1938
A wooden church from Syrynia (1510) and a granary from Gołkowice (1688) were transferred to the Kosciuszko Park. These two historic buildings are considered the beginning of the Silesian open-air museum, which was initiated by Ph.D. Tadeusz Dobrowolski, the then Conservator of Monuments of the Province of Silesia, Director of the Silesian Museum in Katowice, and the well-deserved theorist and experienced practitioner in the field of modern Polish museums.
1952
At the General Assembly of the Silesian Section of the Polish Folk Association in Katowice there was issued a proposal to create a Silesian open-air museum in the Chorzów’s Culture and Leisure Park. Initially, the open-air museum was planned to be located in the north-eastern part of the Park. Eventually, the museum was built in its western part.
1953 – 1957
After a detailed penetration of the former Province of Katowice the museum’s experts surveyed 850 wooden buildings. From this number, they selected historic monuments eligible for the transfer and construction of the open-air exhibition, presenting the rural architecture of the region of Upper Silesia and Dąbrowa Basin.
1961 – 1963
M.A. Maria Suboczowa and Ph.D. Anzelm Gorywoda prepared the project of spatial management plan of the open-air museum.
1964
The first exhibits were transferred to the open-air museum: the windmill from Grzawa (1813) and the granary from Warszowice (18th century). Shortly thereafter construction works were discontinued for a period of 5 years.
1969 – 1975
Works related to the formation of terrain for peasant farms and freestanding buildings were performed, land was prepared for future fields and meadows, green belt was planted on the outskirts of the open-air museum, trees and shrubs were planted in the gardens and orchards; Three ponds and a watercourse necessary to run the mill and the fulling mill were built. Paths and roads were built and fire hydrants and electrical networks were installed.
May 5th, 1975
There was held a ceremonial opening of the Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzów. Thirty-three historic buildings representing rural architecture have been opened for visitors.
1995 – 1997
The church St. Joseph Workman from Nieboczów (1791) was transferred to the Museum. The church was moved twice: first to Kłococin in 1971 and finally to the Chorzów’s open-air museum in 1995. For this project, the Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park received the first prize in the provincial competition “The most important museum event of 1997”.
2002
The open-air museum in Chorzów was placed on the Silesian Wooden Architecture Route. The tourist track consists of five loops (Częstochowa, Gliwice, Rybnik, Pszczyna and Beskids). There are 71 towns and villages where you can visit individual historic monuments and complexes of historic buildings of wooden construction.
2003
Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzów presents 60 historic buildings of large and small architecture.
By 2009
The exhibition was expanded by: the freestanding bread oven from Landek, cottages from Łazy, Strzemieszyce, Ruda Śląska, Bykowina, Goleszów, Wapienica, barn from Istebna, windmill from Ustroń Nierodzim, granary from Bojanów, and the basement granary from Brenna.
By 2010
102 historic buildings of large and small architecture were built.
October 20th, 2010
The museum’s name has been changed from the Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park to the Museum “Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzów”.
