Dąb, Katowice

Location

Dąb is one of Katowice's administrative districts (no. 10), located in the northern group of districts. It borders with Wełnowice-Józefowiec on the north, Koszutka and Śródmieście on the east, Załęże on the south and Chorzów (with Silesian Park) and Osiedle Tysiąclecia on the west. The district's boundaries are as follows:^[2]

• from the north – along the city border with Chorzów, then along Agnieszki, Krzyżowa [pl], and Piotr Ściegienny [pl] streets, before turning east at the Dębowe Tarasy [pl] housing estate;
• from the east – along Jan Nepomucen Stęślicki [pl] and F. W. Grundmann streets;
• from the south – along the center of the Rawa riverbed;
• from the west – along the boundary of the area owned by the Piast Housing Cooperative west of Bracka Street [pl].

According to Jerzy Kondracki's [pl] physio-geographical regionalization, Koszutka is located in the Katowice Upland [pl] mesoregion, forming the southern part of the Silesian Upland, which itself is a part of the Silesian-Kraków Upland [pl] subprovince.^[3][4]

Geology and soils

Dąb is located in the Upper Silesian Sinkhole [pl], which forms the northern part of the large Silesian-Moravian geological structure. This structure is filled with Upper Carboniferous formations, especially the coal-bearing Ruda layers (Westphalian A), which lie within the Paleozoic structures of the Central Polish Uplands.^[5] These strata, along with younger ones, cover the vast majority of district (except for a small, higher-elevation area near Złota [pl] and Bukowa streets and the vicinity of Kolonia Agnieszki [pl]) and are overlain by Quaternary formations, mainly of glacial origin, formed during the Mindel glaciation. They consist mostly of till, its weathered products, and glacial sands and gravels, while in the northern part they also include sandstones, conglomerates, mudstones, and claystones.^[6]

Soils in Dąb have been subjected to intense anthropogenic pressure due to the development of settlements, resulting in a significant proportion of initial soils. The soils there are mainly anthrosols, formed from till. They are contaminated with heavy metals (lead, cadmium, and zinc), which originate from industrial pollution and coal combustion.^[7] A significant area of soil in Dąb belongs to soil quality Class III. Class IV includes small patches near Henryk Kalemba Square and along the border with Osiedle Tysiąclecia.^[8][9]

Terrain

In terms of topography, the northern part of Dąb is located in the Chorzów Hills, which consist of undulating ranges of rounded or flattened terrain^[4] that reach up to 290 meters above sea level in the northern part of the district. The slopes of the Chorzów Hills stretch along Agnieszki Street and along Dębowa and Złota streets to the Rawa river valley.^[6][10] The area is cut by valley depressions (Dębowa Street runs along one of them).^[4]

The highest point of Dąb, reaching 295 meters above sea level, is located at the northern edge of the district, at the intersection of Agnieszki Street with Bytkowska [pl] and J. Mikusiński streets. From there, the terrain slopes downward toward the south. The southern part is situated in the Rawa Depression; its elevation at the border of Dąb, Osiedle Tysiąclecia, and Załęże is 265 m above sea level. The difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points in Dąb is therefore approximately 30 metres.^[6][10]

Climate

The climatic conditions in Dąb differ only slightly from those of Katowice as a whole. They are influenced by both climatic and local factors, as well as by human activity (e.g. the urban heat island effect). The district's climate is largely influenced by oceanic factors, which predominate over continental ones, as well as by tropical air masses that occasionally reach the area from the southwest through the Moravian Gate. The average annual temperature at the station in nearby Muchowiec for the 1961–2005 period was 8.1°C. The warmest month is July (17.8°C), and the coldest is January (–2.2°C). The average annual sunshine duration for the 1966–2005 period was 1,474 hours. The average annual precipitation for the 1951–2005 period was 713.8 mm. The average duration of snow cover is 60–70 days, and the growing season lasts an average of 200–220 days. Western and southwesterly winds prevail throughout the year, while northerly winds are the least common. The average wind speed is 2.4 m/s.^[11]

Hydrography and hydrogeology

Dąb is located entirely within the left bank of the Vistula drainage basin, in the basin of the Rawa river, a tributary of the Brynica, which flows from west to east within the district along the southern border with Załęże; its entire course is regulated and it is embanked. It serves as a receiving body for treated and untreated wastewater as well as stormwater. Between 1992 and 2002, the proportion of external water (municipal and industrial wastewater) was approximately 70%, which caused significant disruption to the natural flow. The groundwater level in the river valley is low, although its depths within the district can vary significantly due to the diversity of the subsoil, the canalization of Dąb, and the sealing of the Rawa riverbed.^[12]

There are no bodies of water in Dąb, whereas as early as the 16th century, there were a number of dammed ponds in Rawa that served forges, were used as fish ponds, and were also intended to prevent flooding. The former Załęże Pond, located in the southeastern part of Dąb, was created as early as the late 15th century.^[13]

