Olkusz Travel Guide

Olkusz

Olkusz Travel Guide - a place in south eastern Poland in the province of Małopolska, 38 km east of the city of Katowice and is a district town with a population of about 37,500 as of 2006.

It has been part of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Malopolska, since 1 January 1999, having been previously situated within the Katowice Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998. It is the capital of Olkusz County.

Olkusz is located on the Baba river and the international road route, E40 about half way between Krakow and Dabrowa Gornicza. Olkusz is also on the main rail line connecting Upper Silesia and Zaglebie with Kielce.

Accommodation in Olkusz

You will find the full range of accommodation in this town from the most luxurious five star hotels with up to date and modern amenities to pensions (a type of guest house or boarding house) and rooms or apartments at very reasonable prices. Some of the larger towns and cities will also have hostels.

If you prefer to stay in a more rural location there are a number of “Agro” style of accommodation places on farms and in the countryside plus there may be camp sites nearby.

If you see something you like or wish to know more about please contact the accommodation directly as I do not take commission and I take the attitude that their own website will have more up to date details on what they offer than if I were to include it here.

If you wish to advertise your accommodation on Olkusz Travel Guide please contact me.

Activities in Olkusz

Poland is a country with a large variety of landscapes, a place where you can experience all four seasons. This provides the visitor with many opportunities for adventure and different activities, whether you enjoy the mountains, lakes, rivers or the beaches you will find something that suits you.

If you see something you like or wish to know more about please contact the activity provider directly as I do not take commission and I take the attitude that their own website will have more up to date details on what they offer than if I were to include it here.

What ever activity you run, if you wish to advertise your activity on Olkusz Travel Guide please let me know.

Attractions in Olkusz

Poland is a country with a large variety of attractions for the tourist to visit, a place where you can experience all sorts of places to see. This provides the visitor with many opportunities for learning about Polska, whether you enjoy the many monuments, historic churches or buildings, history of places, or more modern attractions, you will find something that suits you.

If you see something you like or wish to know more about please contact the attraction provider directly as I do not take commission and I take the attitude that their own website will have more up to date details on what they offer than if I were to include it here.

What ever attraction you run, if you wish to advertise your attraction on Olkusz Travel Guide please get in touch.

Geography of Olkusz

Olkusz is located on the Baba river and the international road route, E40 about half way bewteen Krakow and Dabrowa Gornicza. Olkusz is also on the main rail line connecting Upper Silesia and Zaglebie with Kielce.

History of Olkusz

The history of the city may be connected to the Phoenicians as it was and still is a mining area for lead and zinc ores.

In 1184, confirmed by preserved historical documents, the town was situated at the present location. Olkusz's original location was about 2.5 km west of the current city. It is unknown why the city was later moved but this may have been due to raiding parties burning down the original town. The first historical mention of the town is found in the commitment of Duke Boleslaw the Shy-Sandomierz and Cracow who in 1257, moving from the Poor Clares monastery Zawichostu the rocks, promised to pay for its maintenance.

King Casimir the Great in 1356 confirmed the towns scale of its political significance within Poland. Documents preserved in the second half of the fourteenth century show Olkusz was still developing as a centre of urban and industrial importance.

Museums in Olkusz

There are four museums in Olkusz.

Polska is full of history and the Polish are great lovers of knowledge of the past so you will find many museums in the country.

Poland has a long history and has been an important trading route that has been invaded by many different groups over the past 1,000 years. Museums are a great way to explore the nations history about the inhabitants of the land in the past, their lives and customs.

Some of the museums shown below may have an article about them here on David's Travel Guides. Follow the link for the article. For the rest, if you see something you like or wish to know more about please contact the museum directly as I take the attitude that their own website will have more up to date details on what they offer than if I were to include it here.

What ever museum you run, you can advertise it on Olkusz Travel Guide at no cost.

Places to Eat in Olkusz

There are many restaurants covering the usual pizza to those offering local Polish traditional and regional cuisine.

What Wikipeda says about Polish Cuisine

Polish cuisine (Polish: kuchnia polska) is a style of cooking and food preparation originating from Poland. It has evolved over the centuries due to historical circumstances. Polish national cuisine shares some similarities with other Central European and Eastern European traditions as well as French and Italian similarities. It is rich in meat, especially pork, chicken and beef (depending on the region) and winter vegetables (cabbage in the dish bigos), and spices.

It is also characteristic in its use of various kinds of noodles the most notable of which are kluski as well as cereals such as kasha (from the Polish word kasza). Generally speaking, Polish cuisine is hearty and uses a lot of cream and eggs. The traditional dishes are often demanding in preparation. Many Poles allow themselves a generous amount of time to serve and enjoy their festive meals, especially Christmas eve dinner (Wigilia) or Easter breakfast which could take a number of days to prepare in their entirety.

The Polish national dishes are bigos; pierogi; kielbasa; kotlet schabowy (type of breaded cutlet); gołąbki (type of cabbage roll); zrazy (type of roulade); roast (Polish: pieczeń); sour cucumber soup (Polish: zupa ogórkowa); mushroom soup, (Polish: zupa grzybowa) (quite different from the North American cream of mushroom); tomato soup (Polish: zupa pomidorowa); rosół (variety of meat broth); żurek (sour rye soup); flaki (variety of tripe soup); and barszcz among others.

If you see something you like or wish to know more about please contact the place to eat directly as I do not take commission and I take the attitude that their own website will have more up to date details on what they offer than if I were to include it here.

If you wish to advertise your place to eat on Olkusz Travel Guide please let me know.

Tourist Information in Olkusz

David's Travel Guides - This web site will eventually have tourist information on most of the places in Polska. Being a web site you will be able to access the information on most digital platforms, including your laptop, personal computer or a mobile phone.

Tourist organisations are welcome to contact me for details on how to display their information on Olkusz Travel Guide.

PTTK - Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society is a non-profit organisation that you will find in many places in Poland.

It is one of the oldest tourist societies in Europe and was was created by the merger of two societies: Polish Tatry Society (1873) and Polish Country Lovers Society (1906).

Official Tourist Information Centres in Poland are divided into 1*, 2*, 3* and 4* Certified and Non-Certified. All Certified Tourist Centres provide information in one or more foreign languages and have an expanded range of services as compared to the Non-Certified.

Transport in Olkusz

The Railway Station situated close to the coach station, about 1km from the city centre. There is a direct international connection between Zgorzelec on the German border and Medyka on the Russian border. Address: Street: Skladowa2, Olkusz 32-800; Telephone: +48 326431111.

There are two international airports within reach; John Paul II International Airport at Kraków and Katowice International Airport in Pyrzowice.

Here are some useful websites to help you find your way to this place.

Websites of Olkusz

If you have a website that is an official one linked to this town, or you administer a local community or an important trade site please contact me here at Olkusz Travel Guide as I may be interested in including it.