Zabrze is an industrial city in the heart of Upper Silesia, and the main reason to visit is underground. The Guido Mine, a former coal mine turned museum, takes visitors 320 metres below the surface into tunnels where miners worked until 1996. It is one of the most impressive industrial heritage sites in Europe — the sheer scale of the underground chambers, some of which now host concerts and events, is hard to convey without seeing it.
Above ground, Zabrze is a working city without much tourist polish, but it has a few surprises: a handsome Wilhelmine-era theatre, a philharmonic hall, and the kind of honest, unpretentious food culture that the Silesian industrial belt does well — hearty, meat-heavy, and cheap. Górnik Zabrze, the local football club, is one of Poland's most storied teams and a match day is worth experiencing.