Elżbieta Shaft Complex in Chorzów

The Elżbieta shaft complex consists of brick buildings of a closed shaft of the Król coal mine, erected in the early 20th century in Chorzów on ulica Siemianowicka. The buildings look like a small castle: they have a Neo-Gothic style, crenellated parapets and façades plastered to imitate rusticated stone.

The shaft and the mine

The shaft changed its name over time, and as Elisabeth (Elżbieta) it served as a ventilation and materials shaft, that is, for transporting materials, including timber. It was 189 metres deep and 3.5 metres in diameter. It was in use until the early 1980s and was then closed by backfilling. The complex was built for the needs of the Król (German: König) mine, and sources date its construction differently: to 1908, to 1911-1912 or to 1913-1914. It was designed by the master builder Hermann Tschentscher, and the shaft belonged to the mine's Eastern Field. A narrow-gauge railway, closed in the 1980s, connected it to the Prezydent shaft.

What the complex includes

The monument includes a tower with a shaft building, a compressor and winding engine building, a switchgear room, a changing room and a gatehouse. The whole is listed in the heritage register from 1981. A similar shaft building of the Wanda shaft from 1911 on ulica Katowicka was demolished because of mining damage, so Elżbieta remains a rare testimony of this type of industrial architecture.

Today and nearby

Since the mid-1990s the tower has been in private hands, has been revitalised and houses an events centre with a restaurant. It is a living site, so it is best viewed from the outside. Nearby stands the Prezydent Shaft, and the Silesian Park is less than two kilometres away.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Siemianowicka 64, Chorzów.
• The complex functions as a restaurant and reception hall; the rules for entry are set by its operator.