Tag: Chorzów

Chorzów City Center

Today we have failed. We didn’t manage to arrange everything we needed to at the Registry Office, we run of of cash and patience. Instead we’ve taken a stroll in the city center.

Even though Chorzów’s history dates back to 13th century (or even 12th according to some sources), the city became an important landmark of Upper Silesia only towards the end of the 18th century. For centuries, until the end of the Second World War the city was known as  Königshütte or Królewska Huta. There is about 113 thousands people living in Chorzów today – same as before the Second World War, but the number is slowly declining. Back in 1977, there’s been almost 157 thousands people.

The bureaucracy in this country is still enormous and it took us almost half a day and tons of money to achieve… almost nothing. Apparently the road to Polish passports for our kids is more bumpy than the cobblestone streets in some parts of this city. We also wanted to renew Agnieszka’s Polish passport which expires next year, but run out of money and patience. We’ll do it next year in Mexico City or New York. Fortunately today we took the camera with us, while trying to finalize the official matters in the Registry Office. Unfortunately, I didn’t check the camera settings before shooting and it looks like most pictures are over exposed. I decided to post them here anyway and made a mental note to myself to always double check the settings before pressing the trigger. Or take my wife’s point and shoot camera, which despite being pink is probably more suited to my photography skills. But hey! It’s one of my goals for this trip to learn digital SLR photography, so you’ll have to suffer and watch my progress (if any).

 

Back of an renovated building located by the main square in Chorzów.

This used to be Kościuszko steel works offices. Now it's the police station.

View on the main square from Kościuszko steel work.

The beautiful town square has been ruined in 1978, when this ugly elevated road has been build over it.

Chorzów's main post office is located in this beautiful, recently renovated building.

Post office main entrance.

Water feature in front of the Post Office. I need to fix the camera settings...

The main street in Chorzów is always busy.

Boys fishing for coins in the little wish fountain.

Two youngsters with their diving equipment.

Graffiti on one of the buildings around Chorzów's main square.

Post Office viewed from main square.

Chorzów's town hall.

Public market underneath the elevated road.

Main square turned into paid parking.

Public Market under elevated road, with town hall tower in the back.

Little park in the center of the city.

In front of the Registry Office.

Renovated building facades on Wolności Street.

Ads attacing from everywhere...

Jagiellońska Street, view from Wolności.

Mexican restaurant at the corner of Jagiellońska and Wolności Street.

It's lunch time in Chorzów and this commercial street is booming with people.

He used to be the prime minister, now he's standing for election again...

Modernized childrens hospital in Chorzów.

Some buildings are still waiting to be renovated.

The movie theater Panorama on Wolności Street.

Most buildings have been erected in late 19th or begining of 20th century.

Some of the buildings have interesting decorations on their facades.

Most buildings on the Wolności Street have already been renovated.

The color palette is bright.

There is a lot of restaurants and little pubs.

The cables hanging in the air are tramway power lines.

There is a tramway line in the middle of the pedestrian area.

Looking down Wolności Street towars Złoty Róg (Golden Corner).

Żeromskiego Street off of Wolności.

A toilet at the public market. The lady sitting inside collects fees.

Some nice buildings have been turned into eclectic monsters.

Some buildings are in dire need for renovation.

Tramway approaching it's stop.

This one wagon train type 105 has been build by Alstom (i.e. Konstal).

Main square turned into parking lot.

This older type tramways are still very popular in Poland.

His twin brother, Lech died in April 2010 in a plane crash on approach in Smolensk.

 

Chorzów – Amelung

International language school at Amelung pond or how to teach your kids few words you’d prefer to forget yourself.

Amelung is a name of a small pond, which has been recently revitalized. Located in the middle of a large residential district, this body of water attracts mostly children and anglers. Not sure about fish, but there is a large playground area, where local youngsters with or without their parents spend countless hours swinging, sliding and building sand castles.

Since we were too lazy to do anything more challenging in the afternoon, we’ve decided to spend a few hours watching our kids integrate with the locals. It quickly became apparent that even though Nadia and Alex speak perfect Polish they have a tendency to build sentences in English. It doesn’t seem to bother other kids, so they had a really good time playing. The one thing we’re a bit afraid of is that they will learn few new words from the angry anglers, which even though very popular, are not among the ones to be used in company…

 

This small pond has been recently revitalized.

