Fabryka Pełna Życia

Fabryka Pełna Życia (Factory Full of Life) is a revitalised site of the former DEFUM machine tool factory in the centre of Dąbrowa Górnicza, being turned into a space for culture, education and recreation. Some of the former factory buildings already host events, and further stages of the project are under way.

From a machine factory to an open urban space

The first records of the Dąbrowa Machine Factory date from 1879, and it was founded by a Czech entrepreneur, R. Farkac. In 1920 the plant became part of the United Machine, Boiler and Wagon Factories of L. Zieleniewski and Fitzner-Gamper. After the Second World War it was nationalised and renamed the Dąbrowa Machine Tool Factories DEFUM named after Stanisław Krzynówek.

In 2015 the factory ceased operating because of financial difficulties and a lack of investment. At the end of that year the city took over from the State Treasury 4 ha in the northern part of the city centre, which had previously been closed to residents.

What already works and what is being built

The revitalisation programme, adopted in 2016, assumed turning the site into a modern city centre. In 2019 a renovated former factory building was opened as a place for meetings, concerts and conferences. Around it there are breakfast markets, antiques fairs, concerts, Christmas and other fairs, and a summer open-air cinema, and a community garden has also been created.

The plans include a Green Market Square, a rainwater collection system, a green passage between the overhead cranes, a rain garden, an open-air stage and the adaptation of the former assembly hall into a conference, trade fair and concert centre. The project is being carried out in stages, so the range of accessible parts changes.

Nearby

• Just 100 m away stands the Basin Palace of Culture.
• About 600 m from the Factory is the synagogue in Dąbrowa Górnicza.
• About 1 km away is the Sztygarka City Museum.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Kościuszki 3, Dąbrowa Górnicza, next to the railway station.
• Event dates are given by the organiser, a municipal company of the same name.
• Before a visit it is worth checking which parts of the site are accessible.