Officials' Colony of the Wujek Mine

The officials' colony of the Wujek mine is a complex of eight villas in gardens at Mikołowska 118-148 in Katowice, in the Brynów district, on the Zgrzebnioka housing estate. The houses were built for officials and technical supervisors of the Oheim hard coal mine, today's Wujek.

Why the colony was built

Construction began in 1910 on the grounds of the Katowice Spoil Heap. The location was meant to combine closeness to work with quiet: residents were to be near the mine, but far enough that their homes did not lie in its immediate vicinity. To the east the colony neighboured the Südpark, today's Kościuszko Park.

Together with the municipal colony designed by Bruno Taut, it was the last housing investment for the mine's workforce carried out in the first half of the 20th century.

What the buildings look like

The eight villas are semi-detached houses, numbered 118/120, 122/124, 126/128, 130/132, 134/136, 138/140, 142/144 and 146/148. They were built in the modernist style. The loose layout resulted from the colony being created on land exposed to mining damage. On the west side, the gardens were in time taken up by the widened Mikołowska Street.

Heritage protection

The buildings are entered in the municipal register of monuments of Katowice. The local spatial development plan, adopted on 31 March 2022, established a conservation protection zone covering the complex of villa buildings on Mikołowska Street. It protects the silhouette of the complex, the exposure of the historic buildings, the characteristic features of the development, and the size and shape of the plots.

Practical information

• Address: Mikołowska 118-148, Katowice (Brynów).
• These are residential buildings, so the colony is viewed from the street. A guesthouse operates in the building at number 124.
• Nearby stands the Cathedral of Christ the King.