for its soothing environment, is one of the best places to visit while at Katowice. This is where most museums are housed, and where the city’s revitalisation is most visible. Here is the list of top things to do in Katowice

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Top things to do in Katowice

1. Guitar History Museum

At this small museum, which is all about plucked string instruments, an intrepid attitude is paying off. The draw emerges from a city-wide system where tourists can be opened up historically fascinating homes in return for lower rentals. The museum is available from Tuesday to Sunday throughout the day and includes 60 displays, all in working order. You would be able to trace the guitar ‘s evolution to the instrument we recognise today, searching out its predecessors and descendants, including lutes and torbans. It is one of the best things to do in Katowice for music lovers.

2. Silesian Philharmonic

Founded at the conclusion of the Second World War, The Silesian Philharmonic performed its first concert as early as 26 May 1945. The ensemble has collaborated with many renowned soloists including Witold Małcużyński and Adam Taubitz. The concert hall where the opera, mixed chorus and chamber orchestra plays is a permanent part of the heritage of Katowice and has been upgraded to equip it with a modern glass roof in 2013. Don’t rule out a visit along with a cycle of symphonies by like Dvořák, Brahms and Mozart there are family-oriented and child-oriented performances, especially during school holidays. It is one of the recommended things to do in Katowice.

3. Silesian Museum

The Silesian Museum is the massive head-frame that had been lying empty for approximately 180 years since the Katowice colliery collapsed behind it in 1999. The head-frame is not the only aspect of the mine that has been transformed, as four floors of subterranean tunnels underground have been developed into sculpture, architecture, ethnography and archaeology galleries, and much more. It barely matters what’s on display at a museum as out-of-the-ordinary as this, but the exhibition of Polish art from 1800-1945 includes prominent names such as Jan Matejko, Piotr Michałowski and Józef Chełmoński. For history buffs, this is amongst the things to do in Katowice.

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4. Nikiszowiec

A few minute strolls or a quick bus trip from central Katowice is a magnificent piece of Polish national heritage. It is a preserved area with 8,000 residents established at the Giesche colliery with miners. In addition, Nikiszowiec was a single, self-contained area, from its completion in 1918 until 1951 when Katowice annexed it. The settlement had interconnected buildings, each comprising twelve apartments and mostly linked to the ground floor by arcades. In total, there were 1,000 homes, over lovely brick buildings with stores, a police station, bakeries, a swimming pool, a restaurant, a kindergarten and a local chapel.

5. Silesian Parliament

A Polish National Historic Landmark, this government house was Poland ‘s biggest edifice before the 1955 Warsaw Research and Culture Palace was built. The Silesian Parliament was built in 1929 with a Neoclassical style to become the centre of government of the independent Silesian Voivodeship. It was built in 1921 following an insurrection by its Polish citizens and during World War I plebiscite. The enormous structure now houses government offices and has one of only four surviving paternosters (open single-person elevators) in Poland.

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6. Giszowiec

If Nikiszowiec whetted the appetite for urban planning in the early 20th century, another miners’ settlement is situated a few kilometres southeast of the city centre. Giszowiec is based on the idea of a Garden City by Ebenezer Howard and was designed in just three years, offering greenery for the 600 families that moved into it. Originally populated by Giesche Mine employees, Giszowiec ‘s houses converge at a central lime-shaded square on four main streets. The community soon had its own facilities such as grocery stores, a school and a swimming pool, while the nearby town of Janów was linked by a narrow-gauge railway. This one is amongst the best things to do in Katowice.

7. Kościuszko Park

Called after one of Poland’s national legends, Kościuszko Park is the most convenient green space if you’re in the middle of Katowice, expanding from six hectares to more than 72 today since it was inaugurated in 1888. Wreathed by an English garden park composed of hundreds of various varieties of tree are structured flowerbeds, a rose avenue and florid pergolas. The teaching tower for parachutes in the southern reaches of the park is 40 meters high, which dates back to before World War II. On September 4, 1939, a party of boy scouts set up a plucky effort to protect the city against the Wehrmacht on top of this metal frame, which makes it one amongst the best things to do in Katowice.

8. Ulica Mariacka (St Mary’s Street)

The pedestrianised Ulica Mariacka is the key avenue of Katowice ‘s nightlife in the central neighbourhood of Šródmieście, leading to the confident tower of St Mary ‘s Church which we will visit next. Just in 2008, the street was pedestrianised and a row of 30 cherry tree saplings was planted on the road in 2011, now sprinkling some colour in season. There are almost 20 taverns clustered in a few hundred feet, plus several more bars, bistros plus nightclubs. The community has spent in sprucing up the facades along the road before the vehicles were stopped in 2009, covering the church gamut from Neo-Gothic on the east end to the west.

Also read: Things to Do in Gdańsk during your Poland vacation

Plan your trip with Pickyourtrail

Katowice and the area of Upper Silesia’s historical past are extremely complicated, including uprisings, a plebiscite, and an independent state in Poland. Thankfully there are museums and temples to fill up the holes, though Katowice is blessed with a string of architectural wonders, including a hulking Neoclassical cathedral to Spodek, a 1970s UFO-like stadium. With the list of things to do in Katowice, having the support of a travel guide would certainly be useful for you and would make your trip a huge success. Plan your trip the help of reputed travel agency Pickyourtrail. Log on to Pickyourtrail.com and with the help of your expert guides start planning your trip or check out the preset International tour packages.