The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence ….
TRAMP Travelers Association decided on at neighborhood know and especially the historical monuments, that are located on the “doorstep”. Last year we visited the Mine Guido and Gliwice Radio Tower. This time we visited a complex of buildings housing estates of the workers in Nikiszowiec and Giszowiec.
Katowice Historical Museum has its headquarters in the building of the old laundryformer on Nikiszowiec, There we saw the exhibition of paintings by artists associated with the Janowski Group – including Teofil Ociepka and Ewald Gawlika.
We went to the furnished living quarters. We saw the old unit laundry and mangle. In each apartment around the estate had running water, electricity. In this former workers and officials flats it was also central heating.
We admired the festive women’s clothes: Silesia, Cieszyn and highland.
Then we went for a walk around Nikiszowiec, the estate was built 100 years ago for mine workers and their families. Housing estate designed by German architects still impresses with its unique atmosphere. The facades of red brick buildings differ from each other. Throughout the neighborhood there are no two the same access to the stairwell. Nikiszowiec is a compact urbanization with large, enclosed courtyards
Quite different buildings can be seen on Giszowiec. Here, nature prevails. Residential buildings are houses – twins in the gardens.
To this day, the old Giszowiec retains 30% of the buildings.Has been preserved old inn, now a restaurant “Pod Lipami”. In there , we ate a typical Silesian dinner – “wodzionka” and “karminadle”.
In the evening we went to the Silesian Theatre on the play “The fifth page of the World” by Kazimierz Kutz. In art, this shows the drama of Silesians, who often fought in the Wehrmacht, as an alternative to having to stay in Auschwitz. After the war Silesians were treated like Germany. Some chose so wandering around the world. Art had a big impression on us. Great actors of the Silesian Theatre, a modern set design and old familiar songs, it all brought closer to us the times in which our grandparents lived.
