Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze

The Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze has its main seat in the historic building of the former county office from 1874 at 3 Maja 19. The institution is today larger than a single building, as it also includes the Guido Mine, the Queen Louise Adit and the Water Tower.

The building on 3 Maja Street

The museum’s seat is a brick building in the Neo-Renaissance style from 1874-1875, erected as an administrative building. It was built by the master mason Mateusz Kreiss, and in 1906 a northern part was added to a design by the Berlin architect Arnold Hartmann. The building was entered in the heritage register in 1993, and again in 2022.

Collections

The museum holds about 38,000 exhibits. The first exhibition took place on 4 December 1979, and the institution was officially established in January 1981. Its structure includes, among others, the Department of the History of Mining and Mining Technology, the Department of Mining Culture, the Department of Mechanical Processing and Coal Processing and the Cabinet of Geology and Palaeobotany, as well as an archive and a library.

The whole institution in Zabrze

In 2013 the museum was merged with the Guido Historic Coal Mine, so today several sites can be visited under one name. The descent into the Guido underground goes to levels 320 and 355 m. The museum’s website also lists the Queen Louise Adit with an underground boat trip, the Carnall zone with a historic steam engine and the Water Tower with the CARBONEUM exhibition. See the Guido Historic Coal Mine and the Water Tower in Zabrze.

Nearby is also the House of Music and Dance, and a little further the Municipal Botanical Garden.

Practical information

• Address of the seat: ul. 3 Maja 19, Zabrze.
• The museum is a cultural institution of the Silesian Voivodeship self-government, co-run by the city of Zabrze.
• Check opening hours and visiting rules for the individual sites at muzeumgornictwa.pl before your visit.