//
City in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland
Photo: Andrzej G, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Tarnowskie Góry is a city in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland, with a population of 61,842 in 2021. It's part of the Katowice metropolis and is the site of the beginning of the industrial revolution in Silesia. Its main attraction is its old silver mine, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Exhibits on the town and its part in European history.
This mined galena - lead sulphide - with a byproduct of silver. As they plumbed deeper they hit the usual problem of flooding - horse-drawn pumps just couldn't keep up. In 1784 they found silver-rich seams, which steam-powered pumps let them exploit, and later a series of adits were drilled - sideways passages into the workings so the water drained naturally. The mine closed in 1913 when the best seams were exhausted. You descend the lift with a guide and tour through the tunnels (1,700 m in all, 270 m by boat) to emerge through another shaft. The temperature underground is 10°C, and the lowest tunnel height is 103 cm. Tours take 1 hr 45 min, must be pre-booked and are occasionally available in English. There is an audio guide downloadable as an app. Outside, there is a narrow-gauge railway like those that used to criss-cross Silesia, and a collection of small locomotives. The mine and adits are listed as a .
Sztolnia Czarnego Pstrąga
A 600 m-section of one of the drainage adits, reached by a shaft then toured by boat. It got its name when trout colonised it from the river it drains into. A few bats can also sometimes be seen. Tours take up to 1 hour. Booking online is advised. Tours are mostly in Polish but English and German language tours are available on certain days. Alternatively you can attend a Polish language tour by downloading the audio guide, available in six languages. Visitors must be at least 4 years old, and able to climb the 30 m-staircase to leave the tunnel. The temperature underground is 10°C. The tour begins at the Sylvester shaft, about 10 minutes walk from the nearest car park. The Silver Mine tour also includes a short boat trip, so if time is short, it is better to visit the Silver Mine.
Clean friendly hostel, very central. In the former Gwarek House, owned by the association which manages the Silver Mine.
Simple comfy hotel in city centre.
Simple hotel near a sports complex 1 km north of the centre.
Very mixed reviews for this villa 1 km south of the centre. Some were charmed by its old-world ambience and gardens, others found dark dingy rooms.
Budget motel by the south ring road. The rumbling noise is not from the traffic but the basement bowling alley.
Renovated hotel within a castle barn.
Pałac w Rybnej
Mansion completed in 1796. It had a variety of uses in the 20th century and from 2011 has been a cultural centre and events venue, with 18 plush apartments available for short or long hire.
By rail
Trains from Katowice run every hour or so, taking 50 min via Chorzów. In 2024 this service is replaced by a bus; so too is the train from Bytom.
By bus
Long-distance buses don't call here, usually you change in Katowice. But some buses from Berlin and the Czech Republic stop at Gliwice on their way to Katowice and Kraków, so you can change there.
By road
The direct route from Katowice is 26 km, but this drags through Chorzów and Bytom. During the working day it's quicker to go west on Highway 902 to Gliwice then branch north on A1, 46 km.
ZTM Metropolia run almost all buses across the 40-some cities of Upper Silesian Metropolis, which straddles the Czech border.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Katowice · International · KTW
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Tarnowskie Góry and Poland.
Travel tipsDiscover the cheapest countries to visit in Europe in 2026. Compare daily budgets for Albania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Portugal with real costs.
8 min read
ItinerariesThe European Route of Industrial Heritage is a tourism information network for industrial tourism in Europe.
Wikivoyage
Culture & historyThe Wooden tserkvas of the Carpathian region in Poland and Ukraine is a world heritage site made up of 16 wooden churches in these countries.
Wikivoyage
Travel tipsIf travelling between major cities in Poland, you don't have to drive, but to visit places off the beaten path, having a car can be a good idea.
Wikivoyage
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.