A theatre on Plac Teatralny named after Kazimierz Kutz in Rybnik, built in 1958-1964, with a 650-seat hall, a chamber hall and the “Oblicza” gallery, a heritage monument since 2023.
The Rybnik Land Theatre (Teatr Ziemi Rybnickiej) stands in the centre of Rybnik, on the Kazimierz Kutz Theatre Square (plac Teatralny). Wide steps with a green area and a water cascade lead to the building from Plac Wolności. The building from 1958-1964 is an example of post-war cultural architecture and has been entered in the heritage register since 2023.
The first plans for the construction appeared in 1953, and work began in 1958. The theatre was put into use on Barbórka (St Barbara's Day, the miners' holiday), 4 December 1964. It was designed by the architects Jerzy Gottfried, Henryk Buszko and Aleksander Franta of the Katowice design office Miastoprojekt. The building is made of brick. In 2006 the building underwent a thorough modernisation, financed mostly from European Union funds. The heritage register entry bears the number A/1173/23 and dates from 21 April 2023.
The free-standing building occupies an irregular, polygonal plot on a slope descending towards Plac Wolności. It has a polygonal plan, brick walls with elements of aerated concrete and partly reinforced concrete columns. The body of the building is articulated: a colonnade runs along the west, and above the middle part rises a rectangular tower. The façades are finished with plaster and light, small square ceramic tiles, on a high black plinth. The National Heritage Institute describes the building as a valuable example of post-war modernism fitted into the historic centre of the city. Inside there are three staircases, and the foyer has marble floors. The stage is 23 metres wide, with dressing rooms behind it; educational rooms have been set up on the first floor.
The main hall has 650 seats, of which 525 are on the ground floor and 125 on the balcony. The theatre also has a chamber hall, which serves as a ballet hall, and the “Oblicza” (Faces) gallery with art exhibitions. The theatre also has an open-air stage in the Nacyna Park, on the grounds of the Rybnik campus. Besides the main building, the institution also runs the Harcówka Culture Club and the Rzeczna Art Gallery.
The theatre hosts concerts, theatre and music performances, cabarets, cinema and exhibitions. The programme includes concerts by song and dance ensembles, jazz, and recurring events such as the Rybnik Musical All Souls' Day (Rybnickie Zaduszki Muzyczne) or the jazz festival. The detailed repertoire changes every month, so it is best to check it on the theatre's website.
Close by stand the Basilica of St Anthony and the Rybnik Museum, and in the neighbourhood Dżungla and the Educatorium Juliusz. A little further on begins the Kozie Góry Park, and by the water lies Lake Rybnik.
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