Atrakcje: Knurów

Things to do in Knurów: a Neo-Gothic chapel in Krywałd, four churches from different eras and monuments to the Silesian Insurgents, Foch and John of Nepomuk.

Knurów lies in the Rybnik-Gliwice conurbation, and its sights are mainly sacred architecture and monuments. Some are tied to the history of the powder works in Krywałd, others to the Silesian Uprisings. It makes a good walk around town, without tickets and in any weather.

Which churches in Knurów are worth seeing?

The oldest sacred building in town is the Chapel of St Barbara in Krywałd on Zwycięstwa Street, a Neo-Gothic clinker-brick chapel of 1897. It was funded by Paulina Güttler, owner of the local powder works. Krywałd also has the Church of St Anthony of Padua on Michalskiego Street, a brick building put up in 1908 as the chapel of the factory powder works; after tragic explosions in 1920-1921 regular services began to be held there.

In the centre stands the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius, built in 1937-1947, with an interior fitted out in 1960-1968. The youngest is the Church of Our Lady of Częstochowa on the housing estate by Kapelanów Wojskowych Street: designed by Professor Adam Lisik, it was built in 1981-1986, and its foundation stone was blessed during a pilgrimage in 1979. More places of this kind are on the page about churches and monasteries in Knurów.

Which monuments are in Knurów?

• The Silesian Insurgents Monument on Dworcowa Street was put up in 1923 and commemorates the insurgents Paweł Hora and Florian Henel. Father Jan Chrząszcz blessed it in June 1923.
• The Monument to John of Nepomuk is a sandstone wayside shrine from 1919 at the crossing of Dworcowa and Koziełka streets. It was commissioned by Franciszka Szulc and made by the Wrocław sculptor Józef Baumaister.
• The Monument to Marshal Ferdinand Foch from 2021 stands on the roundabout at Szpitalna and Kosmonautów streets. It is a life-size sculpture in galvanised steel, 2.5 metres high, showing the marshal in uniform with a sabre and a baton.

Monuments linked with the uprisings are discussed in the article on monuments to the insurgents and Korfanty. The rest are on the page of cemeteries and monuments in Knurów.

Frequently asked questions

Can you see Knurów in a day?

Yes. Four churches and three monuments can be covered in a day, and Krywałd is visited separately, together with the Chapel of St Barbara and the Church of St Anthony.

What in Knurów is linked to the Silesian Uprisings?

The Silesian Insurgents Monument on Dworcowa Street, from 1923, which commemorates Paweł Hora and Florian Henel.

Do you need tickets to see Knurów?

The monuments are free, and the churches are viewed from outside or entered when they are open. The list is on the page of free places in Knurów.

What is a good solo walk in Knurów?

A route along Dworcowa Street, with two monuments and a short walk to the centre. Other ideas are on the page Knurów solo.