We would like to invite you to the Slaskie Voivodeship, also known as Silesia.

It is a region of interesting nature, of rich heritage and with an abundant cultural life. There is a warm welcome waiting for you in the varied scenery - ranging from the forested mountain ridges of the Beskid Slaski and the Beskid Zywiecki to the picturesque rocky formations of the Western Malopolska Upland, from the forest covered Raciborska Valley to the highly urbanised, buoyant conurbations around Katowice and Rybnik.

Throughout the ages, this region was the boundary of Silesia, Western Malopolska and northern Moravia, a meeting point of nations, cultures and religions. This brought about a unique mixture of cultural heritage, which can be seen today in the old fashioned wooden architecture and ambitious middle-class architecture of the 19th century, in the majestic fortified historic buildings and in the exquisite manor houses, as well as in the industrial buildings of old mines and steelworks.

It is the Slaskie Voivodeship where the "heart of nation" beats, represented by the icon of the Black Madonna. This is the most sacred and most important religious shrine for every Pole, located on the hill of Jasna Gora in Czestochowa. It was here where people went to search for spiritual consolation and for hope in wartime and during the periods of occupation, and it was here that people gave thanks for their deliverance.

The hospitable people and varied sightseeing opportunities will help to ensure that the visitor coming to the Slaskie Voivodeship will enjoy an unforgettable stay.
 

The varied past of Upper Silesian history led to the construction of tens of castles and palaces that played defensive or residential functions in the old days; today they have been turned into museums, various public institutions or are picturesque ruins.

The borderland character of the region is proved by the dozen of fortified castles on the Krakowsko-Czestochowska Upland, poetically known as the Eagles' Nest Route. There are also relics of 14th century castles of various princes from the Piast dynasty in Raciborz, Cieszyn and Gliwice, and castles in Bielsko-Biala, Toszek and Zywiec, all of which have survived until today. With time, the defensive character of these buildings disappeared and they became residential places.

Palaces and manor houses, numerous in the old days in the Slaskie Voivodeship, were designed to have the character of elegant residences. Built in the 18th and 19th century, they owed their splendour to the wealth of their industrialist owners. Some well known families that owned great estates include the Ballestrem, Donnersmarcks, Hapsburg, Hochberg, Hohenlohe, Raczynski, Schaffgotsch, Sulkowski and Tiele-Winkler families.

The best-preserved architectural monument is the palace and gardens of Prince Hochberg in Pszczyna, which today houses a museum. A spacious landscape park surrounds this baroque palace, reconstructed between 1870-1874 in the style of the French neo-renaissance. The palace complex also includes the classical Ludwikowka manor house called the Bazanciarnia palace, the period stables and grange houses, as well as the hunting lodge in Promnice, now functioning as a hotel.

One of the residential palaces of the Donnersmarck princes in Brynek today houses the Forestry Administration School and the palace of the Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen family in Koszecin is the seat of the Slask National Ensemble of Song and Dance. The Ballestrem Palace in Plawniowice has been turned into a retreat centre for the Diocese of Gliwice and another one, in Kochcice, has been adapted as a sanatorium.

Many castles and palaces have fallen in ruins, others now serve as museums (Bedzin, Bielsko-Biala, Gliwice, Pszczyna, Sosnowiec, Wodzislaw Slaski, and Zywiec), or as cultural or health-care centres (Krzyzanowice, Lubie, Rajcza, Rybna, and Wielowies). The former palaces in Chalupki, Promnice and Swierklaniec have been turned into hotels.
 

Because of the presence of the monastery complex of the Paulite order on Jasna Gora (Clear Mountain) in Czestochowa, the Slaskie Voivodeship is one of the most important centres of pilgrimage in Poland. The tradition of pilgrimages goes back to 1382, when prince Wladyslaw Opolczyk brought Paulinite monks from Hungary, and the holy icon of the Virgin Mary, known as Our Lady of Czestochowa or the Black Madonna, from Belz in the Ukraine. According to the legend, the icon was painted by Saint Luke, on a board of wood from the Holy table. However, the latest investigations have revealed that it is a Byzantine icon, painted between the 6th and the 8th centuries.

There are about 50 pilgrim routes leading to Czestochowa from all across Poland. Their length ranges from a few kilometres to a few hundred kilometres. Most of the pilgrims come for important religious feasts relating to the story of the Virgin Mary. It is estimated that Jasna Gora is visited annually by about 5 million pilgrims from all over the world and the biggest group is that known as the Warsaw Pilgrimage, which has been coming regularly to Jasna Gora since 1711. The visits of Pope John Paul II have also attracted millions of pilgrims.

