Things to do in Katowice
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Nikiszowiec
Those with time on their hands should head for the suburb of Nikiszowiec where there is a unique housing estate built for miners (and their families) who worked at the nearby Nickisch (now Poniatowski) shaft between 1908 and 1924.
Built of attractive red brick, with a network of streets between them, the nine blocks are interconnected by gateways, and the complex was totally self-sufficient, with everything from shops, restaurants and a swimming pool to a hospital, a school and a detention centre. Bus 12 goes here from the centre.
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Rynek
The central Rynek is not lined with historic burghers' houses as you'd find elsewhere in Silesia but encircled by drab postwar blocks. It's a showpiece of the 'early Gierek style' - the term Poles sarcastically give to architecture spawned during the fleeting period of apparent prosperity in the early 1970s, when Edward Gierek's government took out hefty loans from the West to make Poland a 'second Japan'.
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Cathedral of Christ the King
Some 800m south of the Rynek is the Cathedral of Christ the King, Poland’s largest cathedral, measuring 89m by 53m. The massive sandstone structure was erected between 1927 and 1955. The spacious interior is topped with a large dome rising 59m from the floor, but apart from colourful stained-glass windows and an unusual ‘wheel’ crucifix it’s fairly plain.
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Pedestrian Stip Eateries
Several pedestrian strips hold Katowice's highest concentrations of eateries: ul Stawowa, just north of the train station, has plenty of snack bars and unfussy restaurants; while the areas around ul Staromiejska and ul Wawelska, northeast of the station, are a bit more cosmopolitan and upmarket.
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Silesian Museum
North of the Rynek, the Silesian Museum features one permanent exhibition – Polish paintings from 1800 to 1939 – as well as various temporary displays from its vast collections (fine art, archaeology, ethnography and local history and culture).
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Złoty Osioł
A cheerful, popular vegetarian café of the kind you’d expect in health-conscious Western Europe, the ‘Golden Donkey’ has hippy décor (think psychedelic walls and distressed furniture) and meat-free dishes, including some vegan dishes.
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Provincial Park of Culture and Recreation
The enormous Provincial Park of Culture and Recreation is possibly Katowice's most popular attraction and the conurbation's most important recreation area. It includes a large stadium, zoo, amusement grounds, planetarium and the Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park.
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Skyscraper
Just east of the Jewish cemetery is the Skyscraper, Poland's first such building when completed in 1934 and considered the best example of functionalism in Poland. The 14-storey, 60m-tall tower was the highest building in the country until 1955.
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Gaudi Café
In tribute to the acclaimed Spanish architect, this is the coolest café on the centre’s coolest pedestrian street. The coffee and cakes are good, but it’s the out-there interior that’ll leave you in awe.
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Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park
The Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park has scores of traditional wooden buildings spread over 20 hectares. The park is about 3km northwest of the centre; reach it from the Rondo on tram 6, 11 or 23.
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La Grotta
On a short but heaving pedestrian street by the train station, this charming two-floor trattoria is Katowice’s best Italian eatery and reaches far beyond the usual pizza and pasta offerings.
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Jewish Cemetery
Katowice has Silesia’s best-preserved Jewish Cemetery. Established in 1868, it’s divided into two parts, of which the front one is the older.
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Church of St Michael
In Park Kościuszki is the lovely, timber-shingled Church of St Michael, dating from 1510 and brought from the Upper Silesian village of Syrynia in 1939.
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Archdiocesan Museum
The Archdiocesan Museum has a collection of sacral art from the late 14th century, including some beautiful Gothic altarpieces.
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Restauracja a Dong
With the university having just added Chinese to its curriculum, there is a need for authentic Chinese food in Katowice and this is your baby.
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Dekadencja
Arguably the best dive on a street of dives. Decadence is the kind of place you’ll come to and never leave. Legendary club nights.
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Spodek
A sports and concert stadium built in 1971 that truly deserves its name of ‘Flying Saucer’.
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Spiż
This branch of the Wrocław microbrewery bar-restaurant has live music some nights.
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Garrison Church of St Casimir
Opposite the skyscraper is the lovely Art Deco Garrison Church of St Casimir.
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Rondo Art Gallery
The large roundabout called the Rondo now houses the new Rondo Art Gallery.
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