11 Most Exciting Things to Do in Nowa Huta – Soviet District

Nowa Huta, a neighborhood in the easternmost Krakow, is a one-of-a-kind and off-the-beaten-path area that was once considered the communist dream. Those who love Soviet artifacts, history, and architecture will love it here, as there are plenty of quirky and interesting things to do in Nowa Huta. 

This district is the youngest addition to the city limits, incorporated in 1951, but is entirely different from all the Krakow landmarks you see in the city center. Before, it was its own, centrally-planned Socialist city on the Vistula River. 

I stumbled upon the information on Nowa Huta a few years ago and was immediately hooked. Since then, I have included it on my Krakow itinerary when I’d return to Poland. 

As there is little information in English on Nowa Huta sightseeing, I decided to write up this ultimate guide and provide all the information you might need to craft a Nowa Huta self guided tour around the neighborhood. 

Why should you visit Nowa Huta?

Nowa Huta, literally translated as The New Steel Mill, is one of the most populated areas of Krakow city, with more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is also one of the world’s two cities, precisely planned and built from scratch in a socialist realism style. 

The local Soviet government initially created Nowa Huta Krakow in 1949, the first years under the communist regime, as a prototype of a communist city showcasing the power and superiority of the Soviet Union. It took the territories of three villages, Mogiła, Pleszów, and Krzesławice, to be the area of Nowa Huta. 

The district was constructed as a utopian and ideal socialist city for the working class. Therefore, urbanization and functionality were the main aspects of its design – wide streets prevent spreading fires, giant apartment blocks are symmetrical, and plenty of green spaces and trees lining up the avenues guarantee a healthier environment. 

Besides being the model of an idealistic city serving Soviet propaganda, it was also home to Vladimir Lenin Steelworks, a steel plant that opened in 1954. In less than 20 years, the factory became the largest in the whole country, manufacturing steel non-stop, 24/7, with tens of thousands of people working in the factory in three shifts. 

By the 1960s, Nowa Huta expanded rapidly with more and more giant buildings surrounding Plac Centralny, or Central Square. In the 1970s, the steelworks employed almost 40,000 people and produced approximately 6.7 million tons of steel annually. 

The reasoning behind building the Nowa Huta industrial city is still unclear. It is more likely ideological because, to be fully operational, the government transported coal from Silesia and iron ore from Ukraine. And since the demand for local steel was small, the product was shipped to other parts of the country. 

The communist authorities were so proud of the completed project that they presented it to the most distinguished guests, including Fidel Castro.

Another interesting fact why it is worth visiting Nowa Huta is that it has a system of around 250 underground shelters or bunkers built for people under residential blocks, schools, clinics, and other public buildings in case a missile and nuclear war broke out. 

Despite the local government’s efforts to keep it as an ideal city, Nowa Huta was a place of many protests organized by the Solidarity movement in the 1980s, ultimately contributing to the fall of communism in Poland. And the notion of the perfect socialist city was never fully realized. 

Today, Nowa Huta is emerging as one of the most visited places in Kraków. If you want to understand and know more about living in communist Poland, seeing Nowa Huta is one of the best things to do in Krakow for Soviet history and urbex lovers.  

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the streets of Nowa Huta, named after Vladimir Lenin and friends of the communist regime, were renamed to honor various religious and political public figures, as well as Polish World War II heroes, including Pope John Paul II and Władysław Anders. 

Plac Centralny, which once had a statue of Lenin, was renamed to Plac Centralny im. Ronalda Reagana, or Ronald Reagan Central Square, honoring the former US President.

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How to get to Nowa Huta from Krakow center

The Nowa Huta district, located only 8 km from the city center, is easy to get to with well-connected public transport. Trams No. 4 and 10 go directly from Teatr Słowackiego station in Krakow city center, taking around 25 minutes to reach Central Square in Nowa Huta. 

If you are starting the exploration of the district with the Steelworks administrative building, as explained below, you would need tram No.4 to get you to Kombinat, the last stop. 

11 Interesting Things to do in Nowa Huta

Nowa Huta district is quite extensive and offers a handful of attractions scattered across its neighborhood limits. This Nowa Huta itinerary is ideal for spending a full or half day in the area and learning more about its history and culture by wandering its streets on your own or taking a Nowa Huta tour. 

