A new look at Katowice…
This time Travellers Association Tramp went for a trip to Katowice. The main aim of the trip was to visit Silesian Museum. The current seat of Silesian Museum is a modern underground exhibition hall and remain buildings of the former Kopalnia Katowice. In the museum, the most attractive exhibition was ‘The Light of History.- Upper Silesia over the Ages’. During the display we were acquinted with the history of Upper Silesia, especially with the tangled one of the beginning of 20th century. The display shows how significant and seemingly unimportant circumstances shaped our region and its residents. Not less interesting was the Gallery of Polish Art 1800-1945. The gallery, consisting of 250 paintings, includes examples of all significant trends in Polish painting. However, the most thrilling and emotional was the exhibition of visual art ‘An Eye for an Eye’ by Artur Żmijewski.
We have also seen a new seat of the NOSPR. A concert hall, built by Japanese and Polish specialists, is noted for its great acoustics. Unfortunately, the tickets for the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra are sold several months in advance and are quite difficult to purchase.
The icon of Katowice – Hala Widowiskowo-Sportowa Spodek , is a place of the major cultural events. The hall holds a maximum of 11 500 seats. Spodek, connected with the International Conference Centre by the underground passage, can provide service for events organised even for 30 000 spectators.
Going along Aleja Korfantego, we admired buildings built in 1970s, among othersSuperjednostka – one of the biggest block of flats in Poland. It consists of 780 flats.
We were very surprised seeing the market place. Not long ago a tram stop, now a modern square with fountains and benches. Renovated facades of Zenit and the Municipal Council buildings imparted a new modern character to the market square. After the exhausting sightseeing, we visited a restaurant called Kryształowa. A former patisserie – a place of worship, now is a cosy restaurant with the baroque design and crystal chandeliers. At present the restaurant serves traditional Silesian cuisine. However, most of the participants of the trip fondly remembered the pianist, whose performances added charm to social meetings over a small black coffee.
Our metropolis has changed for the better in the last decade. A city, dominated by heavy industry, has become a great cultural centre of the region thanks to new buildings built on the former industrial areas. We hope to take advantage of the new possibilities, which Katowice currently offers.
Information about the next planned trips organised by our association can be found on our website: www.sptramp.pl