Silesian Park ( pl, Park Śląski) is a recreation complex in the center of the
Upper-Silesian Metropolis in
Chorzów in
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, locate ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
.
Silesian Park is managed by WPKiW
S.A.
The area of the park is 620
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...
s, twice as large as the Central Park in New York. Until 2012, the park was known under its formal name of "General Jerzy Ziętek
Voivodeship
A voivodeship is the area administered by a voivode (Governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in western medieval ...
Park of Culture and Recreation" (, abbreviated ), named after
Jerzy Ziętek
Jerzy Jan Antoni Ziętek (10 June 1901 in Gleiwitz – 20 November 1985 in Katowice, Upper Silesia) was a Polish politician and general. A Silesian Insurrectionist in his youth, during the Second World War he joined the Polish armed forces in ...
, a Silesian politician who headed the 1950s initiative to create this park.
It restored an industrially devastated piece of land in the middle of a highly urbanized area. As a result of the exchange of land during the construction of the Millennium district in Katowice in 1990s, the Silesian Park is entirely located within the administrative boundaries of Chorzów. However, it does not belong to any of its districts which emphasizes its regional character.
History
One of the main initiators of the creation of the park was General Jerzy Ziętek. The decision to build this largest ecological investment in Upper Silesia was made in 1950 at a meeting of the Provincial National Council in Katowice. The investment area included 75% of devastated post-industrial areas: heaps, post-mining waste, poor shafts, sinkholes, swamps, landfills, as well as agricultural wastelands with an area of about 640 ha on the territory of
Chorzów and
Katowice. Due to the low usefulness of local acidic podzolic soils, 3.5 million m³ of land was brought to the area of the current park and 0.5 million m³ of humus soils and peat were transported.
Construction began in July 1951. It was carried out in large part through social deeds. Monetary donations were also collected. The basic assumption that guided the design of the park by the team of architects was to divide it into two zones using the existing topographic system. The central part of the park was designed as a forest area, crossed by a network of roads, alleys and pedestrian routes to promote silence, passive rest and active physical recreation. The remaining part of the park, about 13 ha in total, was designed as cultural and recreational areas and areas conducive to active recreation, where additional attractions were to be built and festivities were to be organized.
In the 1950s and 1960s, further investments were carried out in the park: a stadium, a zoo, an amusement park and a planetarium. In 1957, a more than 5-kilometer
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
railway route was launched, and in 1967 – the "Elka" cable car. In 1966, the "Fala" swimming pool was put into use, and in 1968 the "Kapelusz" exhibition hall was opened. In 1975, the Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park was created, and in 2007 the Rope Park "Palenisko" was created.
In 2013, at Klonowa Avenue, Chorzów-Park sanitary helipad was put into operation.
Points of interest
In addition to the extensive green area, the following are located in the park:
*
Silesian Stadium Silesian as an adjective can mean anything from or related to Silesia. As a noun, it refers to an article, item, or person of or from Silesia.
Silesian may also refer to:
People and languages
*Silesians, inhabitants of Silesia, either a West Sla ...
– multifunctional sports stadium, once home to
Polish national football team
The Poland national football team ( pl, Reprezentacja Polski w piłce nożnej) has represented Poland in men's international tournaments football competitions since their first match in 1921. The team is controlled by the Polish Football Assoc ...
. Reconstructed in 2017 for a total cost of c. 155 million
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...
*"Elka" cable car – consisting of three triangular lines between 1967 and 2007; new line is in operation since 2013, and a second line is in construction, with third in future plans to revive the triangular aspect.
*
Silesian Zoological Garden
Silesian Zoological Garden ( pl, Śląski Ogród Zoologiczny) is a zoological garden in Poland. It was founded in 1954 and is situated in the Katowice and Chorzów districts of Silesia. It covers over 47.6 ha within the Silesian Central Park.
T ...
– opened in 1954
*
Silesian Planetarium
The Silesian Planetarium also Silesian Planetarium and Astronomical Observatory ( pl, Planetarium Śląskie pl, Śląskie Planetarium i Obserwatorium Astronomiczne) is the largest and oldest planetarium in Poland. It was founded on 4 December 1 ...
*
Silesian Amusement Park
Legendia (a.k.a. Silesian Amusement Park, pl, Śląskie Wesołe Miasteczko) is a permanent amusement park located within Silesian Park in the center of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, Silesia, Poland
Poland, officially the Repub ...
*
Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park
The Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park ( pl, Górnośląski Park Etnograficzny) is an open-air museum in Chorzów, Poland. It is referred to as a , stemming from the first open-air museum of its kind, the Skansen in Stockholm, Sweden. The area of t ...
*
Katowice International Fair
Katowice International Fair ( pl, Międzynarodowe Targi Katowickie, MTK) was an international trade fair in Katowice and one of the largest in Poland (the largest being the Poznań International Fair). A few dozen events were organized there each ...
Grounds
* Stadium of
GKS Katowice
GKS Katowice (; GKS stands for , "Miners Sporting Club") is a Polish football club based in Katowice, Poland. The club currently plays in the I liga, after having won promotion in 2021.
History
In 1963 in Katowice a special organizational co ...
*
Shooting range
*a swimming-pool complex
*a water sports center
*tennis courts
*the rose garden
*The Technical Progress Centre
*a hotel complex, the
Polish Tourist' Society and the
Polish Scouts' Association district centers, restaurants, cafés and show pavilions where flower shows and other exhibits are held.
Gallery
File:Śląski Ogród Zoologiczny - kotlina dinozaurów.jpg, The Dinosaurs Valley in Silesian Zoological Garden (reconstructions of prehistoric reptiles)
File:WPKiW - 01.JPG
Image:WPKiW - Rzeźba 01.JPG, One of the many sculptures within Silesian Park
File:Kolejka chorzow.jpg
External links
Website ParkWebsite Silesian PlanetariumGallery (photo)
Annotations
Chorzów
Parks in Katowice
{{Silesian-geo-stub