Katowice brings together a variety of discoveries: the Las Murckowski nature reserve preserves beech forest and woodland wildlife, while the city is associated with music, contemporary art and distinctive industrial architecture. You can tailor your interests in different ways—towards nature and outdoor activities, culture or the city’s history.
Forest Landscapes and Trails
Las Murckowski covers more than 100 hectares and includes the slopes of Wanda Hill, the highest point in Katowice. The reserve protects a natural beech forest with old beech and oak trees, protected plants and woodland wildlife. The city’s forests also have hiking and cycling trails, purpose-built shelters, campsites and information boards for active recreation. These offer various ways to explore Katowice’s wooded areas without reducing them to a single excursion destination.
The Three Ponds Valley also offers several ways to stay active: it has an inline skating route just under four kilometres long, as well as cycling and jogging trails. The Centre for Ecological Education in Katowice-Murcki has three workshops, a pottery kiln, an insect display and breeding area, and utility and sensory botanical gardens. The focus ranges from getting outdoors to gaining hands-on insights into plants and insects.
Discover Music and Culture
Katowice is a UNESCO Creative City of Music. One place where the city’s musical focus can be seen in its event programme is the building of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra: it includes a concert hall with 1,800 seats, a chamber music hall, and numerous workshop and educational spaces. The orchestra organises the “New Polish Music” festival, featuring premieres, the “Katowice Kultura Natura” festival and the International Karol Szymanowski Music Competition. The dates of individual events vary; check the relevant dates if you would like to plan your stay around them.
The history of the city’s recent past also shapes its cultural offerings. The Silesian Centre for Freedom and Solidarity presents the December 1981 strike and resistance to the communist system in the 1980s in a multimedia permanent exhibition. Bookable guided tours are offered from Tuesday to Saturday. Tours with strike participants are also available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and the first Saturday of the month. Check the current times before travelling.
Annual passes at the Silesian Museum provide admission to permanent and temporary exhibitions for 365 days. Prices and conditions may change; check the latest information before purchasing. The Wilson Shaft Gallery in Nikiszowiec offers another perspective on art, with an exhibition of contemporary art. The Katowice History Museum’s branch there, in a former washhouse on Rymarska Street, has permanent exhibitions. Nikiszowiec was recognised as a Monument of History in 2011.
Architecture and Urban History
A tourist trail in Katowice leads to 16 modernist buildings dating from the 1920s and 1930s. It is 5.5 kilometres long in total and features multimedia information kiosks. For a different way to explore the city, the Neon Trail, established in the city centre in 2021, showcases purpose-built displays featuring reconstructions of former neon signs, archival photographs and their stories.
The city’s districts also tell different stories: Giszowiec is a historic workers’ settlement in southeastern Katowice, built between 1907 and 1910 for workers at the Giesche coal mine. In Nikiszowiec, the Wilson Shaft Gallery displays contemporary art. The Archcathedral of Christ the King is another of the city’s architectural landmarks. The historic Kościuszko Park is home to a wooden church dating from 1510 and a parachute tower; varied terrain and ornamental vegetation shape the park.
The Porcelain Factory (Fabryka Porcelany) is part of the Route of Industrial Monuments. The complex dates from the turn of the 20th century and features valuable post-industrial architecture. Together with the workers’ settlement of Giszowiec and Nikiszowiec, which is recognised as a Monument of History, this architectural perspective adds the city’s industrial past to the picture.
Practical Information
The Katowice City Break app guides visitors to the city’s main tourist attractions; check its availability in advance. The Tourist Information Centre is located at Rynek 13. As addresses can change, it is worth checking the location again before travelling. Bus and tram services in Katowice and neighbouring cities are organised by Transport GZM.
Discover more destinations: Katowice, Siemianowice ĹšlÄ…skie, Piekary ĹšlÄ…skie, Zawiercie, RacibĂłrz, Ruda ĹšlÄ…ska, Tychy, Pszczyna.
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