Exploring Upper Silesia: Natural beauty and Jewish history in Poland’s industrial heartland

Less than an hour from Krakow, Poland’s cultural capital – with its castle, magnificent square, and awe-inspiring churches – lies the Upper Silesian capital, Katowice.

As many as 8,000 men and children had been employed in each mine, hundreds of them working shoulder to shoulder on any given shift until advanced mechanization techniques enabled just a handful of employees to achieve the same result as dozens of workers – who historically tackled the bare coalface with mere hammers and pickaxes. 

But even that engineering progress couldn’t prevent the economic decline of the mining industry in Upper Silesia. It’s a story told 320 meters below the surface in the excellent Guido Mine Museum in Zarbze. After donning a hard hat and cramming into one of the original elevators that fit some eight people at a time, the descent begins. Surely the tiny cage cannot hold larger numbers, but expert guides say as many as 20 miners would fit into it on their way to work. 

The two-hour tour takes visits the coal seam and explores the history of coal mining through actual machinery, which is still operational for the benefit of tourists. There’s also a suspended train that takes you through the mine to the lowest pub in Europe. 

Back on the surface, former mines dot the landscape, these days housing restaurants, shopping malls, and sports facilities.

Jewish museum

A short drive from Guido is the Upper Silesian Jews House of Remembrance in Gliwice. The Judaica collection is housed in a beautifully restored neo-Gothic former beit taharah (burial preparation hall) adjoining the city’s second Jewish cemetery.  

The museum’s founder and director, Karolina Jakowenko, wants to keep alive the memory of the German-speaking Jewish communities of this region. The interactive exhibition charts the growth of the community and its famous members, such as pharmacist Oscar Troplowitz, whose company created such brands as Nivea and Labello. Sadly, most of the Jews from the community present at the start of the war perished in Auschwitz, less than an hour away.

Shopping and parties

Back to Katowice, where there is plenty to keep you busy. Known locally as the City of Gardens because of the green spaces all around, the city has transformed from its industrial past. Shopping centers such as Silesia City Center, built on the site of a 120-year-old coal mine, offer 900,000 square feet of shopping, restaurants, and leisure facilities. Mariacka Street in the city center is where Katowice parties at night, under the watchful eye of the imposing St. Mary’s Church.

There is however, more to Katowice than leisure. 

Culture and university

On the site of the Katowice Mine is the Culture Zone, which houses the concert hall of the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra with its world-class acoustics; the Silesian Museum and its multiple underground exhibitions; the Spodek arena, shaped like a UFO; and the International Congress Center, complete with its grass-covered roof.

When the Katowice Mine was closed in 1990, workers were given a stipend to cover their studies or to relocate. Those who chose to study in Katowice were able to take advantage of the city’s seven universities which house 40,000 students. This allowed the city to jump straight from being a center for heavy industry to the hub of modern technological sectors, such as gaming and e-sports.

Home to artists

If you have a spare hour or two, take a short trip to the Nikiszowiec workers’ estate. This collection of red brick buildings dates back to the start of the 20th century, when it housed workers of the Giesche Mining Company, later the “Wieczorek” Mine – named after a local Silesian politician and activist who died in Auschwitz. Designed by German architects Emil and Georg Zillman, the buildings are a series of non-uniform apartment blocks and terraces around a central square housing a neo-baroque church. The area was once home to over 5,000 residents. 

The Nikiszowiec workers’ estate is now a trendy home to artists, poets, and even a member of the European Parliament, who has opened a Silesian “embassy” in one of the houses. One of those artists, Grzegorz Chudy, has placed a number of small statues known as beboki around the city. The beboki was originally a demon who scared children, but Chudy’s beboki are cute cow-like creatures that form a trail for tourists. The first was placed under the sign at the Nikiszowiec church – and 64 more are now scattered around Katowice.

Hovevei Zion

The Jewish trail of Katowice is limited. Plac Synangogi is the virtually empty site of The Great Synagogue destroyed in September 1939. 

One hundred and forty years ago, Katowice was the site of the first Hovevei Zion conference led by Leon Pinsker, but there is little to see of the original on Wodna Street. There is a prominent memorial to Henryk Sławik & József Antall in front of the Spodek Arena. Sławik, a native of Upper Silesia, saved over 5,000 Jews during the Holocaust. He was murdered in Mathausen.

Jewish cemeteries

Some of the most beautiful parts of Silesia are in the countryside to the southwest of Katowice. Cieszyn, for example, straddles the border between Poland and Czech. Built around a large market square that houses the town hall and many colorful bourgeois houses. Crossed by cobbled streets, it is a prime example of a city built following the Magdeburg Law standards, in contrast to Katowice. 

Places of interest include the Freedom Bridge, where you can jump back and forth over the border; the 11th-century Rotunda of St Nicholas’s Chapel; and the Adam Miezciwicz Theater. 

Outside the city center are two Jewish cemeteries. The New Cemetery is cared for by the local community and the Old Cemetery has nature as its caretaker. A large number of graves are covered in a protective layer of ivy. One particular grave is being slowly consumed by a large tree, reflecting that we all return to nature. 

Stunning nature

For the best of nature, visit Czantoria Wielka in the Beskid Mountain range, a mountain experience with stunning views and walks. The ski lift at the base of the mountain scoops you up to a height of over 851 m. (2,791 feet) – roughly the equivalent of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. 

Once you reach the end of the lift, there is the choice of a toboggan ride downwards or a half-hour walk to the peak where there is an observation tower. Around the complex, there is also the opportunity to ski, mountain bike, or birdwatch

A quick lunch in nearby Wisla at the traditional wooden Chata Olimpijczyk restaurant with its local delicacy of potato pancakes in mushroom sauce, and a final stop in Upper Silesia in the village of Koniakow – a veritable craft fair in one street. At the Shepherds Center, there’s a chance to learn about and take part in the production of wool and Bundz goat’s cheese, and many other sheep-related activities. 

Handmade lace

And to finish, the Koniakow Lace Center run by the charismatic Lucyna Ligocka-Kohut, who has kept alive the handmade lace tradition with her 750 local lacemakers and broadened its appeal by cooperating with fashion houses such as Armani and Dior. As well as crocheted dresses and the world’s largest lace crochet, which was displayed at Expo 2020 in Dubai, the center stocks a newer fast-moving line – Koniakow Lace lingerie and thongs. Beautiful gifts in a stunning region.

Mark and David host The Jerusalem Post Podcast – Travel Edition. They were the guests of the Polish Tourism Organisation, Silesia Tourist Organisation - and Euroregion Cieszyn Silesia.