Visit the administration building and bunker of Steelworks

As mentioned above, Nowa Huta is home to one of the largest steel plants in the country, covering around 600 ha. Thanks to a local organization, Fundacja Promocji Nowej Huty, which aims to promote Nowa Huta as a tourist destination, you can join the tour and visit the most extravagant and hardly touched administration buildings of the former Vladimir Lenin Steelworks.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the factory was renamed to celebrate Polish scientist and engineer Tadeusz Sendzimir, and it still holds his name – Tadeusz Sendzimir Steelworks. The steel mill never stopped operation even though its capacity dropped, ultimately leading the Mittal Steel Company to purchase it in 2005.

Starting with the tour is one of the best things to do in Nowa Huta because your guide will explain the functionality of the buildings and their bunker and briefly introduce Polish history during the communist times. 

The access to the Steelworks is centered between two identical constructions that once were Administrative Buildings – the only accessible facilities of the Steelworks complex for tourists and only available through guided tours. There is no individual, self-guided walking, but the tour is worth every penny. 

The main administrative building is impressive, with its architecture drawing inspiration from the Vatican and Wawel Castle in Krakow. Unlike such grand Soviet-era buildings in Tskaltubo, it is basically untouched and still has many Soviet memorabilia, original furniture from the 1960s, and technical equipment that still works today. The reason is that steelworks management still used these buildings, somewhat preserving them in their original state. However, some rooms were remodeled; your guide will point them out. 

Walking through this building is like traveling back in time, where you feel the spirit of the old times, where directors proudly showed delegations around the steelworks and received guests from Eastern Block. 

The tour takes you through one of the biggest conference halls that still has most of its original furniture and gorgeous ceiling with a chandelier. The spiral staircases are also quite impressive, along with the CEO’s office with its private section. 

The engineer’s office has a map of the plant where you get a glimpse and an idea of how big it is. While I looked at it in awe, Mateusz, our guide, said that back in the day, there were 15 bus lines within the steelworks plant to transport workers to their designated workstations. Now it’s around seven. 

Once done with this building, the tour continues to the underground bunker between the two administrative buildings, used as a command center. As a side note, we also have a Soviet-era bunker in Tbilisi used for communication purposes in case of emergency. 

The bunker could hold around 50 people with a maximum capacity of 75. One of the most interesting rooms here is a commander’s room filled with dozens of telephones, maps, danger signals, and a weatherboard. From here, in crisis, the steelworks staff would coordinate all the plant and shelter activities.

The shelter also has telephone booths to ensure communication between the underground bunker and the world. To rest, the members had a separate room with three-story bunk beds. 

Besides having the electricity-powered air filtration system, it also had a feature that made it work manually by “riding” a bicycle in case the electricity failed. 

The tour lasts around two hours and is packed with exciting stories the Fundacja Promocji Nowej Huty members share with you. Book the tour here. 

In case you are interested in a guided tour of Nowa Huta, the foundation also offers a Nowa Huta tour with a vintage car.

Come back to Plac Centralny

Once finished with the tour, come back to the Plac Centralny, located 31 minutes walk or 8 min tram away. 

This enormous square is where five main streets spread from it. The original plans had a town hall at the northern end, but when Nowa Huta was incorporated into Krakow, the plans changed after 1956. The southern part was supposed to have a large theater, which was never completed either.

Peek inside the Nowa Huta Cultural Center 

South of the Plac Centralny stands an impressive Nowa Huta Cultural Center building that offers various activities, from concerts to workshops and exhibitions year-round. 

And if you are up for a small bite, Encek food trucks offer different foods. Our favorite was the Chebureki. 

Stroll through the Rose Avenue

Rose Avenue, or Aleja Róż, is one of the streets branching out of the Plac Centralny that was once designed for all kinds of processions and manifestations adorned with roses on its sides.

Walk along the promenade and admire the symmetrical architectural designs that show an exciting concept behind their creation.

Have lunch at a milk bar or Stylowa restaurant

Take a break from all the sightseeing to have lunch at either one of the milk bars or the oldest restaurant in Nowa Huta, Stylowa, which opened in 1956. The milk bar was closed on our visit, so we opted for Stylowa. 

Back then, it was one of the district’s most elegant and stylish first-class venues, where locals would come for dinner and dancing. Today, it is a remnant of the old times but a perfect place to experience a genuinely local lifestyle. 

The food was good, nothing too fancy or super delicious, but the atmosphere with archival photos and the vibe of communist times made it a worthwhile stop.

See the real tank parked on the streets

One of the free things to do in Nowa Huta is to walk to 23 Ignacego Mościckiego Street and find the Monument of IS-2 Tank. 

