The Historic Silver Mine and the Black Trout Adit in Tarnowskie Góry are two separate sites which, in the digital product, had to start working as one coherent system. Despite its UNESCO World Heritage listing, this privately managed monument didn't have a website matching its rank: the old one was cluttered and dated. Our job was to bring order to that structure. We focused on cutting the information noise and designed a simple, usability-first interface that joins both sites into a single whole.
Culture & tourism
Historic Silver Mine – a website with online ticket sales
Information architecture and user flows, desktop and mobile UI design, website build and a deep integration with the external iKSORIS ticketing system.
Jerzy Koenigshaus Antonina Jasińska Piotr Sember
Context
The challenge
The main design challenge was building a coherent image for two places of a completely different character: an underground mine and a water adit. It took a well-thought-out information architecture that also categorises a rich programme of events. On the UX side the key was the integration with the iKSORIS ticketing system. We styled this external module to feel like a native part of the interface, so users never sense they've left the site and the purchase flow continues without a break.
The iKSORIS integration
We built the site on WordPress, so the editorial team works in a familiar, intuitive CMS. The key technical challenge was the ticketing system: the iKSORIS module runs on a dedicated subdomain, which usually costs visual coherence. We solved it with deep front-end styling of the sales panel, keeping the interface fully continuous. Users don't feel the change of environment, which prevents abandoned carts.
That intriguing contrast
The visual design of the Historic Silver Mine website is a considered evolution of the existing brick-and-black identity. Our goal was to liven up the message and give it a modern, entertaining tone without losing the gravity of the place. A palette of intense violet and deep plum, set against the traditional brick orange, builds an intriguing contrast; the darker, saturated colours carry the mysterious, underground mood of the mine. A dynamic broken-line motif ties it all together: a subtle geometric detail and a direct nod to the identity of Miasta Gwarków, the project's patron.
The result
The new architecture successfully joined the Historic Silver Mine and the Black Trout Adit into one ecosystem. Instead of competing for attention, the two sites became a complementary offer, which clearly raised the recognisability of the brand. A bold palette of saturated violet, deep plum and brick orange brought the message to life, pairing an entertaining tone with the mysterious mood of the underground. The key UX win, though, was the full iKSORIS integration: precise styling of the sales subdomain made it a visually inseparable part of the site, and the direct step from browsing to booking measurably lowered checkout abandonment.
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