Kolonia Alfred

Kolonia Alfred is a former workers' housing estate of the "Alfred" coal mine in the Wełnowiec-Józefowiec district of Katowice, next to the Alfred Forest, Alfred Square (plac Alfreda) and Wojciech Korfanty Avenue. It was built in the mid-19th century and is an example of colliery housing in Upper Silesia.

The mine and the estate

The "Alfred" mine started operating in 1834, and in 1859 it was merged with the "Hohenlohe" mine. The shaft was closed in 1923 and the whole works in 1933. The estate's buildings are mainly single-storey residential houses in the late 19th-century historicist spirit. The colony also included buildings of the former mine: the shaft-head building, the engine house, the lamp room, the smithy, the boiler house, the bathhouse, the administration building and the weighbridge. In buildings 10 and 11 you can see pilasters from the former altar of St Barbara.

After the mine closed

After 1923 the buildings were adapted for housing and other uses. The last residents left the colony around 2012. Buildings 1-13 on plac Alfreda were placed under protection as heritage monuments in August 1978. When planning a visit, remember that this is an estate whose residents have been moved out, not a museum open for tours, so it is viewed from the outside.

Nearby are the Silesian Planetarium and the Silesian Park, both about a kilometre and a half away in a straight line.

Practical information

• Location: Katowice, Wełnowiec-Józefowiec, near plac Alfreda.
• Check the current ownership status and any access to the buildings with the Katowice city office before your visit.