Upper Silesia (a common name of the industrial area in south-central Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, with the cities of Katowice, Gliwice, Chorzów, Bytom, Zabrze, Ruda Śląska, Rybnik and Tarnowskie Góry) – is a special place, full of monuments. But nobody comes here for rest. The most dominating features are coal mines, steelworks and heavy industry, which made the air here always heavy of metals and impurities, and houses covered with black dirt.
Typical features for the Upper Silesian landscape are heaps (slag and coal), mine hoisting towers, chimneys, industrial buildings and “familoki” – red brick houses for workers, built in the 19th century, whose window frames were painted in red (the colour of the paint used in the coal mines). In the 70s, the epoch of intensive industrialization of the country (which ultimately led Poland to the crisis), many flimsy blocks were built as Upper Silesia needed a lot of hands for work. Today, many industrial facilities fell into disrepair, a lot of coal mines changed its function, modern shopping malls and business centers were built, the air is cleaner, but the level of degradation of the natural environment remains high.
(More on Upper Silesia we will write soon.)
Pictures were made by prof. Adam Walanus (adamwalanus.pl).
THE INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE
Miechowice
Chorzów
Katowice
A heap…
Another one in Lędziny
Remains of the former metalurgy combinat “Wilhelmina”, Szopienice (Katowice)
Kochłowice (Ruda Śląska)
FAMILOKI AND MODERN BLOCKS
Painting by Dietmar Nowak
Nikiszowiec – suburbia designed in the beginning of the 20th century by Emil and Georg Zillmann
Nowy Bytom (Ruda Śląska)
Kochłowice (Ruda Śląska)
Szopienice (Katowice)
Chorzów
Katowice
THE OLD AND THE NEW ARCHITECTURE
Katowice
Sport and Show Arena “Sourcer” in Katowice (built in 1964 – 1971)
Katowice
NEW LIFE OF OLD OBJECTS
Shopping mall Silesia City Center in the ground of the coal mine “Gottwald”
Silesian Museum in the former coal mine “Katowice”;
its exhibition halls are placed underground, under the glass roof seen on the left
Well Wilson Gallery in a former coal mine “Wieczorek” (Katowice)
NEW UPPER SILESIA
A shopping centre Gallery “Katowice” in Katowice
The new railway station in Katowice, built on the site of the demolished (despite large protests) old one, referring to famous “cups” of the old building (a big proud of Poland)
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice / design by Tomasz konior; accoustic by Yasushisa Toyota, Nagata Acousticks
And it all started in the beginning of the 19th century from something like this:
Kochłowice (Ruda Śląska)
Silesian blues Sztajger (Coal foreman) performed by Jan “Kyks” Skrzek (in Silesian language)
Published: May 2, 2016