What to see as a tourist

Just a few ideas on what to see in the Upper Silesia region:

* Palmiarnia (Palm House) in Gliwice - a 2000 sq m bit of jungle in the middle of Gliwice. The air is fantastic to breath there, and 

* Sztolnia Czarnego Pstrąga (Black Trout Adit) in Tarnowskie Góry - a silver mine shaft travelled by boats 600 meters underground. A great experience for all but claustrophobes.

* Guido Mine and Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze - a well-preserved XIX-century coal mine you can get down to and explore using an elevator (there are two main levels available: 170 and 320 meters down). You can even grab a nice cold beer downstairs (yes, there's a pub).

* Nikiszowiec - a picturesque post-industrial settlement in Katowice.

* Sport and Show Arena 'Saurcer' in Katowice - while it literally looks like a flying saucer, it is probably not extraterrestrial in origin and hosts concerts, sports games, trade shows, and all sorts of hobby events regularly.

* Industrial / post-industrial landscapes of hałdy (heaps of mining waste) and familoki (traditional housing units for miners' families) all over the place. There is also a bunch medieval castles and ex-noble palaces and residences open for tourists (some have been turned into hotels).

* Jasna Góra Sanctuary in Częstochowa. While in the same voivodship (administrative region), Częstochowa is not really a part of historic Upper Silesia. The Sanctuary, famously defended from the Swedes in the 1600s, is worth visiting nonetheless.