Olkusz - Bazylika kolegiacka św. Andrzeja Apostoła

Olkusz already had city rights in 1299. The city was on the important trade route from Kraków to Wrocław (Via Regia). Ore mining led to prosperity. Olkusz was one of the few towns that had the legal system of the "Royal Free Mining Town" with its associated privilege, i.e. free exploration of ores ie search for ores without levy to the landowner. Miners, smelters, mine surveyors, silver, ore and metal dealers from many regions met here.

At the end of the 13th century, some Jewish merchants were already living in the village. A synagogue was built in the mid-16th century. At the end of the 17th century, the city had lost its former splendor. Famines, excessive ore mining, fires, and the war against the Swedes (Deluge) caused this.

The Collegiate Basilica of St. Andrew the Apostle is a Gothic hall church built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries.

Century. In 1596 the old church tower was replaced by a new one (63 m high). In 1864 the church was in danger of collapse and had to be closed. After a general renovation in 1866-1868, it was reopened, but the restoration of the interior and the giving of the neo-Gothic colors took several more years. In 1896 a fire broke out, causing great damage.

Not much remained of the interior splendor because during the Napoleonic wars the French had imprisoned here about 1500 Russian soldiers. These withstood the severe frost by burning everything that could be burned.