Silesian Museum in Katowice () is a museum in the City of Katowice, Poland. History The museum was founded in 1929 by the Silesian Sejm, while the region was recovering from the Silesian Uprisings. In the XX century interbellum, the Silesian Museum in Katowice was one of the biggest museums in Poland. The Germans-Nazis however brought the collection to Bytom and tore the building down in 1940. In 1984 the museum was reinstated in the former Grand Hotel. In 2015 a new seat was opened on the site of the former Katowice coal mine (See article in German or article in Polish) founded by Carl Lazarus Henckel von Donnersmarck including old extant buildings, but the primary exhibition space is underground in what was the mine. Collection Permanent exhibitions cover: Upper Silesia over the course of history, presented in Polish, English, and German, and notably addressing sensitive issues such as the area's German cultural heritage and relationship with Germany – topics taboo under the Communist regime. Polish Art 1800–1945 Gallery of non-Professional Art Polish Art after 1945 On the trail of Tomek Wilmowski Sacred Art Silesian industry Laboratory of theatrical space Silesian industry in the arms production of the 19th–20th c. Artists on display Among the works of Polish art are remarkable examples portraits by Stanisław Wyspiański, paintings by Olga Boznańska, Henryk Rodakowski, Jan Matejko, Józef Chełmoński, Aleksander Gierymski, Jacek Malczewski, Leon Wyczółkowski, Józef Pankiewicz, Władysław Podkowiński, and Jan Stanisławski. Other artists on display from the original collection, returned from Bytom, are: Jan Cybis Henryk Derczynski Tadeusz Makowski Józef Mehoffer Piotr Michałowski Stanisław Witkiewicz Witold Wojtkiewicz More contemporary artists on display are: , Adam Marczyński, Andrzej Wróblewski, Tadeusz Kantor, Jerzy Nowosielski, Władysław Hasior, Zdzisław Beksiński, Lech Majewski, Zbigniew Libera, Natalia LL. Gallery References Works and publications Wojciech Janota: Katowice między wojnami. Miasto i jego sprawy 1922–1939. Łódź: Księży Młyn, 2010, s. 110, 111. . External links The Silesian Museum: The Architecture of Identity Museums established in 1929 Buildings and structures in Katowice Silesian culture Museums in Silesian Voivodeship History museums in Poland Art museums and galleries in Poland Printing press museums Military and war museums in Poland Registered museums in Poland Adaptive reuse of industrial structures in Poland Tourist attractions in Katowice