Maksymilian Chrobok City Museum in Ruda Śląska

The Maksymilian Chrobok City Museum is located at ul. Wolności 26 in the Ruda district and deals with the history of the whole of Ruda Śląska and neighbouring localities. The main exhibition tells the story of the town through the prism of the industrial revolution and the development of the economy, and the exhibition's title is “Time is Money”.

Where the museum came from

Collections began to be gathered in 1976 in the City Regional Room, which operated at the Society of Friends of the Town of Ruda Śląska. They were collected by people in love with the history of their town and by passionate collectors.

In 1983 the room was given the status of a Community Museum, and a year later the name of Maksymilian Chrobok, one of its organisers and first director. By a resolution of the city council in December 1990 the institution was transformed into a city museum, which took over the existing collections. The collection continues to grow thanks to donors and purchases from the city budget.

The building the museum is in

The seat is a building from the beginning of the 20th century, built with teaching in mind. It housed a vocational continuation school and a home economics school, and later served as the town hall of the Ruda municipality.

What the permanent exhibition shows

The exhibition “Time is Money. A History of Civilisation and Economics through the Example of Ruda Śląska” occupies two floors and eight themed rooms. It leads from the medieval beginnings of settlement, through successive eras, to the present day.

It is a multimedia exhibition with interactive elements such as economic games and quizzes. The museum assures visitors that the multimedia is there to comment on and illustrate the exhibits, not to replace them. Among the most valuable objects are listed archaeological finds from the Kochłowice stronghold site, minerals, mining stone, tools, banners, sculptures, postcards and photographs of the old town.

Individual visitors enter the permanent exhibition at set times, so before you come it is worth checking the museum's website. According to the website, admission to the permanent exhibition is free on Sundays.

Education, publications and the app

The museum runs museum lessons, workshops, history walks and outdoor games, and also prepares classes for school and nursery groups. Its idea is Rudzka mAPPka, an app with an interactive map of the town that leads to the main places in Ruda Śląska and offers outdoor games.

The museum publishes books about the region, including “Rudzki Rocznik Muzealny” and the “Historical Guide to Ruda Śląska” from 2019. It also runs a collection of souvenirs connected with Ruda Śląska and the surrounding area: it accepts photographs, diplomas, documents, items of clothing and elements of interior furnishings.

What else to see nearby

Ruda Śląska has other institutions of a similar profile nearby. The post-war period is shown by the Museum of the History of the Polish People's Republic in Ruda Śląska, less than 3 km away in a straight line. On the Zabrze side lie the Guido Historic Coal Mine and the Queen Louise Adit, a good complement to the industrial theme of the exhibition.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Wolności 26, 41-700 Ruda Śląska (Ruda district).
• The permanent exhibition is visited at set times, and organised groups register by telephone in advance. Check the current opening hours and rules on muzeum.rsl.pl.
• Contact details are on the museum's website.
• The exhibition is suited to visits by whole families, and even with nursery groups.