Bytom
Introduction
Bytom is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. It lies in the Silesian Voivodeship, just a short distance northwest of Katowice, the regional capital.
Before you go
Before you go, it helps to know that Bytom is a city shaped by industry rather than by a preserved old town. Its earliest days survive only as museum pieces and a few baroque church interiors, so arrive expecting a place that wears its history in fragments. From the 19th century onward, metal production and coal mining drove its growth, and this intensified in the 20th century. A long-established German-speaking population knew the city as Beuthen; in 1939 it was swiftly occupied by the Nazis, and in 1942 its Jewish people were transported to Auschwitz. After the war, the communists built more collieries and steelworks wherever they could, and the ground subsided as miners tunnelled beneath. Those industries collapsed in the late 20th century, leaving a vast brownfield area that is still trying to re-invent itself. Go with an interest in that layered, unfinished landscape rather than a checklist of monuments.Getting there
Most visitors reach Bytom through Katowice, the region's transport hub. Katowice-Pyrzowice airport (KTW) lies 24 km north of the city and offers domestic and European flights, holiday destinations around the Mediterranean and Red Sea, and connections to the Gulf States, but there is no direct transport onward to Bytom: take the local bus into Katowice and change there. Kraków John-Paul II Airport (KRK), 80 km east, has a far greater range of flights; from there, take the train or Bus 300 into Kraków and change for Katowice.
By rail, trains run roughly hourly from Katowice, taking about 30 minutes via Chorzów and continuing to Tarnowskie Góry, another 45 minutes; change in Katowice for other cities such as Kraków, Warsaw and Częstochowa. Trains from Gliwice run every couple of hours and take 16 minutes. Bytom railway station sits at the south edge of the historical centre, and with renovation dragging on you may find makeshift arrangements for tickets and other facilities. In summer, the GKW narrow-gauge railway runs between Bytom and Tarnowskie Góry. By road, from Kraków follow the A4 west to Katowice, then Highway 79 north through Chorzów; from Warsaw or Łódź follow the E75 south past Częstochowa, which becomes the A1 into Bytom; from Berlin or Poznań head for Wrocław, then the E40 southeast to Gliwice and the A1 north; from the Czech Republic join the A1 near Ostrava. Long-distance buses don't serve Bytom, so change in Katowice for local transport; the bus station is next to the railway station.
Getting around
Bytom sits within a dense metropolitan area, so getting around usually means combining local transport with connections through neighbouring cities such as Katowice, Chorzów, Gliwice and Tarnowskie Góry. The name to remember is ZTM, the transport combine that coordinates public transport for the whole metropolis. Trams and buses form the backbone of local travel, and tickets or passes are issued under the ZTM system, so buy them for the metropolitan network rather than for a single operator. Bus M3 shows how the network works: it runs from Katowice via Chorzów to Bytom in about 30 minutes and continues to Tarnowskie Góry, every 15 minutes during the day and hourly through the night.
Bytom's railway station sits at the south edge of the historical centre, which makes it a practical arrival point for exploring the old town on foot, though the station has been under lengthy renovation, so ticket offices and other facilities may be arranged in makeshift fashion. From Katowice, trains run roughly every hour and take about 30 minutes via Chorzów, continuing to Tarnowskie Góry in another 45 minutes or so; from Gliwice they run every couple of hours and take about 16 minutes. For longer journeys, change in Katowice for cities such as Kraków, Warsaw and Częstochowa. In summer, the GKW narrow-gauge railway runs between Bytom and Tarnowskie Góry as a scenic alternative. Long-distance buses do not serve Bytom directly, so coach arrivals should plan to change in Katowice and continue on local transport; Bytom's own bus station sits next to the railway station, making transfers between the two straightforward. Bytom has no airport of its own: from Katowice-Pyrzowice Airport, take the local bus into Katowice and change there, and from Kraków John-Paul II Airport, take the train or Bus 300 into Kraków, then change for Katowice and onward to Bytom.