The rich tradition of pilgrimage and its unflagging popularity has made Jasna Gora a unique religious and social phenomenon on a global scale. The spontaneity of this movement shows the unique position of Jasna Gora as a place of the defence of national values and as a cultural treasure.

In the same way as Jasna Gora has a spiritual meaning for the whole country, Piekary Slaskie is the "spiritual capital" of Upper Silesia. The tradition of pilgrims walking to the Holy Virgin of Piekary Slaskie has been cherished since the 17th century with a considerable revival in interest in the mid 19th century. This happened during the tenure of the parish-priest Alojzy Ficek who was a well-known pioneer of social Catholicism. Between 1971 and 1978 the leading priest of the male pilgrimages was cardinal Karol Wojtyla, who, later as Pope John Paul II, gifted the shrine of Piekary a stole and a golden rosary.

The list of religious shrines in the Slaskie Voivodeship is complemented with local or regional shrines in Katowice-Bogucice, Klobuck, Konczyce Wielkie, Mrzyglod, Mstow, Pszow, Rudy, Skoczow, Sw. Anna, Turza Slaska, and Zarki-Lesniow.
 

Visitors to the Slaskie Voivodeship may well find their interest drawn to the many buildings housing old technology. Upper Silesia became a well known European region at the turn of 18th and 19th centuries due to industrial development and the use of the then latest technical achievements such as the steam engine and coke fired blast furnace.

In Tarnowskie Gory there are two plants with old silver and zinc mining equipment; these are the Ancient Mine with it's open air museum of steam engines, and the Black Trout Adit. Old mining traditions are commemorated every year in September, during the Gwarek Festivities (the ancient word for 'miner'). In Zabrze old hard coal mine buildings and equipment can be seen in the Guido underground museum, in the Queen Louise museum and in the Hard Coal Museum. The Ignacy-Hoym museum now being set up in Rybnik is similar, but is connected to the mining of hard coal.

Old iron and steel metallurgy and the coke fired Royal Ironworks steelworks (the first on the European Continent) - now GZUT- is recognised with the Museum of Artistic Foundry Engineering,

Among the numerous technological monuments included in the register of buildings held by conservation bodies, the following should be mentioned: the complex of the ancient cement factory in Bedzin, the former power plant at the Bobrek steelworks in Bytom, the old Elzbieta shaft in Chorzow, the steam driven winding gears in the Bartosz shaft of the Katowice coal mine and in the Pulaski shaft in the Wieczorek coal mine in Katowice, the Press Museum in Pszczyna with its old printing shop, and the complex of the Warsaw-Vienna railway station in Sosnowiec-Maczki. Also of historical interest is the former radio broadcasting station mast in Gliwice - the site of nazi provocation shortly before the outbreak of World War II. It should be added here that Bielsko-Biala has two important buildings illustrating the history of the textile industry: the Weaver's House and the Museum of Technology and the Textile Industry.

There are also former workers' housing projects, closely related to industrial buildings and factories, built under the patronage of plant owners. The most historically valuable and well known are the two housing projects of Giszowiec and Nikiszowiec (now both located in the administration area of Katowice) but equally interesting housing projects may be found in Zabrze-Biskupice, Ruda Slaska, Knurow and Bytom.
 

The diversity of surface features and habitat have helped to create a natural environment rich in particular species; their most important locations are protected as landscape parks, reservations, ecological areas and natural monuments.

The group of landscape parks within the borders of the Slaskie Voivodeship includes eight parks.

The most interesting and the most environmentally valuable parts of the Beskidy Zachodnie are protected within three parks: the Zywiecki Landscape Park, the Beskid Slaski Landscape Park and the Beskid Maly Landscape Park. The most interesting parts of the Krakowsko-Czestochowska Upland are protected by the Eagles' Nest Landscape Park and the Stawki Landscape Park. The Upper Liswarta Forest Landscape Park is situated in the northern, wooded part of the Voivodeship, together with part of the Zaleczanski Landscape Park. The woodlands in the vicinity of Raciborz are protected within the Cistercian Landscape of Rudy Wielkie Landscape Park together with the many ponds and watercourses shaped throughout centuries by the Cistercian monks

There are 59 nature reserves established till now in the Voivodeship, protecting the whole natural wealth of animated and inanimate nature.

In spite of centuries of human activity, of adverse impact for nature, the plant world in the Slaskie Voivodeship is represented by more than 1500 species of higher plants (vascular plants) accounting for about 50% of the species which constitute Polish flora. The fauna in the Slaskie Voivodeship is represented by various species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, some species of fish and numerous species of invertebrates. Among mammals, we can encounter bisons, brown bear (several can be found in the Beskid Zywiecki), roe deer, deer and wild boars, along with many predatory mammals and rodents. Among the latter, there are more and more beavers in the Voivodeship. One of the peculiarities of the region is the occurrence of herds of fallow deer and one of only two Polish populations of Asian deer called Sika. Another interesting and peculiar phenomenon is the over-wintering of bats from all over Europe in the Jurassic caves of the Czestochowa Uplands.
 

