Ficinus Workers' Colony

The Ficinus workers' colony is an estate of sixteen identical houses on ul. Pawła Kubiny in Ruda Śląska, in the Wirek district. They were built in 1860-1867 for the employees of the Błogosławieństwo Boże mine (German: Gottessegen). The colony has been entered in the heritage register since 1978, and since 2006 it has been on the Silesian Voivodeship Industrial Monuments Route, together with Giszowiec and Nikiszowiec.

Origin of the name and why the colony was built

The estate takes its name from Georg Ficinus, a mining official who was responsible for its construction. According to the description of Wirek, it is one of the oldest estates of this type in Upper Silesia. The houses were built for the crew of the Gottessegen mine, whose origins go back to 1828.

What the houses look like

Sixteen two-storey buildings were set with their ridges parallel to the street along its northern frontage. They are built of sandstone, unplastered, with brick window surrounds and low gable roofs.

Each house contained four flats, two on the ground floor and two on the first floor, and each had a separate entrance through symmetrical annexes. The flats were small, about 40 sq. m: a hallway, a kitchen and one room. Behind the houses stood outbuildings for keeping small livestock, and gardens. In the 1970s blocks of flats were built in place of the gardens.

From ruin to a service arcade

At the start of the 1990s the estate was in very poor condition: of the 16 buildings only one was in use. In 1990 a concept for a service arcade was drawn up, and work began in 1995. After revitalisation the colony serves a commercial function, mainly retail. The building at number 24 houses a branch of the Municipal Public Library.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Pawła Kubiny, Ruda Śląska (Wirek); the point marked on the map is at number 20.
• The estate is inhabited and used for services: move around as on an ordinary street, without entering the private parts.
• Check the opening hours of the shops and the library before your visit.
• Nearby are the Pokój Steelworks (about 2.2 km) and the Museum of the History of the Polish People's Republic in Ruda Śląska.
• The Guido Mine in Zabrze is about 5 km away.