Giszowiec

Giszowiec (german: Gieschewald) belongs to the eastern quarters of Katowice in the Silesian Voivodship in Poland. About 18,600 inhabitants and a surface of 12 km² has the 1907 created colony.

1 situation
2 history
3 worth seeing
4 literature
5 External links

[edit] situation

Giszowiec is appropriate for approximately 7 km southeast the city center from Kattowitz and has the geographical coordinates 50° 14' N, 19° 04' O coordinates: 50° 14' N, 19° 04' O. That quarter becomes in the north of the motorway A4, as well as enclosed by the motorway E75 in the west, in the south and the east the close convenient city boundary forms a border to Mysłowice. The settlement lies somewhat off the other quarters and is surrounded by green areas and forest. The next quarters are southwest of Murcki 3 km, Janów and Nikiszowiec in the north, which lie however all beyond the motorways.

[edit] history

[edit] emergence

The colony Gieschewald does not have history going back far. The company "George of Gie inheriting", who possessed many mines in Upper Silesia, planned its own settlement for its work workers and employees, in the works of the neighbouring municipalities. The company name referred to George Gie, itself already in 18. Century in Upper Silesia different rights of exploitation secured and thus the Giesche company had based. 1899 had already acquired the company the Laendereien of the property Gieschewald of the count von Thiele Thiele-Winkler. The "Colonie Gieschewald" was created 1907, in the year 200 of the year old firm anniversary.

[edit] structure of the colony

On free field with the building, the new settlement planned on the drawing board one began. The leading director was Anton Uthemann, which worried about developing and prospering the new settlement. After its conceptions the architect's office George and Emil Zillmann from Berlin Charlottenburg supplied the settlement draft, which leaned against local villages and English garden cities (the miner settlement in Nickischschacht/Nikiszowiec was likewise sketched by them). 960.000 m² was available on an area of 800 m broad and 1,2 km length, which should offer sufficient place for houses of 600 families. The sketch was thus a rectangle, at whose edges a road ran and which surrounded whole place, from there led four main streets x-foermig to the market place; the gaps were interspersed with side streets. So that Gieschewald could exist independently, Gieschewald had own institutions to be had and the supply of the population to be guaranteed. Thus the market place formed (today: Plac pod Lipami) the center of the municipality and was bepflanzt with lime trees, which are received until today. Here apart from the administration also a hotel and department stores were built, in addition here a Oberfoersterei for surrounding forest-rich areas and its own school developed. North the market place sleep houses were established, the place for 300 miners offered, who lived here without family. In order to ensure the hygiene of the place, in the proximity a wash and a public swimming pool were established, which, as the whole colony was supplied, with drinking water from the water tower. It found and is at the southwest local exit, at the road after Emanuelssegen. From there the Kattowitzer Chaussee led (today: ul. Pszczynska), at which the mansion Uthemanns was built, to the northern local border, where a customs office stood. Within the "rectangle" multi-family houses with comparatively high social standard stood. They were not however all same design, but differed by their different roof forms. There dwellings for workers were accommodated (up to 45 m²), larger floor spaces the officials and teachers were entitled (up to 120 m²). On each house still another garden with farm buildings bordered. The unique colony was finished in the course of three years until 1910. The majority of the population worked in the Giesche mine (today: Wieczorek) in Janów as well as in zinc- and bleihuetten of the environment. The total costs of the colony Gieschewald become estimated on 5 million realm Marks. Gieschewald was connected 1914 by a narrow-gauge railway with Janów. The colony was the whole time independent municipality.

[edit] Schlesi rebellions

Numerous inhabitants Gieschewalds participated in the Schlesi rebellions and supplied themselves engagements with German soldiers and freiwilligen, with whom altogether 12 Aufstaendige were killed. Them it succeeded to take the whole colony on 20 August 1920 and also hold. During the popular vote the population was correct "occupied" Gieschewald also over 70 % for the affiliation of Upper Silesia at Poland and delivered thus clearly more voices for Poland, than the remainder of the tuning area, which votierte by the majority for Germany.

[edit] Gieschewald in Poland

On 20 June 1922 Gieschewald became as Giszowiec part of the new Silesian Voivodship and was since then part of Poland. In the subsequent years numerous Polish associations, among them also a singing association were created. Giszowiec lost its independence 1924, when it was incorporated of the new municipality Janów. Church was it since 1912 connected with Janów, since it belonged to the there Pfarrei, before it to the Pfarrei Myslowitz had already heard. The company Gi inheriting was taken over 1926 by American investors. On 27 October 1927 the Annenkirche was geweiht.

German troops occupied the settlement on 4 September 1939. During occupation was tried to destroy everything to Polish intermediate wartime reminded, then among other things the monument of the Schlesi rebellions was torn off. Giszowiec was released on 27 January 1945. After the Second World War Giszowiec the urban area Szopienice was integrated (1947). 1948 were finished the new Stanislauskirche, and nine years later in Giszowiec its own Pfarrei was created (28 May 1957). 1960 that the urban area Szopienice were dissolved, to which Giszowiec belonged since 1951 and which became place, like the district town, quarter of Katowice.

In the course of the time the appearance of the colony changed ever more. 1964 were established in the area of the colony after hard coal finds the Staszic Steinkohlebergwerk. In order to take up the inflow of new workers, new populated areas were proven. It was decided that the colony should be torn off and be established in the area a new settlement with zehnstoeckigen blocks of flats. Thus 1969 the Stanisław Staszic housing development was built, which approximated in the next decades ever more near to the old colony. In the western part and East part new disk's buildings replaced the old brick houses, and the colony began to lose their old character of a company-owned housing estate. With the resolutions of the responsible curator of 1978 and 1987 to place the old land development under monument protection the colony could be saved fortunately. In the nineties was begun to maintain and also restore the historical settlement. Nevertheless only one third of the old land development remained. 1984 were begun with the building of the Barbarapfarrkirche in the Staszic settlement.

Giszowiec is also today still surrounded by forest and is by its relatively large distance to the urban tightness, a popular local recreation place for the inhabitants of the whole city and, since it is the only garden city in Poland, gladly visited and also inhabited. The houses of the colony were transferred 1999 of the city Kattowitz, since the houses become sold at private people.

[edit] education

In the old colony there is a primary school (Szkoła podstawowa NR. 51) with approximately 1000 pupils. School building was taken 1993 in enterprise and is thus the newest in Giszowiec. The two middle schools are clearly older. In the seventies the Konopnicka High School (Gimnazjum NR became. 16 in. Marii Konopnickiej) established, the school chronicles go back however until 1908, thus the beginnings of the Gieschewalder school history. Here there are 400 pupils. In addition it exists still another second High School (Gimnazjum NR. 15) with 374 pupils.

[edit] worth seeing

Colony Gieschewald with received allocation of road and work houses (1907-1910)
Water tower from the time of origin of the colony
Forest areas in the environment

[edit] literature

B. Reuffurth: Gieschewald a new oberschlesisches mountain worker village. Kattowitz 1910
Lech Szaraniec: Osady i Osiedla Katowic. Katowice 1996 (book concerning the city Kattowitz and their quarters with German summary)
Leszek Jabłołski, Maria Kaźmierczak: Well the trasie Balkans Ekspresu Giszowiec Nikiszowiec Szopienice Przewodnik po dzielnicach Katowic. CRUX, Katowice o.J., ISBN 83-918152-1-8 (leaders by the quarters Giszowiec, Nikiszowiec and Szopienice with English summary)