Helgoland

Helgoland is a group of brick workers' houses on Lwowska Street in Katowice's Szopienice-Burowiec district. It was built around 1890-1905 in the northern part of the former colony by the Wilhelmina zinc works.

Where the name comes from and why the estate was built

The familoki (workers' family houses) were built as housing for the works' employees. The name comes from the island of Heligoland, because the estate stands on a high escarpment. The name already appears on maps from 1898.

What the buildings look like

These are multi-family houses in the brick historicist style, two storeys high, with cellars and flat roofs, set in rows on a rise. The buildings repeat the same design, which makes the whole look coherent. The former outbuildings for animals were pulled down in the 1960s.

The estate has appeared in films by Kazimierz Kutz. A yellow cycle route runs alongside, and the Katowice Szopienice Południowe station is nearby.

What to see nearby

From the estate it is about a kilometre to the Rolling Mill, Museum of Zinc Metallurgy, and just under two kilometres to Nikiszowiec.

Practical information

• Address: Lwowska Street 15-28, Katowice-Szopienice.
• This is a residential estate where people live every day. The buildings are viewed from the street, without going inside.