Silesian Room (Izba Śląska)

The Silesian Room (Izba Śląska), also called Gawlikówka, is a small museum in Giszowiec in Katowice, at Pod Lipami Square 3-3a. It shows exhibits connected with the culture and art of Upper Silesia, along with paintings and memorabilia of the painter Ewald Gawlik. It is a branch of the “Szopienice-Giszowiec” Municipal Culture Centre.

A building from a stable

The house, made up of two joined parts, was designed by Jerzy and Emil Zillmann and built in the early 20th century. It originally held a stable, rooms for coachmen and a coach house. In 1986 the “Staszic” mine handed the building over to retired employees, who set up a club in it. During the renovation the interiors were given a traditional Silesian character.

What you will see

The first cultural initiative was looking after the regional painting of Ewald Gawlik. The artist was given three rooms on the upper floor and put his own furnishings in them, among them a chest of drawers decorated with his own paintings. The exhibition of his works devoted to the region was supplemented with antique furniture and everyday objects, collected mainly by mine employees and residents of the estate.

The collections also include personal memorabilia, studio equipment and a gallery of Gawlik's paintings. The Room is a meeting place for senior citizens' clubs and organisations connected with the mine and the estate. In the past, museum lessons for young people were held here: meetings with an ethnographer, a tour of Giszowiec and practical classes such as pickling cabbage or baking kołocz (a Silesian cake).

Nearby

The Room stands on Pod Lipami Square in the Giszowiec estate. About 2.5 kilometres away lies Nikiszowiec, and the Katowice Forest Park is about three kilometres away.

Practical information

• Address: Pod Lipami Square 3-3a, 40-476 Katowice-Giszowiec.
• Check opening hours with the “Szopienice-Giszowiec” Municipal Culture Centre before your visit.