Architecture: Chorzów

Architecture in Chorzów: neo-Gothic and modernist churches, two town halls and mine shafts. Sixteen buildings to see in this Silesian city.

Chorzów grew from several former municipalities that expanded around mines and ironworks in different years, so its architecture is varied: from a wooden church of the late sixteenth century to a reinforced-concrete tower of the 1930s. For most buildings a walk with a camera is enough. The full overview of the city is in things to do in Chorzów.

Which buildings in Chorzów are worth seeing for their architecture?

Churches form the largest group: neo-Gothic ones in Chorzów Stary and Batory, neo-Romanesque ones on Wolności Street, modernist ones on the Ruch estate and on Kopernika Street. Beyond them you will see the town hall of Königshütte, the former town hall in Batory and three mining-related sites.

The set includes twelve churches, two town halls and two shaft complexes. The wider theme across the region is covered under architecture in Silesia. When you want a break from walls, Chorzów also has Silesian Park, described in the article Silesian Park in Chorzów: from the 1950 decision to 535 hectares.

Which neo-Gothic churches of Chorzów stand out most?

Three brick towers stand out: the 75-metre one on the hill of Chorzów Stary, the 73-metre one in Batory and the 51-metre one on Łagiewnicka Street. Add an older sandstone church in the centre and two Evangelical churches.

St Mary Magdalene's Church crowns a hill in Chorzów Stary, address Bożogrobców 31. It was built in 1889-1892 to a design by Josef Ebers, and its neo-Gothic brick and 75-metre tower are visible from afar. Five earlier churches had stood on the hill, so the present one is the sixth.

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Farna 3 in Batory was built in 1898-1901 to a design by Ludwig Schneider. Its tower is 73 metres tall, and the interior holds about five thousand worshippers.

In the city centre, at 3 Maja 18, stands St Barbara's Church. The neo-Gothic building of hewn sandstone was consecrated in the mid-nineteenth century and enlarged near the end of it. Its tower carries a clock and ends in a cone.

St Joseph's Basilica on Łagiewnicka Street is neo-Romanesque, with three aisles, and was built in 1904-1907 to a design by Joseph Schmitz of Nuremberg. Its clock tower is 51 metres high, and the building has been listed as a monument since 2009. St Hedwig of Silesia's Church at Wolności 53 is a brick, three-aisled neo-Romanesque church consecrated in 1874 and extended in 1908.

Two Evangelical churches show the city's Protestant side. The Martin Luther Church at Powstańców 13 is a neo-Gothic brick building of 1897-1898, among the biggest Lutheran churches of the region. St Elizabeth's Church on Katowicka Street, designed by August Soller in 1840-1844, stands in the middle of an Evangelical cemetery and doubles as a cemetery chapel.

In the largest cemetery of Chorzów, between Drzymały and Cmentarna streets, stands a neo-Gothic cemetery chapel of 1898, also by Ludwig Schneider. Inside hang plaques to notable residents of Chorzów. It is a burial place, so visit it with respect.

Where in Chorzów can you find modernism and wooden architecture?

You can see modernism in three churches: on the Ruch estate, in Batory on Długa Street and on Kopernika Street. Wood is represented by a single building, but an exceptionally old one: St Lawrence's Church of 1599.

St Anthony of Padua's Church on the corner of Kopernika Street went up between 1930 and 1934 on former brickworks land, in brick combined with stone. Round windows 5.5 metres across catch the eye. Inside, artists left their mark: Bogusław Langman made the altar and Dezydery Moczny the stained glass.

The Church of the Sacred Heart stands in Batory, at number 32 on Długa Street. The brick body was finished just before the war and consecrated on Christmas Eve 1939. The design approved by the curia proved too costly, so the builders pared it down. The monument register includes it.

The Church of the Holy Spirit on the Ruch estate, at Dąbrowskiego 104, took six years to build from 1957. Its sculptural form echoes the famous chapel at Ronchamp. It is listed as a monument together with the chapel and the connecting passage.

The wooden St Lawrence's Church stands at Konopnickiej 29, on Wyzwolenia Hill, also called Reden Hill. It was built in 1599 in Knurów, then taken apart and reassembled in Chorzów in 1935-1938. It lies on the Wooden Architecture Trail. Other open-air museums of the region are described in the article Open-air museums and farmsteads of Silesia.

What do Chorzów's town halls and mine buildings look like?

Chorzów has two town halls from different former municipalities and two shaft complexes. The town hall of Königshütte stands on the Market Square, the former Batory town hall on Ratuszowa Street, while the Prezydent and Elżbieta shafts lie in other parts of the city.

The town hall at Rynek 1 was raised for Königshütte in the 1870s, and its present shape results from a remodelling in the late 1920s. A tower rises above the roofs, the council hall has stained glass, and the mayor and city office sit inside. The former town hall in Batory at Ratuszowa 3 is a three-storey neo-Baroque building from before the First World War. The head of the Bismarckhütte municipality, later Hajduki Wielkie, worked there. The history of the football club from the same district is told in Ruch Chorzów: the club from Bismarckhütte.

The Prezydent Shaft is a reinforced-concrete winding tower with a viewing platform, 42.5 metres tall, raised in the early 1930s for a mine. No other mining relic in the city is as well kept, and the tower is a point on the regional industrial heritage trail. The Elżbieta Shaft complex at Siemianowicka 64, once part of the Król mine, looks like a small castle: neo-Gothic walls with battlements and plaster imitating rustic stone. A venue for private receptions operates there today.

Frequently asked questions

Which churches in Chorzów are modernist?

For modernism see St Anthony of Padua's Church on Kopernika Street, the Sacred Heart church in Batory and the Church of the Holy Spirit on the Ruch estate.

Is there a wooden church in Chorzów?

Yes, St Lawrence's Church on Wyzwolenia Hill. It was built in 1599 in Knurów and moved to Chorzów in 1935-1938.

Where can you climb to a viewing platform in Chorzów?

The Prezydent Shaft has a viewing platform on a winding tower 42.5 metres high. It belongs to the regional industrial heritage trail.

Where is the Ruch estate in Chorzów?

The Ruch estate is a residential district where the modernist Church of the Holy Spirit stands at Dąbrowskiego 104.