The Remembrance Museum of the Land of Oświęcim invites you to its fifth historical walking tour. This time, the tour will focus on the railway station and the surrounding buildings. The tour will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 5. Participation is free of charge.
It is difficult to overstate the importance of the railway to the history of Oświęcim. The opening of the first railway line in 1856, followed by two more, played a major role in the economic development of the city and surrounding communities. Because of its location near the border with Prussia, the town on the Soła River became an important transit point for emigrants and people leaving the country for seasonal work abroad. So many people were seeking to leave that, in 1915, the authorities decided to build the Barakowa Settlement, a complex of wooden and brick buildings designed to accommodate up to 12,000 people awaiting departure. Those leaving the country were to have access to facilities including a bathhouse, hospital, post and telegraph office, and theater.
During the tour, participants will see the halls where production of the “Oświęcim-Praga” automobile began in the late 1920s. They will also explore the infrastructure around the railway station, including the former “Zator” Hotel and the building that once housed Zofia Biesiadecka’s travel agency. Participants will learn how the station’s architecture changed over the decades, discover the history of the mosaic on the station building, and learn about the role played by the Oświęcim railway junction during Operation Vistula. The tour, led by licensed Oświęcim tour guide Piotr Tarczyński, will end at the second railway station building in Oświęcim.
Meeting point: Saturday, September 5, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., at the entrance to the railway station’s underground passage from the Brzezinka and OMAG side. The tour will last approximately two hours. Participation is free of charge.
Registration: 33 447 40 84, Places are limited.
