The best city hikes and walks in Lasy Pszczyńskie

Monument to the Silesian Insurgent on Wolności Square. The historical heart of Tychy, hiding one of the region's most symbolic monuments. The first monument, designed by Wincenty Chorębalski, was erected here in 1930, commemorating the inhabitants of Tychy who died in the Silesian uprisings. Destroyed by the Germans in 1939, it was reconstructed in the 1950s by Augustyn Dyrda, and in 2007 it regained its original, dynamic shape of a bronze-cast youth. Wolności Square itself (the former old market of the Tychy region) is a great place for a short break on the route – it is surrounded by historic, intimate buildings and is located just a few hundred meters from the historic brewery. An excellent landmark and starting point for excursions tracing the history of Upper Silesia.

Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński Square in Tychy A vibrant, main cultural and social square of Nowe Tychy, designed in the 1950s by prominent urban planners Hanna and Kazimierz Wejchert. The central point of the square is an impressive dandelion-shaped fountain and modern, illuminated "Poetry Cubes" with engraved poems by the patron. The northern side is closed by the Andromeda Culture Passage (former legendary cinema), and the southern side by a characteristic house with turrets. Thanks to recent revitalization involving the removal of paving, the square has gained plenty of new greenery, shady trees, and planted rain gardens. It is an ideal, car-free spot for a break on your route, full of summer terraces of cafes and restaurants.

What is worth knowing and what to pay attention to? Lard foundations – the building stands on very marshy ground near the Tyski Stream. To strengthen the ground, workers drove oak piles into the earth and interleaved them... with thick layers of lard! Facade details – above the main entrance, the original date "1910" and the initials of the first owners: Jan and Wiktoria Drob are still visible. Metal anchors – looking at the walls, you can see decorative metal anchors that tie the structure together with the name of the contractor: Andre & Felldner. First of its kind in the city – it was the first mill in Tychy that did not require water energy to operate (previously, only water mills operated here). In the 1920s, it was modernized for electric drive. The object can only be admired from the outside (it is private property), but it is an excellent, atmospheric landmark in the historic part of Tychy.

It is worth stopping for a moment at Starokościelna Street 32 to see the raw, three-story structure of the former steam mill. It is a unique monument of industrial architecture, with an incredible engineering history associated with it.

The droplets splashing against the branches create an intense, humid microclimate around the graduation tower, rich in iodine, bromine, magnesium, and potassium, reminiscent of a sea breeze. Certified, Devonian thermal brine, which is brought directly from the Uzdrowisko Ustroń spa, is pumped into the graduation tower.

The German brine graduation tower is a massive wooden structure, 69 meters long and almost 7 meters high. Interestingly, its characteristic geometric shape directly refers to the form of the Tychy City Hall building. The walls of the structure are lined with blackthorn twigs, through which natural brine flows.

It's hard to find a native of Tychy who doesn't have a childhood photo on the back of one of these teddy bears. In 2018, the bears officially got their names (chosen by residents in a competition). The park itself is a clean, densely wooded square with a central fountain, which is perfect as a cool stop on hot afternoons.

The Tyska water tower (located in the area of Asnyka and Wojska Polskiego streets) is a post-war structure built in the 1950s. This chalice-shaped reinforced concrete structure no longer serves its original functions, and due to its unique character, it constitutes a distinctive landmark in the city's landscape. The tower has been inactive for many years and is also permanently closed to visitors. The facility is managed by PKP S.A. and is secured against access by third parties. It is not listed in the monuments register.