Welcome to my Town

If Katowice had a long-lost cousin, it would be Butte Montana. Built on coal mining and steel, it's a working mans' city. The sky is bright blue today. Grey skies and a quick occasional sprinkle of rain seem to be the normal, however it never seems to slow anyone down and the sidewalks stay bustling. When the sun peaks out, you soak in the rays. Once it's gray again, the chill returns the need for a sweater.

Join me, on a walk around town. Located first from where we stepped off of the trolley from our flat is the Muzeum Slaskie (Silesian Museum - Silesia is the region in which Katowice is located). Founded in 1929, the Nazis took the museum's collections to a different city in 1940 and tore the building down. In 1984 the museum returned it's collections to the current location which was formerly a hotel.

Muzeum Slaskie



Buildings in the Rynek (Market Square).


 

Remodeling of the Train Station. 



Rynek



The Spodek (multi-purpose arena). In the winter it is the home of HC GKS Katowice ice hockey club. In 1997 it hosted Chumbawumba, just a side note.



The back streets of Katowice.



Chuck is everywhere! He's the spokesperson for a bank, notice the złotys in his glasses. Poland is part of the EU (European Union) but has stayed with their own currency. A złoty is made up of 100 groszy. Eventually Poland will have to adopt the euro as part of EU conditions. Currently however, unlike other countries in the EU, Poland has not been faced by recession. So it is not surprising that many Poles are not excited about joining the euro (think Greece). 



Mining rigs decorate the city.

Streets of Katowice.

Church



Glimpse of architecture of side of church.



Courtyard of church.

Hope you enjoyed the tour. She's a city of many stories and events. From everything to the neighboring Auschwitz to the Silesia City Center which was just last year expanded by none other than Paris Hilton, we have a lot to cover in the days ahead.

Dzień dobry (good day).