Katowice

Katowice is the ideal centre for moving between two of the most visited places in Poland: the concentration camp of Auschwitz and the Monastery of the Black Madonna of Jasna Gora. We are in Upper Silesia, the most densely populated and urbanised region of Poland, where everything revolves around the metal works and coal mines.

 

At first sight, Katowice seems to have little to offer, but a visit to the urban centre is an interesting experience. Most of the urban architecture dates back to the Communist era, but there are several well preserved gems dating back to the nineteenth century. The most distinctive building in Katowice is the Spodek - literally “Flying Saucer” - so called because of its shape which is similar to the popular image of a UFO, a uniquely shaped construction and the venue for sporting, musical, cultural and commercial events.

 

The district of Nikiszowiec, which was built in 1908 for the miners who worked in the nearby coal mine, has a certain charm.  The mine, with its high chimneys, dominates the landscape, but you only have to lower your gaze to see that, alongside, stands a district filled with dark red-brick buildings (familoki) with contrasting bright red windows that lend a unique character to the scenery.
The landscape is surreal, and walking along the streets is like travelling back in time, because everything is as it was one hundred years ago, from the buildings to the street lamps, shop signs and the beautiful Baroque Church of St. Anne. 

The Silesian people’s strong bond with the mines is expressed by the repeated references to the culture of the region. Children are often told the tale of the good spirit of the miners, Skarbnik; sculptures are often made of coal; and during local festivals, wonderful entertainment is provided by the miners’ orchestras and women and children in traditional Silesian dress. In many mines, such as those of Bytom and Zabrze, guided tours are organised and include an underground descent.

 

Some 40 km from Katowice, in the city of Oswiecim, stands the concentration camp of Auschwitz, witness to the extermination of one and a half million people, mostly Jews. Today this place, a symbol of the most devastating genocide ever committed by man, houses the Holocaust Museum. The museum visit begins with a documentary film on the liberation of the camp (15 mins); it continues with a visit to certain sections of the prison, the gas chambers and crematorium, and it ends with a climb up the watch tower to get an overall view of the largest Nazi extermination camp.

 

 

The monastery of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa is approximately 40 km from Katowice and can be reached by bus, train or hire car. It consists of a basilica and is divided into many small areas. The basilica of the Holy Cross and Nativity of Mary is an excellent example of Baroque art. The polychrome of the vaulted ceiling of the presbytery and the main nave depict the story of the Holy Cross and the miracles performed through the Madonna of Jasna Gòra. The altar of St. Maximilian Kolbe, depicted with the uniform of the inmates of the extermination camps, is found in the basilica.

 

The chapel houses the miraculous image of the Black Madonna, who was supposedly painted by St. Luke on a cypress wood board that came from the house of the holy family. It is said to date back to 46 AD and was firstly transferred from Jerusalem and, after much difficulty, arrived in Poland.

 

Pilgrims began arriving around 1400, when a Gothic chapel was built. Between 1642 and 1644, a three-naved church was built alongside, in the style known as “Lublin baroque” (between mannerism and baroque). The building is today considered one of the most significant of the counter-reformation period. The sacred icon was later positioned on a Baroque altar of ebony and silver. The route leading to the Madonna is several tens of metres long, which many worshippers cover on their knees.

Text by Luca Lembi

Video: polska.travel
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