Theatre and opera
a building from 1955-1965 on the foundations of the New Synagogue, with a hall of 825 seats and a violin festival
Theatre and opera
an interwar building with three stages and a copy of a portrait of Mickiewicz in the foyer
Museums
former match factory with a 1930s machine line and a collection of labels on the Industrial Monuments Route
Water parks and pools
an indoor water park with a wild and a lazy river, slides and a separate sauna zone
Museums
more than 11,000 coins, medals and mementos connected with the pontificate of John Paul II
Museums
a city museum with exhibitions in the Town Hall, townhouses, Staszic Park and an underground mine
Museums
a volunteer-run railway museum at Stradom station, with TKt48 and Ol49 steam locomotives
Museums
an underground display of workings and machines from iron ore mines, below Jasna Góra
Museums
a Lusatian culture cemetery more than 2,500 years old, preserved under a pavilion where it was found
play centre for children aged 2 to 11 with slides, trampolines and a café
Museums
a branch of the Częstochowa Museum in a building from 1875 on Blessed Virgin Mary Avenue
four bowling lanes with a pub and kitchen in Częstochowa's Złote Arkady
Museums
the poet's house on Jasnogórska Street with mementoes, letters and recordings of her voice
Museums
sculptures dating from 1430, paintings, liturgical vessels and church vestments of the region
Rainy day in Częstochowa: museums, a philharmonic hall, a theatre and a play centre, all under a roof and apart from the Jasna Góra route.
When it rains, Częstochowa has more to show than its pilgrim trails alone. Fourteen places here are mostly museums, with concert and theatre venues and family entertainment as well. You will find ideas from the whole region in the rainy-day section.
Nine of the fourteen suggestions are museums, which makes it easy to string together a few short visits. The core is the Częstochowa Museum, which has no single building: its displays are scattered around the city, and the Town Hall serves as headquarters. Its branches include the Good Art Gallery in a former parish house of 1875 on Aleja Najświętszej Maryi Panny and the House of Poetry at Jasnogórska 23, once the poet's home. It opened to visitors on 9 May 2007, and its exhibition fills three rooms built around photographs, letters and books.
For technical subjects there are two options. The Iron Ore Mining Museum is an underground display in galleries dug in 1974-1976 under the Staszic park, with workings and machines shown life-size. The Railway History Museum occupies the Stradom station building and shows lamps, uniforms, documents and two steam locomotives; it was founded on 23 March 2001. The Match Production Museum, in a former match factory (1881) at Ogrodowa 68, belongs to the same Industrial Monuments Trail. Ask about visiting rules at the match museum before you set out.
The Lusatian Culture Archaeological Reserve in the Raków district keeps an early Iron Age burial ground under a pavilion where it was found, and a permanent exhibition stands beside it. The Museum of the Archdiocese at św. Barbary 21 has operated since 1997 and gathers sacred art, such as a sculpture of the Virgin with Child dated from 1430. The private John Paul II Coin and Medal Museum holds more than 11,000 items: coins, medals, stamps, vestments and relics.
Fabryka Uśmiechu at św. Rocha 241 is a play centre for children aged 2 to 11, with a trampoline zone, slides and a climbing wall. Parents can wait in the café meanwhile. For whole families there is also the Water Park at Dekabrystów 45, a city-run complex of pools and saunas, with slides and a leisure pool. An outdoor summer pool operates next door.
For a concert, choose the Częstochowa Philharmonic at Wilsona 16, in a modernist building of 1955-1965 with two concert halls. It organises festivals and symphonic concerts. Drama is on offer at the Adam Mickiewicz Theatre at Kilińskiego 15, a brick building of 1928-1931 entered in the register of monuments. For a lighter evening, try bowling: Złote Arkady has four lanes and a pub with snacks.
The article on Częstochowa around Jasna Góra, its museums and parks suggests plans for the drier hours.
Nine on this list, from an underground mining display to a museum of sacred art and a collection devoted to John Paul II.
It is the Iron Ore Mining Museum, set in galleries dug in 1974-1976 between the pavilions in Staszic Park.
The museum occupies a factory of 1881. Its website has at times been under reconstruction, so check the visiting rules before you go.
To Fabryka Uśmiechu, a play centre for ages 2 to 11, or to the Water Park on Dekabrystów street.
