Water Tower on ul. Korczaka in Katowice

The water tower on ulica Janusza Korczaka in Katowice is an Art Nouveau and Modernist structure from 1911-1912, built for the zinc works of Georg von Giesches Erben. It stands in the Szopienice-Burowiec district and is entered in the heritage register.

Who built the tower and why

The tower was built in 1911-1912 to a design by Jerzy and Emil Zillmann from 1907. It stood in the then municipality of Roździeń, by the road to the Borki colony, and supplied the expanding Giesches Erben zinc works. The structure is 68 metres high, and according to the heritage register it is made of concrete and in the Art Nouveau style.

In 1919 the tower had two telescopes, which covered a horizon with a diameter of 40 km. In the interwar period the "Polska" mine operated next to it, from 1937 under the name "Dąbrówka Śląska".

Later history

In the 1960s the tower belonged to the Szopienice Non-Ferrous Metals Works, and lead shot began to be produced in it. The structure was entered in the heritage register on 29 October 1990 under number A/1418/90, and the entry was supplemented in 2021 (A/894/2021).

Practical information

• Address: ul. Janusza Korczaka 47, Katowice-Szopienice-Burowiec.
• Treat the tower as a structure to be viewed from the outside. Check the current status of the site before your visit.
• About 1.3 km further on is the Rolling Mill - Zinc Metallurgy Museum, devoted to the history of zinc, and a little further is Nikiszowiec.