Lakes
pond in a former sand pit in the Panewniki Forests with a bathing area after a 2023 revitalisation
Churches and monasteries
a Neo-Romanesque basilica from 1843-1861 with a Haas organ of 1862
a graduation tower in a park in the town centre, chosen by residents in a vote
Museums
municipal museum in the villa of a former mayor with exhibitions on the history of Mikołów
Churches and monasteries
wooden church from the 17th century moved from Przyszowice in 1939, on the Wooden Architecture Trail
Churches and monasteries
church from the mid-16th century with a 19th-century tower and Stations of the Cross from 1888
Churches and monasteries
oldest surviving church in the town, Gothic, with a font from the 15th century
red hiking trail through sites of the defence of Katowice in 1939, from Katowice to Chudów
Parks and nature
historic park by the Mikołów market square with a brine graduation tower, playground and gym
Parks and nature
18th-century landscape park of 13 ha with two ponds, a stream and erratic boulders
blue PTTK trail from Zabrze-Makoszowy to Tychy-Paprocany, about 61 km
Historic sites
Neo-Renaissance town hall of 1870-1872 whose mass resembles a castle
Cemeteries and monuments
18th-century cemetery with Hebrew and German gravestones and a monument to the victims of the death marches
Churches and monasteries
brick church from the 1930s, built as a theatre and sports hall of the Salvatorian monastery
Churches and monasteries
a neo-Gothic Evangelical church from 1861 designed by Friedrich August Stüler
Churches and monasteries
church from around 1500 with a crowned statue of Our Lady of Bujaków from around 1480
Churches and monasteries
a wooden church from the mid-18th century, with a single nave, a tower and a late Renaissance altar
Things to do in Mikołów: the Basilica of St Adalbert, the Planty parks with a brine tower and the Starganiec pond are a good start for a walk.
Mikołów lies next to Katowice, and its monuments are spread between the Market Square, the parks and former villages that are now districts. There are several churches from different eras, a few walking trails and places for a short break outdoors.
Start at the Market Square. On its western side stands the town hall, a Neo-Renaissance building from 1870-1872 that still houses the municipal office, and a few hundred metres away rises the Basilica of St Adalbert. On the way you can look into the museum in Mikołów.
The basilica is Neo-Romanesque, with three naves and two towers, built in 1843-1861. It has been a minor basilica since 2008, and the parish counts its 1862 organ among the largest historic instruments. The museum occupies the villa of a former mayor at Konstytucji 3 Maja 18 and shows the history of the town, including furniture and everyday objects. It is a good plan for a rainy day.
The town hall looks like a castle and has a place in the municipal register of monuments. It is best seen during a walk around the square, without planning a separate route.
For a walk choose the Planty. They are two connected parks in the centre, both free and both in the register of monuments. For a change, head to the water at Starganiec.
Małe Planty covers about 1.8 hectares and begins at the Market Square end with a playground. Further on is an outdoor gym, and beside it the brine tower, working since 2021. Residents chose it in the 2018 Civic Budget vote. It stands in the very centre yet is quiet, so it suits a rest for two or on your own. For how brine towers work across the region, read the article on brine towers and pump rooms in Silesia.
Duże Planty is an 18th-century landscape park of about thirteen hectares with ponds, the Aleksander stream and erratic boulders. The park used to be called Charlottenthal, and a stone carved with the names of its founder and his beloved recalls its beginnings. It was renovated in 2001.
Starganiec is a pond in a former sand pit right next to Katowice, on the edge of the Panewniki Forests. After a renovation in 2023 it has a public bathing area, and PTTK trails run nearby. In communist times the Baildon steelworks kept a leisure centre for its staff here; today the centre no longer belongs to it. More places that cost nothing are on the page for free places in Mikołów.
The oldest is the old church of St Adalbert and Our Lady of the Snows, a stone building from 1260-1270. Among later buildings, the Neo-Gothic St John's church and the basilica stand out, and beyond the centre there are several wooden churches.
The old church stands north of today's Market Square and is listed as Gothic. From the middle of the 16th century to the middle of the 17th it was used by Lutherans. St John's, on Karpeckiego Square, is a Neo-Gothic Lutheran church from 1860-1861, built of brick to a design by Friedrich August Stüler. It entered the register of monuments in 2006.
The Church of Our Lady Mother of the Saviour on Salwatorianów Square has a quite different story. The brick building from 1931-1933 began as a theatre and sports hall of the Salvatorian monastery and school, and today it is a parish church.
In the districts, three churches stand out. St Nicholas in Borowa Wieś, on Gliwicka street, is a wooden church moved from Przyszowice in 1937-1939 and a stop on the voivodeship's wooden architecture route. St Lawrence in Mokre is a brick church from the mid-16th century with a tower from 1863. The church in Paniowy, dedicated to Sts Peter and Paul, is a wooden building whose construction began in 1757.
In Bujaków stands St Nicholas's church from around 1500. It is the shrine of Our Lady of Bujaków, and behind the movable painting of the patron saint is a figure of Our Lady from around 1480. All the churches are gathered on the page for churches and monasteries in Mikołów, and architecture seen from outside on the page for architecture in Mikołów.
Two marked PTTK trails cross the town: the red Parachute Tower Heroes Trail and the blue Defenders of the Polish Border Trail. Both are free to walk and suit a stroll or a longer hike.
The Defenders of the Polish Border Trail is about 61 km long on the tourist map. It starts in Zabrze-Makoszowy, passes through Ruda Śląska, then Mikołów (Śmiłowice, Paniowy) and Bujaków, and ends in Tychy-Paprocany. The Parachute Tower Heroes Trail is about 39 km and leads from Katowice to Chudów through places connected with the defence of Katowice in September 1939. Along it are monuments and commemorative plaques, including some in the Panewniki Forests. Views from the ridges are collected in the list of scenic views in Mikołów.
The New Jewish Cemetery in Mikołów was probably founded in the 18th century, at the junction of Stara Droga and Konstytucji 3 Maja streets. It covers half a hectare, or one hectare according to other sources, and is in the register of monuments. The oldest surviving gravestone dates from 1726, and the cemetery was enlarged in 1828. Jews from Mikołów and nearby places, including Pszczyna and Żory, were buried here. More than three hundred gravestones survive, along with a monument to victims of the death marches. This is a place of remembrance, so quiet and respect are expected.
What happened to Jewish cemeteries across the region is told in the text on Jewish cemeteries in Pszczyna, Żory, Mikołów, Rybnik and Racibórz, and the fighting of September 1939 in the text September 1939 in Upper Silesia: Wyry, Mikołów and the defence of Katowice.
A day is enough to walk the centre: the Market Square with the town hall, the Basilica of St Adalbert, the museum and the Planty parks with the brine tower. If time remains, go to Starganiec or to one of the wooden churches in the districts.
Yes, it stands in Małe Planty, a park in the town centre next to the historic Market Square. It has worked since 2021, and an outdoor gym and a playground are beside it.
Starganiec has a public bathing area, opened after the 2023 renovation. The pond lies at the border with Katowice, on the edge of the Panewniki Forests.
The wooden ones are St Nicholas in Borowa Wieś, moved from Przyszowice, and the church of Sts Peter and Paul in Paniowy. The first is a stop on the wooden architecture route.
Closest to the Market Square is the museum in the villa of a former mayor, with the basilica and other churches nearby. Viewing churches does not depend on good weather.
