Stand on the Rynek and look up: the Market Square sits at the heart of a medieval street plan laid out in the 14th century, with the grid of the old New Town still legible in the lanes running off it. Radom has been a royal city, a seat of tribunals and sejms, and an industrial and military centre, and its buildings show all of it at once.
The city suits travellers who are already in Poland and want a day or two of heritage architecture, museums and parks without the crowds of Kraków or Warsaw, and anyone interested in aviation, theatre or early music. It is also a straightforward stop for football followers and for families who prefer an open-air museum to a gallery.
This guide covers the sights and experiences worth your time in Radom, followed by a one-day plan and answers to the questions visitors ask most often.
Top things to do in Radom
1. Jacek Malczewski Museum
This museum on the Market Square takes its name from the painter Jacek Malczewski and is the city's principal art collection, housed in the old town centre. It is the natural first stop because it puts the art and history of Radom in context before you walk the streets around it.
Combine it with the Market Square itself and the surrounding tenement houses, since you are already in the middle of the preserved medieval layout. Contact details are listed as Rynek 11, +48 48 362 43 29.
2. Muzeum Sztuki Współczesnej
The Museum of Contemporary Arts, at Rynek 4/5, was established in 1990 and is described as the first museum in Poland dedicated to contemporary art. Its collection runs to over 3,500 exhibits, so allow real time rather than a quick pass.
Because it is also on the Market Square, pair it with the Jacek Malczewski Museum in a single old-town circuit. Telephone +48 48 362 25 50.
3. Bernardine Monastery
The Bernardine Monastery on ul. Żeromskiego is described as one of the most unique sights in Radom. It was founded in 1468 and is one of the oldest Bernardine monasteries in the world, which makes it the strongest single religious building to see in the city.
It sits on Żeromskiego Street, so you can walk on to the street's other buildings afterwards. Contact: +48 48 362 72 15.
4. St. John the Baptist Church
Founded in 1360 by King Casimir the Great, this is one of the oldest churches in Radom. The specific thing to look for inside is the 17th-century chapel founded by Jan Kochanowski.
It stands on ul. Rwańska 6, which lets you combine it with a walk along Rwańska Street. Telephone +48 48 362 38 06.
5. St. Wenceslaus Church
This is the oldest remaining building in the city, most likely built in 1216, and it stands on Plac Stare Miasto. If you want the deepest layer of Radom's history in one stop, this is it.
It is close to the old-town core, so visit it as part of the same walk as the Market Square. Telephone +48 48 362 68 51.
6. Muzeum Wsi Radomskiej
An open-air museum of the Radom region countryside on ul. Szydłowiecka 30, and the source material calls it a great place for a weekend visit. It is the best option if you are travelling with children or want a break from streets and churches.
Try to time your visit for one of the numerous events the museum organises. Telephone +48 48 332 92 81.
7. Holy Trinity Church
A Baroque church founded in 1678 and built by the architect Tylman van Gameren, on plac Kazimierza Wielkiego. The architect's name is the reason to seek it out if you follow Polish Baroque.
It is on the same square as the Third of May Constitution Square area, so it fits neatly into a walk through the centre.
8. Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral
The cathedral, also known as Kościół Mariacki, was built between 1898 and 1918 and stands on ul. Sienkiewicza 13. It is the city's main Catholic cathedral and worth seeing for its scale and its place on one of central Radom's principal streets.
Pair it with the rest of Sienkiewicza Street, including the Glogier Family House at number 12. Telephone +48 48 362 76 67.
9. St. Stanislaus Garrison Church
Built in 1902 as an Eastern Orthodox church, it now serves as a Roman-Catholic military church on plac Konstytucji 3 Maja. The change of use is what makes it interesting architecturally.
It stands on Third of May Constitution Square, so combine it with the square and the nearby Holy Trinity Church. Telephone +48 48 362 72 39.
10. Kościuszko Park
A city park bounded by Mickiewicza, Sienkiewicza, Słowackiego, Żeromskiego and 25 Czerwca streets. Its position between several of the streets already on this list makes it an easy pause between sights.
