Ruda Śląska

Ruda Śląska is a city located in the south of Poland in the Silesian Voivodeship. This industrial city makes part of the Upper Silesian metropolis, centered around Katowice. It is Poland's biggest mining and industrial region.

Get in

Ruda Śląska borders Katowice, so long distance public transport is via that city. Katowice-Pyrzowice Airport (KTW ^IATA) is 36 km north of Ruda Śląska, take the airport bus into central Katowice and change.

Trains from Katowice run every 20 minutes and take 17 min via Chorzów, Świętochłowice and Ruda Chebzie; they continue west to Zabrze and Gliwice, another 12 min. These trains may start from Częstochowa or Dąbrowa Górnicza.

1 Ruda Śląska railway station is a simple unstaffed platform halt in the north of town. It has a ticket machine and that's all. Access to platforms is by a smelly passageway with steps and no ramp or elevator.

2 Ruda Chebzie railway station may be a more congenial place to get off. The station itself is just a halt, but the former station hall has been refurbished with cafes and a library. There's disabled access and trams outside run to Ruda Południowa in the centre of Ruda Śląska and on to Zabrze and Gliwice.

Long-distance buses don't serve Ruda Śląska. By road:

• from Kraków follow A4 / E40 west 80 km.
• from Wrocław follow A4 / E40 southeast 160 km.
• from the Czech Republic follow A1 past Ostrava into Poland, turning east on A4 / E40 near Gliwice.

Get around

ZTM Metropolia run almost all buses and trams across the 40-some cities of Upper Silesian Metropolis, which straddles the Czech border. They have a unified ticket system: see Katowice#Get around for ticket options and where to buy them.

Bus 130 runs from Katowice every 30 min to Ruda Śląska and its southern district of Halemba.

See

Old blast-furnace of Pokój Steelworks

• Church of St Joseph is at Piastowska 25, 400 m north of the railway station. It's neo-Romanesque, built 1902-04.
• 1 City Museum (Muzeum Miejskie im Maksymiliana Chroboka), Wolności 26, ☏ +48 32 248 4457. Tu-F 08:00-16:00, Su 13:00-18:00. Modern museum with exhibitions of local history. Visit by guided tour, which doesn't let you go at your own pace. It's named for Maksymilian Chrobok, a town bigwig; the building was initially a training school then the town hall. Adult 12 zł, conc or child 8 zł. (updated Apr 2024)
• 2 The Blast Furnace of The Pokój Steelworks (Wielki Piec Huty Pokój). The monumental structure of the out-of-operation blast furnace of the Pokój steelworks is one of a kind object in the entire Poland. As of 2023, it's impossible to visit it, but it is clearly visible from the street. (updated May 2023)
• 3 Church of St Paul the Apostle on Plac Jana Pawła II is a sturdy neo-Romanesque building of 1912.
• 4 Museum of the Polish People's Republic (Muzeum Historii Polski Ludowej), Zajęcza 42, ☏ +48 600 507 779. May-Sept W-Su 10:00-18:00. Exhibiting everyday life in communist Poland, 1945–1989. Adult 19 zł, conc or child 15 zł. (updated Apr 2024)
• 5 Church of St Mary Magdalene is redbrick neogothic, built in 1883. It's along E Kokota.

Do

Cinema

• 1 Cinema City - Ruda Śląska Plaza, ul. 1-go Maja 310. A modern multiplex type cinema with 8 screens. 
• 2 Patria Cinema (Kino Patria), Chorzowska 3 (right behind a bus stop Nowy Bytom Centrum). Patria is the oldest and the only studio cinema left in the city. It shows mostly Polish movies and small international ones. It's popular among local people. Normal: 18 PLN, Discounted: 16 PLN. (updated May 2023)

Drink

1 Druid Pub, Niedrunego 69 (entrance in the garden behind Culture Center, near the two bus and tram stops Nowy Bytom City Hall and Nowy Bytom Pokój Steelworks). Su-Th noon-11 PM; Fr and Sa noon- 2 AM. Druid Pub is one of if not the most famous and popular place in the city. Food and drinks are not expensive and high quality compare to the price. Also at summer pub hosts various of concerts including jazz, rock blues and more. Average price of food is around 25-35 PLN, Beer cost mostly around 8-10 PLN. (updated May 2023)

Sleep

• Adria, Wolności 1 (at Ruda Śląska station), ☏ +48 32 342 2046. Comfy hotel, some train noise. B&B double 250 zł. (updated Apr 2024)
• 1 Twój Hostel, Magazynowa 39, ☏ +48 32 248 1739. Simple hostel, usually clean, near Ruda Chebzie station. B&B double 120 zł. (updated Apr 2024)
• 2 Hostel Diament, Czarnoleśna 39, ☏ +48 603 202 020. Smart clean hostel south edge of town. B&B double 200 zł. (updated Apr 2024)

Connect

As of April 2024, Ruda Śląska and its approach roads have 5G from all Polish carriers.

Go next

Bytom, Zabrze and Chorzów are all neighbouring cities.