A quiet passage way under a busy street.

The pond on the west side.

Pond on the East side with walk ways around it.

Playground is very popular among locals.

Those are called "garaże". Living in an appartment building, this is a place to keep your car.

A view from an old railway line.

Graffiti on the wall of a car garage building.

Anglers discussing their catch.

There's been plenty of people around the pond, even though it was only 5.00PM in the afternoon on a weekday.

Alex playing in the dirty sand...

...and then sticking his fingers in all openings on his face.

Making sure all the bacteria gets in safely...

A bridge over the pond and ugly apartment buildings in the background.

Angler with his Romet scooter (Polish Vespa).

Nadia making friends.

Alex has no problems finding toys.

Nadia is also ready for the Mexican beaches.

"Will you dig a hole for me"...?

"Why are they speaking so funny"...?

 

Chorzów Stary

A few pictures taken in the oldest part of Chorzów on a cloudy day. This part of town reminds me the most of the hometown I remember from times growing up here.

Chorzów Stary is the oldest part of my hometown. Supposedly it’s roots date back to the 13th century, when it was first mentioned as a village established by the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem – a Roman Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the pope. There isn’t much left from that distant past. Most of the buildings have been erected in the 19th century, and quite frankly haven’t been well maintained ever since. It’s been a cloudy day today, but I think the weather suits this dark and rather dirty district very well.

 

Many streets in Chorzów Stary are still paved with cobblestones.

My Mother's car in front of one of many historic buildings in Chorzów Stary.

Large power station behind old buildings in Chorzów Stary.

Typical Silesian view - colorful flowers on red painted windows of a brick house.

Such views are not uncommon in modern day Silesia. Church tower in the background, commercial ads in front.

Small streetside chapel on Bożogrobców in Chorzów Stary, power station in backgrond.

Bożogrobców Street with a view of an old church in the background.

Black cat crossing the Bożogrobców Street just in front of a passing car.

Turn of a 19th century buildings on Bożogrobców Street, Mary Magdalene parish on the right.

The old buildings are called "familoki" (multi-family).

One of recently restored brick buildings on the corner of Bożogrobców and Bytkowska.

Clock tower of the Mary Magdalene parish in Chorzów Stary.

History of this church is tied to the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and dates back to 1299 AD.

Many buildings are still in very poor shape, as they haven't been properly maintained since before the Second World War.

Before the Second World War, Upper Silesia was an autonomous region.

Everything in Upper Silesia seems rather eclectic - traditional buildings, even if restored mix with ugly advertisments.

Coming down Bożogrobców Street to Krajcok (intersection with Siemianowicka Street).

View on Krajcok from Siemianowicka Street.

Starochorzowskie Centrum Kultury on Siemianowicka Street.

An old fashioned poster pillar, in the back Nadia and Agnieszka entering SDK.

Ball room in SDK being prepared for an upcoming wedding party.

Cobblestones on Siemianowicka Street.

A building in dire need of repairs is not an uncommon view throughout Upper Silesia region.

Typical sidewalk in one of the poorer districts of Chorzów Stary.

Typical red frame windows.

A tree growing on top of an old building.

Lock-up garages painted red with an old shaft in the background.

Old buildings adopted for commercial activity. The stainless steel box on wheels on the right is a garbage container (hasiok).

Pigpens were not uncommon in this region in the 19th century.

Modernized single family house in the poor district of Chorzów Stary.

Nadia on an old, heavy steel carousel.

Agnieszka and Nadia are having a blast!

A checkers table in a community park.

Ping pong table in a community park.

"Einfart" (a gate) in one of the old buildings on Kasprowicza Street in Chorzów Stary.

"Chlewiki" (pigpens) are being used as storage units.

Some more pigpens alongside Kasprowicza Street.

Almost every "familok" used to have "chlewiki".

Sidewalk on Kasprowicza Street.

Power station is visible from almost every place in Chorzów Stary.

Private property sign on an empty plot.

Power station behind old buildings and gated pigpens and trash container on the left.

An old cobblestone street off of Kasprowicza Street. A man trimming hedge around his allotment.

A lady looking out her window on Kasprowicza Street (not uncommon view in Upper Silesia).

