Stacja Biblioteka in Ruda Śląska

Stacja Biblioteka (Library Station) is the main seat of the Municipal Public Library in Ruda Śląska, set up in the historic railway station building at Ruda Chebzie. Trains still stop here, and the station hall has kept its function as a waiting room.

A station of brick and steel

The Chebzie district developed from the end of the 18th century together with industry. In 1822 the Gute Hoffnung zinc works was started, and in 1825 the Morgenroth works. A halt on the line from Wrocław to Mysłowice was opened in 1846, and the first station building was built in 1857. The present one was erected from 1897 to 1899.

The façade is unusual: steel trusses filled with facing brick imitate half-timbering (Prussian wall). It is decorated with bricks in various colours and with ornaments of white and green glazed bricks.

Saving a decaying monument

For years the building decayed, and alterations to the hall blurred its original appearance. In 2010 it was removed from the Industrial Monuments Route of the Silesian Voivodeship. The city leased the station from PKP in 2012, bought it at the end of 2016, and in the same year the building was entered in the heritage register. The renovation lasted from 2017 to the end of 2018 and was co-financed with EU funds.

A steel mezzanine with a glass balustrade was built in the hall, and the historic staircase, riveted cast-iron columns and ceiling ornaments were restored. The library was opened on 26 September 2019. The revitalisation was honoured with the title Station of the Year 2019, the award for the Best Public Space of the Silesian Voivodeship 2019 and the Well-Kept Monument 2019 distinction. In 2023 the building returned to the Industrial Monuments Route.

What is inside

The building houses a general lending library, a media library, a historical lending library, a reading room combined with a café, and a gallery; there is a children's corner for the youngest. The library organises exhibitions, author meetings, performances and workshops, and also hosts the Kakauszale festival, devoted to Silesian books and culture. Since 2021 the STEM Kindloteka has operated here, with free robotics and programming classes for children aged 7 to 15.

Practical information

• Address: Dworcowa 33, Ruda Śląska (Chebzie district).
• The building also works as a railway station, so it is easy to reach by rail. Check the library's opening hours on its website before your visit.
• In Ruda Śląska you can also see the Museum of the History of the Polish People's Republic, and nearby the Guido Mine (Guido Mine and Coal Mining Museum).