Rose Park in Chorzów

Rose Park (Park Róż) is one of the largest city parks in Chorzów, covering about 10 hectares, laid out in the years 1926-1930 between Żwirki i Wigury, Urbanowicza, Piaskowa and Astrów streets. The northern part is occupied by a geometric rose garden, from which the park takes its name, and the southern part by a freely shaped stand of trees. In the middle lie two ponds, Small and Large Leopold (Mały and Duży Leopold), set in a former sand pit.

Where the name comes from and how the park came about

The name comes from the rose garden in the northern part, but over its history the park has had several names. In the interwar period it was known as Dr Urbanowicz Park, in the communist period it bore the name of General Karol Świerczewski, and residents still colloquially use the German name Rosengarten today.

The park's layout consists of two parts. In the north the garden was laid out in a geometric pattern, while in the south a landscape of free composition was preserved. The park has been enlarged and rebuilt many times, and its owner is the Chorzów City Office.

The Small and Large Leopold ponds

The two ponds were created on the site of an old sand pit and are the centre of the eastern part of the park. Over the years they were polluted by sewage, so in 1997 the reservoirs were restored with a grant from the Voivodeship Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management and with city funds. The bottom was cleaned and sealed, the steep banks were tidied up and the two ponds were joined by a channel.

The water is now kept at a depth of 2 to 2.5 metres. The smaller pond was enlarged and a nesting islet was added, where coots and mallards nest. A bald cypress grows there with pneumatophores, that is, above-ground roots that bring air to the root system, which can be seen from the bank. The ponds are overgrown with reeds, bulrushes, yellow water lilies and white water lilies. On the large pond there is a fountain, which also serves to oxygenate the water, and a sandstone path runs around the ponds.

The rose garden and the monument of a mother with a child

In the northern part stands a monument of a mother with a child by Andrzej Szczepaniec, unveiled on 1 June 1979. Around it a rose garden with flower beds has been laid out, and next to it is a playground, described as one of the largest in the city, with equipment replaced in 2018.

Three zones for a walk

The park is divided into three zones: the northern one with the playground and the rose garden, the eastern one with the ponds, where people walk and fish, and the southern one, where human intervention in the landscape has been the least. There are paths among dense trees, few people and shade. At the south-western edge of the park there is a fenced dog run and an outdoor gym.

Descriptions of the park point out that it has no catering or toilets, so it is worth bringing your own food. A tram line runs nearby, and there are car parks by the park.

Practical information

• Location: Chorzów, between Żwirki i Wigury, Urbanowicza, Piaskowa and Astrów streets, on the border of Centrum and Klimzowiec.
• Getting there: from the centre of Chorzów on foot or by tram, and by car to the car parks by the park.
• What to expect: a walk around the ponds, the rose garden, a children's playground, a dog run and an outdoor gym.
• Nearby: the Teatr Rozrywki is about a kilometre away.

From the park it is easy to plan a longer walk around Chorzów. Less than 1.5 km away is the Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park, and about 3 km away the Silesian Park.