A complex of ten buildings from 1948-1951 in the centre of Katowice, entered in the heritage register in 2010.
The Prof. Aleksander Kamiński Youth Palace is a complex of ten buildings in the centre of Katowice, built in 1948-1951 as a centre for extracurricular activities. It has been entered in the heritage register since 2010.
The initiative to build it was put forward in 1947 by the Silesian-Dąbrowa voivode Aleksander Zawadzki. Money was raised partly through sold "bricks" (fundraising tokens), and part of the costs was covered by state subsidies. The design competition was decided in 1948 and won by the Gliwice architects Zygmunt Majerski and Julian Duchowicz. Construction started on the site of a former timber yard, and the first earthworks were carried out as voluntary work by employees of Silesian factories and young people. The institution was opened on 3 December 1951.
The complex combines Socialist Realism with elements of late Modernism. Monumentalism survives in the decoration and furnishings of the interiors, which were designed by Tadeusz Gierula. The complex consists of a teaching building, a management building, an administration building, a swimming pool with facilities, a gymnasium with a connecting link, a theatre with facilities, an electrical switching station and a residential building. An openwork iron gate leads into the inner courtyard. In the heritage register the complex is listed under number A/301/10 of 13 April 2010.
At the beginning there were science, technical and art workshops. Young people also had at their disposal an indoor swimming pool measuring 25 by 12 metres, a library and a 700-seat theatre and cinema hall with wooden panelling. Since 1990 the institution has borne the name of Aleksander Kamiński. Today it is still a municipal centre of extracurricular education, so the interiors serve above all those taking part in classes. Modernisation of the complex lasted from 2011 to 2014.
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