Pszczyna - PKS - Buses and Buses - Transportation - Attractions.

Pszczyna is a city in the Silesian province with a population of about 25,000. The city's name is "Pless" in German. It was first mentioned in 1303, although a stronghold must have existed there earlier, guarding the trade route from Krakow to the Moravian Gate.

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Pszczyna has been ruled by various rulers over the centuries - until the 16th century the local lands belonged to the Piasts, while from 1517 they became part of the German Reich as the Pszczyna state. Of the various families, the Promnitz and Hochberg families had the greatest influence on the town and castle. Despite being officially part of Germany, the majority of Pszczyna's population was Polish, which was most significant during the Silesian uprisings of 1919-1921 and the Silesian plebiscite.

Pszczyna - city attractions

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What to see in the city called the pearl of Upper Silesia? There is much to choose from... Below are the most interesting sights and attractions of Pszczyna.

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Market in Pszczyna

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The market square, with a medieval urban layout, is surrounded by 18th and 19th century townhouses. One of the oldest, whose first floor still remembers 1658, houses the town hall. Right next door you can admire the neo-Baroque building of the Evangelical Augsburg Church. A distinctive point in the square is the bench of Princess Daisy, or the English aristocrat Maria Teresa Hochberg von Pless, who in 1891 married the owner of the Pszczyna castle, John Henry XV.

Pszczyna Castle Museum and Park

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The origins of the palace in Pszczyna date back to the 11th or 12th century, when the Piast princes established a watchtower and a hunting castle in this place. A brick castle existed in the city from the first half of the 15th century and since then, with the changes of its owners, it has undergone many different reconstructions. The last one took place between 1870 and 1876. The interiors largely have original furnishings and furniture belonging to its last inhabitants. While visiting the place, it is also worth going down to the basement, where there is an Armory with interesting exhibitions of European and Oriental weaponry.

The palace complex also includes beautiful ducal stables from the second half of the 19th century and the Gate of the Chosen, a castle guard building from 1687 with an entrance leading to the castle courtyard. The gate owes its name to the selection of its guards from among the peasants in the villages subordinate to the dukedom. The palace is surrounded by a historic park with a total area of 156 hectares, part of which is allocated to the Castle Park with its ponds, canals, historic buildings and diverse vegetation, and the rest to Zwierzyniec Park and Station Park. In Castle Park, the most popular is a small island with a 19th-century tea pavilion.

Show bison enclosure

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In 1865, Prince John Henry XI Hohenberg received 4 Bialowieza bison from Tsar Alexander for 20 deer. Over time, the breeding grew so that after World War I, even the Bialowieza herd was renewed thanks to it. Today, in the show enclosure, the bison can be observed from a viewing platform. In addition, fallow deer, mouflons, deer, roe deer, rabbits or peacocks also live there, and educational workshops and nature lessons for children are held there.

The Pszczyna Village Estate

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This open-air museum is located on the grounds of the Station Park. It consists of several 18th and 19th century wooden cottages and farm buildings from the area of Pszczyna and its surroundings.

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Church of All Saints and Our Lady of the Rosary in Pszczyna

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The first information about this most important temple in Pszczyna dates back to 1326. The current Late Baroque building from 1754 has been rebuilt several times over the past centuries. Inside, attention is especially drawn to the beautiful vaulting and chandeliers, as well as the 18th century altar. On the left is a painting of the Virgin Mary of the Pre-Awakening (Pszczyna).

Silesian Press Museum

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The Wojciech Korfanty Museum of the Silesian Press is located in a small building from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Between 1845 and 1846, the first newspaper in the Polish language in Upper Silesia - "Tygodnik Polski Poścony Włościanom" - was published in the city. The museum collects old printing presses, bookbinding equipment and a sizable collection of Polish newspapers. It also houses the original furnishings of Wojciech Korfanty's study and a collection of musical instruments from Upper Silesia.

Jewish cemetery in Pszczyna

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The cemetery was established in 1814. It was not destroyed during World War II, thanks to which more than 400 tombstones and a neo-Gothic pre-burial house can be seen there today.