It was part of the 5th Heavy Tank Regiment of the Polish Second Army that was used in April 1945 in Poland and Czechoslovakia (today’s Czech Republic and Slovakia), destroying four armored vehicles, three artillery pieces, and two tanks. 

Learn about the Polish People’s Republic (PPL) at the Nowa Huta Museum

Located in the former Kino Światowid, Nowa Huta Museum offers a glimpse of how Poles lived during the Soviet era. With two exhibition spaces, one on the ground floor and one in the shelter, it is a great place to visit if you can’t go to the Steelworks tour. 

During our visit, the ground floor had a communist toy exhibition. It was fun to browse the stalls and see what children used to play with in another Soviet country other than mine. We found similar toys we also had in Georgia as kids back then. 

Honestly, the underground shelter was not as impressive as the one on the Steelworks tour. However, it documented well the Cold War and the Soviet propaganda with information boards on the walls, and a few items of that time were spread across a few rooms. 

• Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10 am to 5 pm; Closed on Mondays
• Entrance fee: adults – 16 PLN. FREE on Wednesdays. More info

Tour more underground shelters

As mentioned above, Nowa Huta is believed to have more than 250 underground bunkers built in the 1950s in case of air raid or nuclear war. While some are closed, others are turned into museums and open to the public. 

If you are up for another shelter, one of the things to do in Nowa Huta on your visit would be to also walk through the bunker under the Mechanical School Complex No. 3 at the Szkolny 37 estate known as Nowa Huta Underground, featuring an exhibition about dangers and the natural human urge to hide from danger.

• Opening hours: Wed-Sun 10 am to 5 pm; Closed on Mon and Tue
• Entrance fee: adults – 16 PLN; FREE on Wednesdays. More info

See the most unusual church 

As the socialist idea of a utopian community included atheism, churches were obviously excluded from this quickly built city. Nowa Huta was thought to be a city without God. However, its religious residents, primarily from villages, were not ready to relinquish their faith. 

They tried to make their opinion heard on various occasions, but the demonstrations in 1960 were the most significant, resulting in several people being arrested. 

After much support and pressure from future Pope John Paul II, The Ark of the Lord, the first church, was finally built between 1967 and 1977 by volunteers since the government didn’t support this. 

Inspired by the style of Notre-Dame du Haut, a Roman Catholic chapel in Ronchamp, France, is one of the most unusual ones I’ve ever seen. It has the shape of a boat to resemble Noah’s Ark from the outside. The 70-meter-tall cross dominating over the church also resembles a mast. Even though it’s symbolic, the cross is also a foundation of the frame. 

The church has seven doors, symbolizing the seven sacraments, while seven steps leading to the altar represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

A prominent, giant crucifix that towers over the chancel is a bold piece of art, showing Christ in a position of being nailed on a cross but also giving the feeling that he is about to fly into the heavens. 

Eight small bells hanging over the entrance are gifts from the Catholics of Belgium and the Netherlands and were named in honor of people who contributed to the church’s construction. They play popular church melodies every hour from 6 am to 9 pm. 

Enjoy a stroll along the Zalew Nowohucki Park

One of the best things to do in Nowa Huta as the sun sets is to have a relaxing stroll along the lake within the Zalew Nowohucki Park. 

It is especially magical in spring or summer, but it was pretty beautiful, covered in fall foliage when we visited in November. 

When thinking of Stalinist and socialist realist architecture, the first thought is typically grey buildings and a lot of concrete. Surprisingly, Nowa Huta is very green, with many parks and gardens, and wide streets make it look less “ugly” or “suffocating” than many other Soviet residential blocks I’ve been to. 

Zalew Nowohucki is an artificial lake covering 40 acres and surrounding green areas. On warm summer days, you can even kayak on the lake, enjoy an afternoon at its small beach, or do sports. 

Also, while walking around, pay attention to a small island within the lake that locals call Małpim Gajem or Monkey Grove. It is home to various species of flora and fauna. 

Have a drink at Klub Kombinator

If you are spending a whole day here and wonder what some of the things to do in Nowa Huta at night, a visit to Klub Kombinator is a must before heading back to the center. 

With an eclectic yet simple design, Klub Kombinator has dive bar vibes and is close to Zalew Nowohucki Park. The staff is friendly and helpful, while the prices are very reasonable. Come here to relax after all that sightseeing you’ve done, grab a cocktail or favorite beverage, and experience the local nightlife.

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