Tadeusz Kościuszko Park in Katowice

Tadeusz Kościuszko Park in Katowice is a landscape park of about 51 ha, laid out in 1888 in the Brynów district, in the block between Kościuszki and Piękna streets and Górnośląska Avenue. It is regarded as the most valuable area of urban greenery in Katowice. The composition draws on English parks, and since 1993 the whole has been entered in the heritage register.

How did the park come about?

The park was laid out on an area of suburban woodland known as the Katowice Forest. In 1888, 6 ha of forest were tidied up here, and in 1894-1895 it was extended as the South Park (Südpark). The site was partly occupied earlier by the Beate coal mine, founded in 1801, and the pond in the northern part of the park was created on the site of a former mine reservoir.

In 1903 the city leased the site for 100 years from the industrialist Tiele-Winckler. A 20-metre Bismarck tower was then built on Beate Hill. In 1925 the park was named after Tadeusz Kościuszko. The tower was demolished in the 1930s, and its elements were built into the foundations of the Cathedral of Christ the King, then under construction. On 16 July 1922 the act of the takeover of part of Upper Silesia by Poland was officially signed in the park.

What is inside?

The highest point of the park is Beate Hill, over 323 m above sea level. At its summit stands the wooden Church of St Michael the Archangel from around 1510, moved in 1938 from Syrynia in Wodzisław County. It is looked after by the Katowice History Museum, and in the courtyard there is a lapidarium. Nearby stands the Alpinists Monument, commemorating climbers who died in tragic circumstances.

In the north-eastern part stands a steel parachute tower 35 m high, with stairs and a platform at the top. The first, 50-metre tower was built in 1938 to a design by Józef Koziołek. According to the Urban Green Spaces Authority, on 4 September 1939 a group of scouts tried to defend the centre of Katowice from German troops from it. Today's tower was rebuilt in 1951. Protection also extends to the Tadeusz Kościuszko monument, the concert shell, a brick gazebo and the cemetery of Red Army soldiers.

The park is densely crossed by walking paths, and there are open glades, cycle routes, small ponds and an open-air sculpture gallery. A sledge run, a boules court (opened in 2006) and two playgrounds, one of them wooden, have been laid out here. Promenade concerts are held in the park.

What is the wildlife like?

More than 90 species and varieties of trees and shrubs grow in the park, mostly native deciduous ones: hornbeam, beech, small-leaved lime, Norway maple and sycamore. Among the more valuable trees are beeches with silvery trunks and Japanese hill cherries with pink blossom. In 1996 the only modern site in Poland of the species known in Polish as osadniczek goły was discovered near the park. Blackbirds, fieldfares, jays and several species of tit nest here, and squirrels and hedgehogs are common.

The Trail of the Heroes of the Parachute Tower, the Park Trail to Katowice Forest Park and trail no. 2 towards Panewniki and Starganiec all pass through the park.

Practical information

• Location: Katowice-Brynów, Kościuszki Street. A tram runs along the street, and the stops near the park are Katowice Kościuszki Szpital, Katowice Kościuszki Basen, Brynów Zgrzebnioka and Brynów Gawronów.
• The park is managed by the Urban Green Spaces Authority in Katowice (Kościuszki 138).
• The heritage register entry has the number A/1515/93 and covers the compositional layout, the planting, the parachute tower, the Kościuszko monument, the concert shell, the gazebo, small architectural features and the Red Army soldiers' cemetery.
• The Church of St Michael and the parachute tower have been under renovation, so check before your visit whether they are open.