Dietel Family Mausoleum, Smutna 6 in Sosnowiec

The Dietel family mausoleum is a family tomb from 1912 that today serves as a cemetery chapel. It stands in the middle of the Evangelical-Augsburg cemetery on ulica Smutna in Sosnowiec.

Who built it and why

Heinrich Gotthold Dietel (1839-1911) founded the first worsted wool spinning mill in the Congress Kingdom of Poland and a palace and factory complex on what is now ulica Żeromskiego in Sosnowiec. After his death a mausoleum was built for him and his family, to a design by Józef Pomian-Pomianowski.

How it is built

The mausoleum is a free-standing building on a circular plan, built of massive blocks of volcanic tuff and decorated with sculptural detail. It was modelled on ancient Roman tombs. The interior of the rotunda has two levels: at the top is the cemetery chapel, and in the crypt rest Heinrich Dietel with his wife Klara and descendants of the family, in 22 burial niches. The building is surrounded by a low wall.

Fate after the war

The building and the whole cemetery were vandalised and plundered, including in the early 21st century. Since 1998 the cemetery has belonged to the Evangelical-Augsburg Parish of St John in Sosnowiec. In 2008 the mausoleum was entered in the heritage register of the Silesian Voivodeship. The roof was repaired in 2009, and the façade renovation was completed in November of the same year.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Smutna 6, Sosnowiec.
• The mausoleum is opened every year on 1 and 2 November; on other days it is worth checking the rules for entry with the parish before your visit.
• This is a burial place, so behave as you would in a cemetery.