CENTRAL MUSEUM OF FIREFIGHTING

In my home country (Georgia) a lot of little boys dream to become a firefighter. If you have had the same dream or you just wonder how the old firefighter trucks look like, and are interested in exhibitions about firefighting, you should visit a central museum of firefighting in Mysłowice.  Getting there is very easy from the center of Kawice. You only have to take buses number 76; 77;  or 149 and in 25 minutes you are there. Entrance is 6 zl, discount for student 5 zl.

In the Tourist Information Centre, they don’t have any kind of leaflet. They can offer an info, which is in industrial monuments route. In this guide book you can find information about all of the industrial monuments in whole Silesia. But, inside the museum, where you have to buy a ticket to get in, they have a brochure in English.  Official website is in Polish only ( www.cmp-muzeum.pl )

As I went there on a working day, there were not visitors and even personnel of museum was surprised when they saw me and asked if I really wanted to visit the museum. On the first floor a huge collection of   horse-drawn fire-pumps, mobile hand-driven fire pumps, and fire trucks is exhibited. Some of the trucks are even more than 150 years old. On the first floor, signs are in Polish, English and German languages, but on the second floor where a lot of firefighting exhibits and souvenirs are exhibited, signs are only in Polish, so it was very difficult for me to guess for what purpose were these items used. Exhibition, obviously, is very interesting and you will have a chance to see a lot of stuff that is connected to firefighting, but to be honest, I was expecting much more. First of all, I was disappointed because this museum did not use to be a fire station originally, and I wanted to see authentic building where firefighters were actually working, so that’s why it caused my disappointment. Besides that, it would be much more attractive for children and also for adults if there were more chances to be involved in this exhibition. 

Then I talked with a member of staff who was very helpful and friendly, and who was speaking in English and he explained to me a lot and he also told me that they are planning to translate signs in English and German as soon as they have time. As he told me now everybody is busy. For future, they are planning to have events, especially for children. This museum has a huge yard and I think it is a good place for family to go on a visit.