Almost everywhere, in the varied landscape of the Voivodeship, we can find old wooden churches. Most of them have not changed throughout centuries and together with their wooded environment have become a dominant feature in the rural landscape. The greatest number of these preserved churches in Poland can be found in the Slaskie Voivodeship - about seventy. They are particularly concentrated in several communities such as Gliwice, Lubliniec, Pszczyna, Rybnik and in the foothills of the Beskid Slaski, in the region of Bielsko-Biala, Cieszyn and Zywiec. The wooden churches are a delight to everyone who is sensitive to beauty, with their aesthetic and yet simple shape, with the picturesque surface quality of the walls' construction materials, made of larch, pine or fir wood, together with the shingle roofs that cover particular parts of their structure. At the beginning of 20th century, some unused churches were moved from their original location to parks in big cities (Bytom, Gliwice, Chorzow, and Katowice). Such churches may be found today in Katowice (St. Michael Archangel church of 1510, moved from Syrynia in 1938) and in Chorzow (St. Laurence church of 1559, moved from Knurow in 1935). There is also a wooden church in the Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzow (St. Joseph Church of 1791, moved from Nieboczowy). Roadside shrines and statues of saints are also inseparable elements of the landscape.
 

Tourist leisure activities are today proving to be more and more popular and the Slaskie Voivodeship has all the features that meet the expectations of the so minded tourist.

Hikers have more than 4,200 km of marked tourist routes at their disposal. A web of tourist routes in the Beskid Slaski, Beskid Zywiecki and Beskid Maly mountain ranges link many mountain chalets and shelters whose tradition goes back to the beginning of tourism in the 19th century. The region of the Krakowsko-Czestochowska Upland is equally attractive with its dozen lowland routes and the most popular one known as the Eagles Nest Route, which links most picturesque ruins of fortified castles and groups of fantastically shaped limestone formations.

The same routes are more and more frequently used by cyclists. A few dozen kilometres of bicycle lanes have been already designated in the most attractive regions of the Voivodeship.

About 200 kilometres of ski routes in the Beskid Slaski, Beskid Zywiecki and Beskid Maly have been created for cross-country skiing. Downhill skiing and snowboarding can be practised on several hundred ski slopes, some of which are floodlit and have artificial snow. In the winter season, about 150 ski lifts are available and three cable railways are in operation; one cable car (to Szyndzielnia) and two chairlifts (to Skrzyczne and Czantoria).

The most popular winter sports centre is Szczyrk. Here there are more than 60 kilometres of downhill slopes, some of them certified by the F.I.S. Equally good conditions for skiing are to be found in Korbielow (the second one - after Szczyrk - winter sport centre), Brenna, Istebna and Wisla.

Both in the Beskidy and in other regions of the Slaskie Voivodeship, cross-country skiing is popular. Great wooded areas are used for this purpose, as is the Krakowsko-Czestochowska Upland, where there is a ski slope and ski lift in Morsko.

In the Slaskie Voivodeship, there are a dozen or so rivers and lakes which serve as recreational areas and for sailing. Most of them are man-made lakes but there are also a few lakes created in former sandpits, the sand being used as backfilling materials in coalmines. These lakes include Dzierzno, Plawniowice, Sosina, Naklo-Chechlo, and Rogoznik. Among the biggest areas of water suitable for sailing is the group of three artificial lakes on the Sola river; these are the Zywieckie, Miedzybrodzkie and Czarnieckie, the three Pogoria lakes in Dabrowa Gornicza, the Poraj and Blachownia lakes near Czestochowa and the Plawniowickie lake near Gliwice. Canoeing is possible on some sections of the bigger rivers in the Voivodeship, the most suitable for this purpose are the Warta, Pilica, Liswarta and Biala Przemsza.

The specific landforms of the Krakowsko-Czestochowska Upland, numerous outcrops, rock pillars and needles make this area particularly attractive for rock climbing. The most popular rock climbing areas are around Kroczyce, Podlesice, Rzedkowice, Wlodowice, Okiennik, Olsztyn, Podzamcze and Ryczow.

There are about 900 caves and rock-shelters on the Krakowsko-Czestochowska Upland, mostly found around Olsztyn, Zloty Potok, Podlesice and Smolen, frequently visited by speleogists.

