Workers' Housing Estate “Kolonia Fabryczna”

Kolonia Fabryczna in Boruszowice is a historic workers' estate that grew up beside a gunpowder factory in 1895-1920. The complex comprises about 35 detached residential and farm buildings over an area of about five hectares, and in 2017 it was entered in the heritage register. The estate gave rise to present-day Boruszowice.

The factory and the estate

The Pulverfabrik Pniowitz works, built in 1891-1894, produced black powder and explosives. The estate for clerks and workers was built alongside: in 1895 eight buildings were erected, more in 1897-1899, 1904 and 1907, and the main development was completed in 1910-1920. The works were closed in 1924, and from 1929 to 1993 a paper mill operated on the site.

The buildings

The layout of the estate is compact, with a geometric grid of streets. There are brick familoks (workers' family houses) with gabled roofs, semi-detached houses, wooden four-family houses with porches, and villa-type houses, one of which has a turret. The flats had three rooms and a large kitchen, and the houses had gardens. The former casino on Składowa Street, with dormers and a corner turret, is today a branch of the municipal library. The Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows was set up around 1918 in a building that had been erected in 1899 as a dance hall.

Nearby

Not far away lies the botanical garden in Brynek, and the estate neighbours Tarnowskie Góry.

Practical information

• Address: Armii Krajowej, Obrońców Pokoju and Składowa streets, Boruszowice, municipality of Tworóg.
• This is an inhabited estate, so it is viewed from the street, respecting the privacy of residents.
• Since the 1960s some of the buildings have been rebuilt, but most of the complex has kept its original character.