In Olkusz, traces of mining meet Gothic art, exhibitions and activities for days spent outdoors. The Silver Juggler Trail leads through the Old Town, while cycling and nature trails extend into the municipality of Olkusz. This makes it easy to tailor your stay to different interests without letting a single theme define the entire visit.
Old Town: Mining History on the Trails and in the Paving
The educational and historical Silver Juggler Trail offers a direct way to explore Olkusz’s mining history. Along the trail in the Old Town are 18 miner figurines. It also includes more than 130 replicas of Olkusz trojaks set into the pavement—coins bearing the image of King Sigismund III Vasa. The figurines and coins bring the history to life in different ways across the city: here as miner figurines, there as coin images in the paving.
Another way to explore the Old Town is the city game “Zagadki olkuskiej starówki” (Mysteries of the Olkusz Old Town). The route is about 1.5 kilometres long and leads through Olkusz Old Town. By comparison, the cycling game “Od olkuskich gwarków do rabsztyńskich rycerzy” (From Olkusz Miners to Rabsztyn Knights) is a 14-kilometre circular route from Olkusz to Rabsztyn Castle and back. The two activities have different formats and distances: a city game in the Old Town and a cycling loop that starts and ends in Olkusz.
Church, Exhibitions and Collections
The Gothic Basilica of St Andrew was built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its works of art include a late-15th-century Gothic winged altarpiece, considered one of only four such altarpieces in Poland. The church and the altarpiece offer two different historical points of interest: the basilica’s construction and the later creation of the altarpiece.
“Podziemny Olkusz” (Underground Olkusz) connects the town’s history with two exhibition spaces in cellars. One display is in the former 14th-century town hall; the second is in the former Royal Quarter, once the seat of the Olkusz mining authorities. Visitors can set models and replicas of historic mining equipment in motion themselves. The former role of the Royal Quarter and the interactive models add to the mining traces also featured along the Juggler Trail through the city.
Other collections focus on different subjects. The permanent exhibition of GSW BWA includes about 300 works of contemporary Polish art, primarily painting, graphic art, sculpture, ceramics and photography. The Museum of the Works of Władysław Wołkowski is housed in the historic 19th-century Machnicki Manor House and holds the largest collection of his works in Poland. The main attraction at the Firefighting Museum of the Olkusz Region is “Jaśek,” a historic fire engine from the Second World War.
The collection of minerals from the Olkusz Region and fossils from the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland comprises several thousand exhibits. These include valuable ores and minerals, as well as limestone rocks that are 150 million years old. The range thus extends from contemporary art and the work of an individual artist to minerals and fossils.
Active Activities in the Town and Municipality
Olkusz offers several ways to enjoy an active break. Silver Park, a recreational and landscape park, provides opportunities for active recreation for children, teenagers and adults. The recreational swimming complex features the 64-metre-long “Anakonda” waterslide, which ends in a one-metre-deep splash pool. These are standalone attractions alongside the town’s cultural offerings.
Other cycling and nature trails are located within the municipality of Olkusz. The blue “Okrężny” cycling trail is 38 kilometres long and links the municipality’s historical and natural attractions, including the ruins of Rabsztyn Castle, Januszkowa Mountain and the sources of the Sztoła River. The green “Wschodni” cycling trail explores the municipality’s north-eastern areas and, together with the blue trail, forms a 19-kilometre circular route. The five-kilometre educational trail also passes through the Pazurek Nature Reserve. Januszkowa Mountain covers 56 hectares and is part of the “Jaroszowiec” Natura 2000 area.
Two other routes also showcase different options within the municipality: the black “Szlak Kordonu Granicznego” cycling trail forms a 20-kilometre circular route, while the red PTTK Trail of the Eagles’ Nests runs through the municipality of Olkusz. This gives you a clear choice of focus for your stay: the Old Town, church and collections are in Olkusz, while the longer cycling and nature activities described here are located within the municipality.
Discover more destinations: Zawada, Olkusz, Osiek, Bukowno, Małyszyce, Małobądz, Wolbrom, Klucze, Jeżówka, Dłużec, Zabagnie, Golczowice.
For the regional travel overview: Lesser Poland.