One of the more and more popular active forms of recreation is horse riding. In the Slaskie Voivodeship, a few horse riding centres, like Pruchna-Ochaby, Trachy, Udorz and Zbroslawice have a long standing tradition but there are also a number of new smaller horse riding centres, such as in Katowice-Muchowiec, Chorzow, Bielsko-Biala, Czestochowa, Rybnik and Zabrze. Also, many agro-tourist farms in the Beskidy Mountains and on the Czestochowa Upland offer pony-trekking.

It is becoming common for the wandering tourist to see the canopies of hang-gliders and para-gliders in the sky. The most popular centres are on the mountains of Zar, Skrzyczne and Ochodzita in the Beskidy Mountains, as well as in the region of Olsztyn, Gora Siewierska and Klucze in the Krakowsko-Czestochowska Upland. Amateur pilots wanting to fly over Silesia can visit the light aircraft airfields in Katowice-Muchowiec, Rybnik-Gotartowice, Gliwice-Trynek, Aleksandrowice near Bielsko-Biala and Rudniki near Czestochowa. Finally, the Zar mountain near Porabka is the centre for gliding.
 

A rich and interesting regional cultural life stretches far beyond the boundaries of the Voivodeship, particularly in the sphere of music. The Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra has its centre in Katowice and music aficionados can attend concerts by the Philharmonic Orchestras in Katowice, Czestochowa and Zabrze. Other musical events that periodically take place during the year include The Upper Silesian Festival of Chamber Music (ARS CAMERALIS SILESIA SUPERIORIS), The International Festival of Religious Music (GAUDE MATER) in Czestochowa, The Polish Composers' Festival in Bielsko-Biala, The VIVA IL CANTO Music Festival in Cieszyn, The Grzegorz Fitelberg International Young Conductors Competition in Katowice, and The Adam Didur Opera Vocalists' Competition in Bytom. These musical events are supplemented with others such as the festival of religious music (GAUDE FEST) in Ustron, or popular music festivals, such as Rawa Blues, Metalmania, and Odjazdy, in Katowice.

The Silesian Opera Theatre has its headquarters in Bytom, whereas the Silesian Theatre is centred in Katowice, the Polish Theatre in Bielsko-Biala, the A.Mickiewicz Theatre in Czestochowa, a second theatre bearing the same name (A.Mickiewicz) in Cieszyn, and the Zaglebie Theatre is located in Sosnowiec. There are also some very popular puppet theatres and one of them, the Banialuka, organises prestigious international puppet theatre festivals.

Among the Silesian museums, the most important are the Silesian Museum in Katowice, together with the associated Centre of Polish Scenography and the complex of Jasna Gora museums in Czestochowa (the treasury, arsenal, and the 600 Years Museum). Many other museums play an important role in the cultural life of the region. These include the Archdiocese Museum in Katowice, the Regional Museum in Bielsko-Biala and the Czestochowa Museum, as well as such unique museums as the Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze, the Central Fire-fighting Museum in Myslowice or the Archaeological Reserve in Czestochowa.

The thriving cultural activity is exemplified by a vibrant circle of artists and photographers, who exhibit their work in the dozens of art galleries throughout the Voivodeship.
 

The Slaskie Voivodeship, which has evolved at the boundary of various nations and religions, has preserved vivid traditions of folk culture. In the villages of the Silesian and Zywiec Beskids we can spot traditional, wooden folk architecture and during religious celebrations the local population wear festive regional costumes.

In a few places old traditional handicraft is still cherished. In Koszrawa and Jelesnia wooden articles, particularly wooden toys, are produced. In Koniakow people make renowned lace. Siewierz and Kozieglowy are known for their pottery.

The Tradition of carol singing at Christmas time is still common in Milowka and Kamesznica. Processions on horseback are held at Easter time in Pietrowice Wielkie and Bienkowice in the Raciborz region. The Folklore of Beskidy mountain folk and the Zaglebie Dabrowskie is preserved by numerous amateur folk ensembles and by the professional Katowice based Slask Song and Dance Ensemble. Former customs, habits, songs and dances are presented during various folklore festivities, such as the Zywieckie Wedding festival (held in January), Beskidy Culture Week (held in September), and the International Students' Folklore Festival, held every two years.

The most interesting examples of ethnographic features of the region have been assembled in the Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzow, in the open air Farm Museum in Pszczyna and in regional cottages in Istebna, Jaworzynka and Koniakow.

An inseparable element of the traditional folk culture is the regional way of cooking. It is cherished to the present day in many families and tourists may sample it in numerous inns and restaurants. For example, the cuisine of Beskidy mountain people is served at the Old Inn in Jelesnia and typical Upper Silesian food is served in inns in open-air ethnographic museums in Chorzow and Pszczyna.