Every design for Mikołów

The town's name is traced to Mikołaj – Nicholas – and in 1222 a castellan called Andrew appeared on a ducal document as 'castellanus de Miculow', the first written trace of Mikołów. That makes it one of the oldest towns in Upper Silesia, a seat of local administration long before coal and industry reshaped the region around it.

The Kościół pw. Świętego Wojciecha i Matki Boskiej Śnieżnej stands at the heart of the old town; a church of St Wojciech here was first mentioned in 1266. A short walk away are the Duże Planty and Małe Planty, the town's green promenades, and the Tężnia solankowa, a graduation tower where people sit and breathe the salty air. The Muzeum w Mikołowie tells how, in the 19th century, this became a centre of Polish printing in Upper Silesia, after Tomasz Nowacki founded a Polish printing house in 1845.

Mikołów lies on the Silesian Highlands, on the Jamna stream, with Katowice to the east, Tychy to the south and forest on its edges. For anyone who grew up here, the map holds the walk across the Planty, the market square and the old church that meant you were nearly home.