PTTK Regional Museum in Olkusz

The Antoni Minkiewicz PTTK Regional Museum is located at Rynek 20 in Olkusz, in a historic 16th-century townhouse known as Batorówka. According to legend King Stephen Báthory stayed there. The museum is run by the Olkusz branch of PTTK (Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society).

History of the museum

The museum was founded in 1911 on the initiative of activists of the Polish Sightseeing Society and operated until the outbreak of the Second World War, with a break in 1914-1916. The collections survived the occupation, entrusted to reliable people for safekeeping, and the museum was reopened in 1958. It moved into the townhouse on the Market Square in 1968 after renovation. Since 1989 its patron has been Antoni Minkiewicz, a mining engineer.

Collections

The exhibitions are divided into departments: mining, on the history of mining in the region; the history of Olkusz; ethnographic, with a collection of folk sacred art; and art, meaning paintings and sculpture. The museum also has a library of Olkusiana, 1,150 volumes about the former Olkusz county.

Next door

This is a separate institution from Underground Olkusz, a route in the cellars beneath the Market Square, about 100 metres from here.

Practical information

• Address: Rynek 20, Olkusz.
• Wikipedia gives opening hours from Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00-14:00; check them before your visit.