At the beginning of November 2024, I spent a few days in Katowice. Katowice is a city in the south of Poland and the largest city in a densely populated area historically known for its heavy industry – comparable to Duisburg, Essen or Dortmund in Germany’s Ruhrpott region. These days Katowice is probably best known internationally for very cheap Ryanair flights, but while you can’t really compare it to tourist hotspots like Krakow, Katowice is steadily transforming itself from a centre of heavy industry to a modern city with a focus on culture, music and education.
The city doesn’t have the best reputation as a tourist destination, but I genuinely liked the place and definitely think Katowice is worth visiting for a day or two. Let me explain why.
Why did I visit Katowice?
I visited Katowice for two reasons: firstly, I thought it would be a great base for visiting Auschwitz (I wasn’t 100% right on that one…); and secondly, I wanted to visit somewhere new in Poland, as opposed to staying in Krakow again.
I was also mildly intrigued by the terrible reputation Katowice seems to have amongst Polish people. On a walking tour in Krakow a few years ago, I told our guide I was thinking of visiting Katowice and she actively tried to dissuade me from going. (In fairness to her, she did succeed.)
Considering I seem to have a real thing for formerly industrial cities with less-than-stellar reputations, I thought it sounded perfect.
Top things to do and see in Katowice
Museum Slaskie / the Silesian Museum
Museum Slaskie or the Silesian Museum was first place on my list to visit in Katowice. Silesia is a geographic region that today is almost entirely located in Poland but has historically been Austrian, Prussian, German, Polish and Czech. Katowice is today the biggest city and capital of Upper Silesia.
The current museum was opened in 2015 and is made up of several buildings located on Katowice’s former coal mine. The main building is a sprawling underground space which is home to several exhibits.
The gallery on the upper flow has plenty of art on show from Polish artists, both more classical and modern art. But the building itself is really impressive too.
Silesian Museum: the history of Upper Silesia
The main exhibit on the lower floor chornicles the history of the Silesian region, with a strong focus on what has shaped current Silesian identity: the development of industry, two world wars and the pressure to determine a German or Polish identity.
The latter I found really interesting because the museum makes no attempt to claim that the region was consistently homogenously Polish throughout history, rather that Silesia has long been mixed, or „German-speaking cities in a Polish sea“. It also goes into great detail about the difficulties the location population faced when a plebiscite in 1921 attempted to define a new border on ethnic grounds. The museum states clearly that there were also Poles who didn’t identify with the new Polish state but wanted to retain their Polish identity while living in the newly founded Weimar Germany. An entire room of the exhibition is then devoted to this dual history with the population split between the two countries.
The entire exhibit is interactive and incredibly detailed, with small recreations of traditional family rooms and buildings. The experiential focus of the space really reminded me of the POLIN museum in Warsaw, one of the best I’ve ever been to.
Visiting the Silesian Museum’s other exhibits
Only two other buildings were open on my visit – one was a collection of modern art and the other I skipped after spending around 2.5 hours in the main gallery and exhibit. Unfortunately the former mine tower shaft was closed on my visit, though I imagine you’d get some amazing views of the city from up there. (My fear of heights was definitely secretly relieved.)
But all in all, I can’t recommend the Silesian Museum enough – I learned so much.
Spodek & the Culture Zone
The Silesian Museum is located in Strefa Kultury, the Culture Zone. This area is the location of the former Katowice mine and the developing area is home to some of Katowice’s newest buildings and is somehow of a showpiece and symbol of the city’s regeneration.
The ‘zone’ is home to an international conference centre and the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, but the star of the show here is Spodek, an indoor arena which looks uncannily like a UFO. Spodek was opened in the 70s and has become a bit of a symbol for the city. Expect to see plenty of fridge magnets of this guy. It’s not a huge area but it’s worth walking around.
Visiting Nikiszowiec
If Museum Slaskie is the first item on the ideal agenda when visiting Katowice, then Nikiszowiec has to be the second. Situated slightly outside the main part of the city, Nikiszowiec is one of two settlements built to house workers for a nearby coal mine (Giszowiec is another but I didn’t have time to visit). But what sets Nikiszowiec apart is the beauty of its buildings.
Nikiszowiec is made up of several connected blocks of tall, dark, brick buildings, with a signature red paint used for widowsills, doors and window frames. And despite being constructed simply to house workers, the architecture is surprisingly ornate and intricate – there are brick archways spanning almost all entry points to the settlement and along St Anna Street (Świętej Anny), no two building entryways are the same.
Not only is Nikiszowiec beautiful, it’s also set up very well for visitors; there is a small walking tour marked with information posts to teach you about the settlement’s history, and there are a number of tourist shops selling fridge magnets and other mementos (Ajncla was my favourite), as well as a few restaurants. (I went to the super fancy Slaska Prohibicja, which was beautiful but very expensive).