Pigeons on the sidewalk in Chorzów Stary.

Politically incorrect graffiti on Kasprowicza Street.

Graffiti on Kasprowicza Street.

A view on Mary Magdalene parish from Kasprowicza Street.

An old fashioned poster pillar in front of the church.

Poster pillar on Kasprowicza Street.

Agnieszka and Nadia reading ads on an old poster pillar in Chorzów Stary.

A traffic sign with street names and directions to police station and garbage collecting company.

A monument in front of Mary Magdalene church in Chorzów Stary.

A typical "einfart".

Restored building off of Bożogrobców Street.

Old buildings in rather decent shape alongside Bożogrobców Street.

AN entrance gate ("einfart") painted red.

An old building with power station in the back.

Regional graffiti.

Most buildings preserved in Chorzów Stary date back to 19th century.

A typical view in Upper Silesia.

Some of the buildings have been declared historic landmarks.

Flowers on windows painted orange.

Green painted entrance.

A sign on one of the buildings.

A passage under old railroad.

A path to one of the gates of the old power plant.

Abandoned power plant buildings high above the city.

Old railroad tracks.

Gate number 8 - one of the entries to the abandoned power plant.

The rails are still functional.

As activity alongside those rails reduces, nature is taking over again.

An old abandoned building over railroad tracks.

An old mining shaft in the background.

An abandoned building.

A statue of a saint in the center of a four way cobblestone paved intersection.

 

Upper Silesia

What is “Oberschlesien”, why I call it home and why my Parents hate my guts at four o’clock in the morning.

It is 4 AM. I wanted to start this post by saying that I’m sipping my coffee and enjoy the bird’s morning concert out my Parents house window. Instead, I’m sipping my coffee and listen to my parents going back to bed after I offered them a rude awakening. Going down the stairs I forgot about the security system installed in the house. Normally, at night the upper two levels of the townhouse are defined as a safe zone, free for everyone to roam around, while the lower two are guarded by movement sensors and therefore off-limits, unless deactivating the security system. It’s been two years since my last stay at the house and frankly speaking, I forgot all about it. The kitchen is downstairs, and trying to get there I didn’t switch the damn alarm off. The sound of a siren was loud and it waked up everyone in the house. Well, except my Father, who needed to turn it off. I could tell he wasn’t happy, when he finally got out of bed. He had to call the security company and explain the situation, so that they don’t expedite a commando to the rescue…

We arrived yesterday. The trip was good, excellent in fact. Flight from Rochester was one hour delayed – no surprise. The one from Newark arrived in Munich 20 minutes early and to my delight, there’s been no queues to the immigration booths, no security checks, no customs. The gate for our connecting flight was on the other side of the terminal, but after a brisk walk we arrived there in time to have a cup of a good European coffee before boarding the last leg of our trip. My Father picked us up at the airport.

Even though I grew up around here, I couldn’t recognize the surroundings. There’s a lot of new developments going on, especially roads. The predominantly industrial identity of the region is nowhere to be found. The coal piles, the shafts, the smokestacks – they’re all gone. The region is promoting it’s tourist attractions instead – old castles, mountains, natural resources. I never thought about Upper Silesia in those categories before, but it is a very diversified region.  Rich and complex  history, multicultural influences  over centuries slowly shaped it’s today’s unique identity. Before the second World War as an autonomous region, with it’s own treasury and parliament, it’s certainly still capable of managing it’s destiny today.

In the afternoon we took a walk to my in laws apartment, which is within half an hour from where my folks live. I didn’t take a camera with me, but this part of town isn’t the nicest anyway. It’s the type of neighborhood we will try to avoid in our travels. The houses are old, the streets narrow and dirty. Plenty of filthy joints selling cheap beer, some passing doorways smelling like urine. It would definitely not be a good idea to walk around here after dark. The “hood” always been like that,  it always will be.

There are things that change rapidly in my hometown,  others seem to be stuck in the past for eternity. It’s now 5 AM in Chorzów. I sip my coffee and listen to the sounds of my Parents trying to go back to sleep. It’s hot and I wanted to go outside and enjoy the morning breeze, but I’m not going to risk that the security system is not fully deactivated.

I’m back home and it is my birthday today…