Upper Silesia's German-Polish Heritage: 5 Must-See Spots

Upper Silesia, a region in modern-day Poland with a complex multicultural history shaped by German, Polish, Czech, and Austrian influences, is experiencing a revival of its distinct Silesian culture. The area's heritage includes industrial sites, castles, worker settlements, and narrow-gauge railways. Key attractions include the Guido Mine and Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze, established in 1855 and reopened as a museum in 2007, which is Europe's deepest mine open to visitors at 320 meters. Katowice features murals by artists like Dajse (2022) and Axel Void (2015) that commemorate shared heritage. Pszczyna Castle, a 13th-century structure rebuilt in Classicist style by the Von Pless family, served as Emperor's Headquarters during WWI and is now a museum with interiors awarded by Europa Nostra. Czerwionka-Leszczyny preserves the best examples of familoki, multi-family brick worker houses from the 19th-century garden city movement. The Upper Silesian Narrow Gauge Railways, built in the mid-19th century, operate a 21 km track between Bytom and Miasteczko Śląskie, making it the oldest continuously active narrow-gauge railway globally. These sites were visited by German and Polish journalists in April 2026 during a meeting organized by Instytut Reportażu and Deutscher Journalisten-Verband.