Camillian Fathers' Park in Tarnowskie Góry

The Camillian Fathers' Park in Tarnowskie Góry is a monastery park of about 5 hectares by an institution run by the Camillian order. On its grounds are a Lourdes Grotto, a fountain, a lime avenue and a monastic cemetery.

Gallows, a dolomite quarry and the order

The hill known as Galgenberg had the town's gallows from 1545. In the 19th century a dolomite quarry operated here. In 1903 the Camillians decided to build an institution for treating alcoholics, and in 1906-1907 the Neo-Gothic St John's House was built. The park was laid out in 1910 on part of the land, covering 6.6 ha.

After the war

After the Second World War the property was nationalised: the hospital in 1949, the park in 1950. The Camillians regained the farm in 1982, and in 1998 the town returned the whole complex to the order. In 1999 the park was modernised, with the Lourdes Grotto and the fountain renovated. After a new church was built in the late 1980s, the area of the park shrank to about 5 ha.

What to see in the park

The lime avenue links the hospital with the farm buildings. The Lourdes Grotto was set up in the 1920s. The park also has a fountain of St John the Baptist, small bridges, benches, lamps, a wooden hermitage, a gazebo and an entrance pergola. A wooden cross commemorates the former gallows. Part of the area lies in the buffer zone of the site inscribed in 2017 on the UNESCO World Heritage List, that is, the Tarnowskie Góry mining complex, whose elements are close by: the Royal Frederick Mine (Królewska Kopalnia Fryderyk) and the Silver Mine in Tarnowskie Góry.

Practical information

• Location: Tarnowskie Góry, on the grounds of the Camillian order.
• The park is part of a working monastery complex and care institution, so keep quiet and check the rules of entry before your visit.
• The town centre with Plac Gwarków is nearby.