Top tip: if you have more time than I did, the Wilson Shaft Gallery is located closeby which is meant to be worth checking out. Giszowiec, another settlement built for miners, should also be easy to visit in combination with Nikioszowiec from what I’ve read.
Getting to Nikiszowiec: the 920 or 930 bus goes to Nikiszowiec, via the Zone of Culture and Museum Slaskie. I did both in the same day, which I wouldn’t recommend if you intend to include the Wilson Shaft Gallery and Giszowiec.
Neon tour
On my final morning in Katowice, I passed by the tourist office and saw that there are actually a number of self-guided walking routes mapped out by the city, including the Neon tour. Evidently the city was once home to a huge number of neon sights, which are slowly returning. You can read more about the history in this blog post I found.
I was genuinely gutted to have missed this as I had three evenings in Katowice and would have loved exploring the neon signs. Next time!
Visiting Auschwitz as a day trip from Katowice
On my first day in Katowice, I travelled independently to Auschwitz taking the train there and back. Whilst this wasn’t particularly difficult, there isn’t a direct route from Katowice Central to the town of Oswiecim, meaning changing trains or getting the bus to Myslowice train station. As a result, it takes a fair bit of time. I would absolutely recommend visiting Auschwitz, but my advice would be to join an organised tour from Krakow to save the time and energy.
Have a drink on Mariacka
My first impressions were actually of Katowice at night and I was surprised just how lively the street of Mariacka was on a Tuesday night. The street has a lot of outdoor seating and seemed very popular with students, I can imagine it’s a great place for a drink in spring or summer, although I mostly went to bars and restaurants on the adjacent streets. I included a list of some restaurants below.
Silesian identity in Katowice
One observation I had while in Katowice was that Silesian identity is clearly important – the blue and yellow Upper Silesian flag can be seen a lot in the city. Most exhibits in the Silesian Museum were also available in the Silesian dialect, which is distinct from standard Polish.
I really got the sense here that there was a real pride in Silesian culture; in a few souvenir shops I saw the word ‚Hajmat’ used on mugs and t-shirts. Meaning home or homeland, this word isn’t used in standard Polish and has a strong Silesian connection. The word actually comes directly from the German Heimat, meaning the same, which feels like an interesting nod to the complicated historic make up of the region.
It was interesting to see because I don’t remember seeing this obvious regional pride in Wroclaw, for example. Maybe it’s felt more strongly in Upper Silesia than Lower Silesia?
Restaurants and bars: where to eat and drink in Katowice
If you’re looking for traditional Silesian food, I think the most famous is the Ślonski łobiod, a beef roulade stuffed with pickled vegetables and ham, served with a thin gravy, red cabbage and potatoes. I had this at Slaska Prohibicja and it was good, but I can imagine you can find more traditional (and less expensive) options. Katowice has plenty of good choices for food and drink – below are the places I visited and would recommend.
- Mr. Fox Pub & Resto: Small and cosy bar vibes. Had a gorgeous gnocchi with pear and walnuts in a creamy gorgonzola sauce. View on Google maps.
- Slaska Prohibicja (Nikiszowiec): as mentioned, a bit too posh and pricey for my liking. But they had a huge wine menu and if you want to treat yourself, it’s a great choice. View on Google Maps.
- Butersznyt: a cute little bakery where I got a poppyseed brioche bun. View on Google maps.
- Chata z Zalipia: I didn’t manage to get to this restaurant, which was a real shame. I’m adding it to this list simply becuase it looked good and is meant to be great for traditional food. The downside is that it shuts relatively early (8pm during the week). View on Google maps.
- Wolni Ludzie: a relaxed cocktail bar. It had a decent atmosphere, even on a Thursday night, but they don’t serve red wine. View on Google maps.
Where I stayed in Katowice
I stayed in the Ibis Budget in Katowice, which was absolutely fine. The location was a bit inconvenient for the city centre (a 15-minute walk away down a few sketchy unlit streets), but perfect for the Slaskie Museum and the bus route to the airport, Nikiszowiec, and Myslowice.
Katowice alone definitely has enough to see and do for a good weekend city break
Is Katowice worth visiting? My recommendations
The all-important question: is Katowice worth visiting? I really enjoyed my time in Katowice and I left with a really positive view of the city. But I won’t pretend that the city can rival nearby Krakow or Warsaw when it comes to things to do and see. As mentioned above, Katowice is also not ideal for visiting Auschwitz, despite the proximity.
Instead, I think the city itself is perfect for 1-2 days as part of a bigger trip involving more of historic Silesia – today’s southwestern Poland. The Silesian Museum left me with a real appetite for visiting some neighbouring cities like historic Gliwice, Bytom or Cieszyn, the latter of which today straddles the Czech-Polish border. I visited Wroclaw a few years ago and would also definitely recommend it.
But if you’re looking for a cheap getaway, Katowice alone definitely has enough to see and do for a good weekend city break.