Gen. Władysław Sikorski Square in Bytom

Gen. Władysław Sikorski Square (Plac gen. Władysława Sikorskiego) is a square in the centre of Bytom, about 300 m south of the Market Square. It was laid out in the 1870s as Kaiserplatz (Imperial Square), after the neighbouring Kaiserstrasse, today Piastów Bytomskich Street.

A showpiece square

Public buildings were successively built around the square: a grammar school (completed in 1869), the Reichsbank (1893), the Municipal Theatre with the Concert Hall (1901) and the Realschule (1902). In 1910 a monument to Frederick the Great was unveiled here, which did not survive the Second World War. Until 1945 the square was used for parades and public gatherings, and afterwards it became a tram hub. Its name was changed several times: from the mid-1930s Braunauerplatz, in the 1950s Red Square (plac Czerwony).

What it looks like today

The square is a rectangle measuring 75 by 180 m with an area of 13,500 square metres, which makes it fourth among Bytom's squares. It is surrounded by burgher townhouses from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and public buildings, and the clock tower of the building of the 4th General Secondary School stands out high above them. In 2010 the square was revitalised: new roadways and pavements were laid, trees and shrubs were planted, and a dog run was also set up.

Practical information

• Location: the centre of Bytom; the axis of the square is marked by Piastów Bytomskich Street.
• What there is to see is mainly the facades of the buildings from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.