Katowice is located in southern Poland, this city was born in the 19th century in Upper Silesia, then owned by Prussia, on the orders of King Wilhelm I. Today Katowice is an industrial and commercial center of the country with many attractions.
Top 8 attractions in Katowice
We offer you a brief description of the monuments and attractions of Katowice with photos and look forward to your visit to this wonderful and hospitable city. What is there to see in Katowice?
Mariatica Church
This Catholic church was built in Katowice in the 1960s. The neo-Gothic temple was designed by the German architect A. Langer, although the local bishop was very fond of monumentalism.
As always, funding issues let us down, so we settled on a more modest German version. But the church was built of stone, and a tower more than 70 meters high was erected near its main building in the neo-Gothic style.
It is especially worth emphasizing the interior decoration of the Church of St. Mary’s. Many fine Polish and German artists of the time worked on it. Excellent stained glass windows and sculptures should also be noted.
Silesian Museum
This museum was established in the late 1920s at the initiative of the Society of the Silesian Land, which for many years collected cultural artifacts that appeared in Silesia. The museum functioned until World War II.
The first collection on public display told museum visitors about folk costumes, crafts, paintings, and church utensils of the peoples of Silesia. The second permanent exhibition was never opened.
During the Nazi occupation, the collection of the Silesian Museum was severely damaged, and after the war it was restored only in the 80s of the 20th century. Today there are more than 100,000 exhibits, paintings, photographs, posters, etc.
Adam Mickiewicz Street
This is one of the main streets in the city center, it was built in the second half of the 19th century. In the early 20th century, the city’s largest synagogue, which was later burned down by the Nazis, was built here.
Today there is an obelisk at the site of the destroyed synagogue, and the area around it has been turned into Synagogue Square. Mickiewicz Street got its present name in the early 1920s.
The most important novelties of the business appeared on this street: a Ford gas station, the first intercity train station, and a bookstore. There are also architectural monuments: the buildings of the National Bank, municipal baths, etc.
The Church of St. John the Baptist. of the Apostles Peter and Paul
In the second half of the 19th century Katowice grew rapidly, so at the end of the century it was decided to build a new Catholic church. At the same time, a competition was announced for the design of the church. The German architect Ebers won.
Construction of the church began in the late 19th century and was completed in the early 20th century. The altar and facade of the Catholic Church were decorated with stained glass windows, and statues of saints can be seen in the interiors.
Parachute tower
This tower, made of steel, is more than 30 meters high. It used to be used for training parachute jumps, today it is a historical monument, there are no more such towers in Poland.
On the eve of World War II, the local military leadership decided to begin preparing for war. In accordance with the design of the tower, it was possible to turn and jump depending on the direction and strength of the wind.
When the Germans attacked Katowice, Polish scouts armed with rifles were on this tower. Legend has it that they defended their hometown for a long time, until the Germans used artillery and eliminated the defense.
Villa Goldstein
This mansion was built in the 1970s in the neo-Renaissance style in the west of Katowice. It is also called the Palace of Industrialists. Who was the author of the architectural design of the palace – still do not know.
The facade of the mansion is richly decorated with stucco and sculptures in the ancient Greek style, its stairs are decorated with marble and sandstone. Before the war, the owners of the mansion were some of the richest people in town.
Later the palace housed the local Chamber of Commerce, then opened a movie theater, avant-garde theater, restaurant, and even the Polish equivalent of the Registry Office. Today the building is the property of the Katowice administration.
Museum of History
This museum tells about the history of Katowice, here you can see a collection of old photographs and documents, witnesses and creators of this history. The museum also has a large collection of paintings by modernist artists.
The idea to create a museum of Katowice history appeared in the 1970s. Most of the exhibits were provided by residents of the city. Here you can learn all about the city and the area, beginning with the end of the 13th century, see household items from different eras, etc.
Silesian Theater
It is the largest theater in Silesia, built as a German theater. It is located on the city market square. The “golden age” of theater falls on the postwar period, 40-50 years of the 20th century. He still takes part in the cultural life of Europe today.
The theater building in the neoclassical style was built in the early 20th century. Its facade has been rebuilt several times, and today it is decorated with bas-reliefs, sculptures, and so on. Before the war, Polish nationalist slogans were heard here.
But in the 1930s, the theater was closed due to financial problems. Then the planting of Polish culture and language continued there again. Mostly Polish classics were staged. After the war, this was the shelter of the Lviv Theater.
Video overview of sights in Katowice
Since the 19th century this city has been one of the centers of the Polish and German coal and steel industries. During the Nazi occupation, many historical and cultural monuments were destroyed and Jews were expelled. Today Katowice is a thriving tourist business, the number of tourists visiting the city annually is increasing markedly, and the service is approaching a European level of quality.
