Training program
The agenda is available here (updated: 2023-06-14).
Please download detailed program here (updated: 2023-06-14).
Technical program
Technical program is planned to enrich training program by industrial visits in companies and institutions related to smart public space and energy transition. Details will be published soon.
Polish Culture program
Dedicated program on Polish culture and national heritage will be included to the school. The aim of this part is to familiarize the audience with the basic achievements of Polish culture and to show the cultural heritage in terms of its universality and locality. Therefore, the phenomena closely related to the region and artists from Silesia, who participate in the production of nationwide culture, will also be indicated.
Social program
The social program assisting the school is an optional, self-organized part of the school, enabling participants to spend more effectively a free time allocated during the school program.
The first suggestion is related to three places included to the Silesian Route of Industrial Monuments (https://zabytkitechniki.pl/ in Polish):
- The Queen Louise Mine and Adit in Zabrze (https://zabytkitechniki.pl/culturalheritage/1703) the adit houses a structure that is absolutely unique in the scale of the entire European mining industry - a gallery entirely drilled in the coal bed, an underground transhipment port and the Poland's largest underground mining machinery park; additional attraction available in the adit is an over one kilometer long underground waterway.
- Guido Coal Mine in Zabrze (https://zabytkitechniki.pl/culturalheritage/15656): a tourist facility that is unique in Europe, where you can go underground on an original shoal and see with your own eyes what the work of miners looked like and still looks like. Nearly 5 km of tourist trails in post-mining corridors await tourists. During the tour, visitors will learn the techniques of mining and securing mines from the 19th century to the present day. One of the curiosities and attractions is covering a part of the route with an electric suspended railway - the only mining railway of this type in the world made available to tourists! If you still don't have enough, you will be interested in the fact that there is the lowest located pub in all of Europe! And all this is 320 meters below the streets of the city of Zabrze.
- Historic Silver Mine in Tarnowskie Góry (https://zabytkitechniki.pl/culturalheritage/1712): The site is inscribed to the UNESCO Heritage List. On the main, 40 m below ground level - there is an underground city - a labyrinth of corridors of the former mine of silver, lead and zinc ores "Fryderyk". The harsh conditions in the underground allow you to feel the atmosphere of former mining work. The trail resembles a triangle in shape and connects three former mining shafts: "Angel", "Żmija" and "God Bless". During the journey, tourists see mining faces carved in the rock, transport galleries of various heights and huge chambers built at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.
For full day trip on Sunday another three destinations are proposed for selection:
- Krakow Old Town and Wieliczka Silver Mine – both inscribed to the UNESCO Heritage List. Krakow is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River. The city dates back to the 7th century. Krakow was the official capital of Poland until 1596 and has traditionally been one of the leading centers of Polish academic, economic, cultural and artistic life. One of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The Wieliczka salt mine, excavated from the 13th century, produced table salt continuously until 2007, as one of the world's oldest operating salt mines. Throughout its history, the royal salt mine was operated by the Żupy Krakowskie (Kraków Salt Mines) company. Its attractions include the shafts and labyrinthine passageways, displays of historic salt-mining technology, an underground lake, four chapels and numerous statues carved by miners out of the rock salt, and more recent sculptures by contemporary artists.
- Częstochowa – Jasna Góra Monastery and Olsztyn Castle Ruins: The Jasna Góra Monastery (Latin: Clarus Mons) in Częstochowa, is a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary and one of the country's places of pilgrimage. The image of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, also known as Our Lady of Częstochowa, to which miraculous powers are attributed, is one of Jasna Góra's most precious treasures. The site is one of Poland's official national Historic Monuments and is tracked by the National Heritage Board of Poland. Olsztyn Castle - castle ruins located in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, lying on the Trail of the Eagles' Nests – formerly protecting the southern border of the Kingdom of Poland. The ruins of the 14th-century castle are one of the biggest attractions of the area. The most impressive still standing part of the castle is a 35-metre round tower, built in the 13th century, which served as a prison.
- Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Pszczyna Castle: Auschwitz was the largest of the German Nazi concentration camps and extermination centers. Over 1.1 million people lost their lives here. All over the world, Auschwitz has become a symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust. It was established by Germans in 1940, in the suburbs of Oswiecim, a Polish city that was annexed to the Third Reich by the Nazis. Its name was changed to Auschwitz, which also became the name of Konzentrationslager Auschwitz. The museum contains two parts: Auschwitz I which was the main camp (Stammlager) and administrative headquarters of the camp complex and Auschwitz II – Birkenau a concentration and extermination camp with gas chambers. The visit to both parts takes about 4 hours. The second part of the day is devoted to visit Pszczyna Castle, which is a classical-style palace in the city of Pszczyna in southwestern Poland. Constructed as a castle in 13th century or earlier, in a Gothic architectural style, it was rebuilt in a Renaissance style in the 17th century. During the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, the exterior of the castle was partially changed into a Baroque-Classical style. In 2009 it was voted as one of the "Seven Architectural Wonders of the Silesian Voivodeship".
The last possibility to attend a social program is Tuesday afternoon, after the industrial visit to Neexter company. In the vicinity of the Nexteer the Tyskie Brewing Museum is located. It is also included to the Route of Industrial Monuments. Tyskie beer has been on sale since 1629. The brewery, then called "Fürstliche Brauerei in Tichau", produced three kinds of beer: mailings, yeast and tableware. Only the high quality beer was intended for sale, and the other two were a beer allowance drunk mainly by brewers and their families. Visitors can discover the fascinating history of Tyskie Browary Książęce and the incredibly strong multigenerational relationship between the local community and the Brewery and get a chance to admire historic photos of generations of brewers recreated on murals, including one of the biggest ones in Poland.
