Silesian Sejm Square in Katowice

Plac Sejmu Śląskiego (Silesian Sejm Square) lies in the Katowice city centre, between ul. Jagiellońska, ul. Lompy and ul. Ligonia. It was laid out in the 1920s by the Silesian Sejm building, and in the middle stands the monument to Wojciech Korfanty. The layout of the square is entered in the municipal register of monuments.

The buildings around the square

The square is elongated, measuring about 100 by 60 m, and belongs to a chain of city squares together with Plac Miarki, Plac Chrobrego and Plac Rady Europy. To the east stands the Silesian Sejm building, built in 1924-1929 to a design by Ludwik Wojtyczko, Piotr Jurkiewicz and Stefan Żeleński in the Neoclassical style. The official opening took place on 5 May 1929. The building has 634 rooms and when completed it had the largest volume of any building in Poland. To the north the square is closed by the former Realschule of 1903-1906, today part of the University of Silesia, and to the west by the Office of Unincorporated Agencies building of 1935-1936.

To the south stands a building erected in 1977-1979 as the Centre for Ideological and Educational Training of Workers' Cadres. Today it houses the cultural institution Katowice City of Gardens. Its construction involved demolishing the southern side of the square, including an Art Nouveau villa in which Katowice Television began operating in 1957.

Names and monuments

In the interwar period the square was called Plac Powstańców (Insurgents' Square). In the period of the People's Republic it bore the names Plac Wojewódzki, Plac Inwalidów Wojennych and, from 1951, Plac Feliksa Dzierżyńskiego. The present name was given in 1990. The monument to Wojciech Korfanty, by Zygmunt Brachmański, was unveiled on 19 June 1999. On the plinth are his words on the loyalty of the Silesian people to Christian principles and their attachment to Poland.

The square is a venue for state ceremonies, concerts and exhibitions, and during such events it is closed to passenger cars.

Nearby

Close to the square stand the Silesian Theatre and the Cathedral of Christ the King, and the Monument to the Silesian Insurgents can be reached on foot. Farther on lies the Silesian Museum.

Practical information

• Address: Katowice, Śródmieście; ul. Jagiellońska, ul. Lompy, ul. Ligonia.
• Getting there: the Jagiellońska bus stop on the northern side of the square.
• The official buildings are open according to the rules of their administrators; check them before your visit.