Use it as a break in the middle of a walking day, entering from whichever of the surrounding streets you are already on.
11. Old Garden
Established in 1820, this is the first public park in Radom, on ul. Mireckiego. It is worth the time for that fact alone if you are interested in how the city developed.
It is a short, calm addition to a central walk rather than a destination in itself.
12. Radomska Orkiestra Kameralna
The city's chamber orchestra performs at ul. Żeromskiego 53. An evening concert is one of the best ways to end a day in Radom.
Book ahead through +48 48 3620444, and note the same address hosts the shanty festival RAFA in the Sala Koncertowa Urzędu Miejskiego.
13. Teatr Powszechny im. Jana Kochanowskiego
The Jan Kochanowski Popular Theatre of Radom stands on Plac Jagielloński 15. It is also the venue for the International Gombrowicz Festival, a major theatre festival in Poland combining theatre, science, criticism, arts, music and film, organised biannually since 1993.
Check what is on before you travel; telephone +48 48 384 53 06 for the theatre and +48 48 386 52 67 for the festival.
14. Academic Art Gallery "Rogatka"
A gallery of the Faculty of Arts of the Technical University of Radom, on the corner of Malczewskiego and Kelles-Krauza streets. It occupies a 19th-century toll-house building where the entry to the city used to be.
Combine it with Resursa Obywatelska on ul. Malczewskiego 16, which is on the same street.
15. Mazowieckie Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej "Elektrownia"
A centre for contemporary art, temporarily moved to ul. Domagalskiego 5 while its location at ul. Kopernika 1 is under renovation. Telephone +48 48 383 60 77.
Because the address is temporary, confirm the current location before you set out.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start on the Market Square with the Jacek Malczewski Museum at Rynek 11 and the Muzeum Sztuki Współczesnej at Rynek 4/5, then walk to St. Wenceslaus Church on Plac Stare Miasto, the oldest remaining building in the city. Continue to St. John the Baptist Church on ul. Rwańska 6 and look for the 17th-century chapel founded by Jan Kochanowski.
Afternoon. Walk ul. Sienkiewicza to the Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral at number 13 and the Glogier Family House at number 12, then take in the Holy Trinity Church and St. Stanislaus Garrison Church around plac Kazimierza Wielkiego and plac Konstytucji 3 Maja. Pause in Kościuszko Park, and finish the afternoon at the Bernardine Monastery on ul. Żeromskiego, founded in 1468.
Evening. Stay on Żeromskiego Street: look for the Yoghurt Monument, then take in a performance by the Radomska Orkiestra Kameralna at ul. Żeromskiego 53, or a play at the Teatr Powszechny im. Jana Kochanowskiego on Plac Jagielloński 15.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Radom Air Show held?
It is a biannual air show at Sadków Airport and the largest such event in Poland. The last edition named in the source material was in August 2018, and the city's air show is held during the last weekend of August.
What events take place in Radom through the year?
Dni Radomia, the city's annual festivity, falls around the middle of June with concerts, performances and exhibitions. Kaziuki, celebrating the city's patron Saint Casimir the Jagiellon, takes place in early March with religious, sports and cultural events. The Nicolaus of Radom International Festival of Early Music is an annual festival in October, and the International Gombrowicz Festival is held biannually at the Teatr Powszechny im. Jana Kochanowskiego.
Where can I see a football match in Radom?
Radomiak Radom play in the Ekstraklasa, the top tier. Their home ground is Stadion im. Braci Czachorów, 2 km northwest of the town centre; during rebuilding, games sometimes move to Stadion Lekkoatletyczno-Piłkarski just south of the town centre.
Which parts of Radom are best for walking?
The Market Square and the surrounding old-town streets hold the preserved medieval layout and most of the heritage architecture. The named streets worth a walk are Moniuszki Street, Piłsudskiego Street, Rwańska Street and Żeromskiego Street, and the two squares to build a route around are the Market Square and Third of May Constitution Square.
Pick your dates around an event or a concert, note the addresses above, and start planning your trip to Radom.