Where to stay
Bytom's accommodation is small in scale, with a handful of places clustered around the centre and just to its north. For the most central base, look to Bristol Residence on Dworcowa, a pleasant small hotel that puts you within easy reach of the middle of town. Slightly further out, Seven Hotel on Feliksa Musialika offers a decent mid-price option north of the town centre.
- Bristol Residence, Dworcowa 16 — pleasant small hotel, the most central choice.
- Seven Hotel, Feliksa Musialika 7 — decent mid-price place north of the town centre.
- H33 Apartmenty, Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego 33 — clean serviced rooms with no reception, so pay heed to the access instructions.
Food & drink
Around Market Square you'll find Wagon Pizza, Włoska Robota Ristorante, Pizzeria Sycylia and W Lufcie, so the square is a convenient base for a meal while exploring the centre. Further out, the Agora shopping centre and the stretch of Dworcowa heading south towards the station are home to Li Long, Sapori Divini, Ważne Miejsce and Pod Czaplą.
For drinking, pubs cluster around Market Square. Warka at Rynek 26 is a microbrewery, making it a natural stop if you want to sample locally brewed beer in the heart of the old centre.
What to see and do
The market square, Rynek, is traffic-free and pleasant for a stroll, though its slabby buildings won't be mistaken for Kraków. In its midst stands "The Sleeping Lion", erected in 1873 to commemorate local people slain in the France-Prussian War; the statue was moved around during the 20th century, even spending time at the entrance to Warsaw Zoo, before returning in 2008. The Church of St Mary looms over the square's northwest corner, set back a little by a graveyard; it dates from the early 13th century, pre-dating the town, with a Gothic exterior and a mostly Baroque interior. A block southeast on Plac Klasztorny is the Church of St Vojtěch, originally a monastery church and dedicated to the saint known in the west as St Adalbert of Prague. East of the square, the Baroque Church of the Holy Ghost dates from 1721 and celebrates Tridentine Mass. For regional prehistory and history, head to the Upper Silesian Museum on Plac Sobieskiego. Industrial heritage is scattered across the city. The Szombierki Power Station is a vast early 20th-century complex with a sturdy clocktower, hall and chimneys, opened as a coal-fired station in 1920 and later converted to combined power and heat; it closed in 2011 and occasional guided tours visit, but don't wander in by yourself as it could collapse. The "Krystyna" Shaft is the derelict head tower and winding gear of the Szombierki coal mine, while most of the colliery site is now a retail park. Kolonia Zgorzelec, a grid of housing blocks built for steelworkers, is unkempt and falling derelict; Kolonia Bobrek, a grid of mine workers' apartments in sort-of-Art Nouveau style, is atmospheric but rough, so don't linger. Elsewhere, the neo-Gothic Holy Cross Church in Miechowice is buttressed because of mining subsidence, with Park Tiele-Wincklerów stretching west of it. You can take in a performance at the Silesian Opera, housed in a neo-classical building of 1901, catch a film at Cinema City in the Agora shopping centre, swim at the Bytom Sports Centre, or watch Polonia Bytom play soccer at the Edwarda Szymkowiaka Stadium; for top-tier games, head into Katowice. The city half marathon is held in mid-September.Three days in Bytom
Day one: Start in Bytom itself, the city at the heart of Upper Silesia in Poland, and get your bearings in the Silesian Voivodeship. It was known as Beuthen under German rule, and its story runs through the Nazis, the Jewish community, and Auschwitz, so give that history the time it deserves before you move on. From Bytom you can reach Katowice easily, and those arriving by air come in through Katowice's Pyrzowice airport, KTW, or Kraków John Paul II Airport, KRK.
Day two: Use Bytom as your base for the wider region. Buses and trains link it to Kraków, Chorzów, Tarnowskie Góry, Warsaw, Częstochowa and Gliwice, so you can shape the day around how far you want to go. Gliwice sits close by, and the GKW highway puts Berlin within reach if you are continuing west.
Day three: Slow down and take in the city's own character rather than rushing between stops. Most visitors pass through, but Bytom rewards those who stay. After your time here, go on to the European destinations that draw people onward, whether that means the Mediterranean, the Red Sea or the Gulf States.