Gypsy Bridge in Katowice

The Gypsy Bridge (Most Cygański) is a disused reinforced concrete railway viaduct hidden in the Gniotek forest in the Podlesie district of Katowice. It is about 10 metres high and 20 metres wide. It was built around 1918 and completed around 1920.

Why a viaduct in a forest

The construction was part of the infrastructure of a planned coal mine, initiated by Prince Hans Heinrich XV. On both sides of the viaduct there are abutments, and a passage runs beneath it. Tracks never ran over it. The name comes from the fact that in the interwar period Roma, travelling in caravans, camped nearby.

Today

The viaduct is abandoned and unused. It lies away from buildings; the nearest in a straight line is the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Katowice, about three and a half kilometres away.

Practical information

• Location: Gniotek forest, Podlesie, the south-western part of Katowice.
• The viaduct is abandoned, so view it from below and do not climb onto the structure.