Dąb is located within the Silesian-Kraków hydrogeological region. Aquifers are present there in all stratigraphic layers, but their significance depends on geological and hydrogeological factors, as well as human influence. Larger complexes are found in the Rawa and Kłodnica valleys. The district is located within the Main Groundwater Reservoir No. 329 Bytom, which is of karst-fissured character, but it does not contain exploitable resources within Dąb.^[14]

Nature and environmental protection

In pre-industrial times, vast forest complexes stretched across Dąb, especially to the north and west. Norway spruce stands dominated the area, though deciduous trees were also present. These forests were home to various animal species, particularly roe deers, red deers, foxes, and wild boars.^[15] In terms of potential vegetation, the higher elevations of Dąb would be covered by subcontinental oak-linden-hornbeam riparian forests, while the Rawa river valley would have lowland alder and ash-alder riparian forests of water-soil habitats.^[6] In later years, as a result of the district's industrialization and urbanization, the proportion of green spaces decreased. In its western part, Dąb borders a vast park complex, the Silesian Park. The residential part is home to synanthropic animal species such as the rock dove, house sparrow, collared dove, swift, jackdaw, magpie, and blackbird. Human activity has had a significant impact on the plant species composition, resulting in the presence of synanthropic and ruderal vegetation.^[16][17]

The following landscaped green spaces and parks are located in the district:

• Henryk Kalemba Square (intersection of Chorzowska and Dębowa streets);^[18]
• Franciszek Macherski Square (Dębowa Street);^[19]
• Augustyn Pająk Square (intersection of Wiejska and Dębowa streets).^[20]

Origins and the period to the 18th century

The first mention of Dąb appears in a document from 19 March 1299, issued by Duke Casimir of Bytom, transferring the villages of Chorzów and Krasny Dąb (Chorzow et Crasni Damb) to the Canons Regular of the Holy Sepulchre in Miechów as an endowment for the maintenance of the monastery and the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Bytom.^[21] The earlier existence of Dąb might be suggested by a document from Pope Innocent II of 1136, confirming the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Gniezno over Chorzów and the surrounding estates, as well as a document by Vladislaus I of Opole of 1257 mentioning, among other things, the reconstruction of Chorzów and Białobrzezie, which had been destroyed by a Tatar raid, by the Canons Regular of the Holy Sepulchre. Białobrzezie is likely the original name of Dąb.^[22]

Dąb is also mentioned by Jan Długosz in Liber beneficiorum dioecesis Cracoviensis, published in 1480. According to him, Duke Casimir of Bytom donated the village of Dąb to the Canons Regular of the Holy Sepulchre in 1299 as a contribution to the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Bytom. The Bishop of Kraków, Jan Muskata, accepted Duke Casimir's decision and referred to the village as Dąb in his documents.^[23]

From the 13th to the 19th century, Dąb, along with Chorzów, was owned by the Canons Regular of the Holy Sepulchre in Miechów. On behalf of the monastery, both villages were administered by the parson of Parish of St. Mary Magdalene [pl] in Chorzów. After the secularization of the order and the administrative reform in the Prussian state in 1810, Dąb became an independent gmina.^[24]

The residents of Dąb were Roman Catholic, and the nearest churches were located in Bogucice, Michałkowice [pl], and Chorzów; consequently, as the population grew, the need arose to build a church of their own. Construction of the first temple in Dąb began in 1873. The first, wooden church was dedicated on 28 February 1875 by Father Leopold Markiefka [pl] of Bogucice. A significant population increase, as well as the establishment of the church, led to the separation of Dąb from the Chorzów parish and the creation of the Parish of Saints John and Paul [pl] on 11 August 1894, with the village of Józefowiec [pl] also incorporated into the parish. Construction of the current church, designed by architect Ludwig Schneider [pl], began in 1901. The Bishop of Wrocław, Cardinal Georg Kopp, dedicated it on 15 October 1902.^[25][26]

In the early days of the village, agriculture was the dominant economic activity. Since the Middle Ages, rye and oats were the main crops, and from the 18th century onward, barley, peas, buckwheat, and millet were also grown. Potato farming became widespread in Dąb during the 19th century. Thanks to local deposits of clay and sand, sand pits and brick kilns were also active there. Dąb was likely the site of the first ore and coal mining center in present-day Katowice. Iron ore was also mined there and processed in Kuźnica Bogucka [pl]. The relatively poor deposits were already exhausted by the second half of the 16th century. Nearly two hundred years later, shafts began to be dug in Dąb, this time intended for the extraction of coal. In 1787, the Fürstin Hedwig Coal Mine was established, ownership of which was granted to the parson of Chorzów, Ludwik Bojarski [pl]. Mining ceased in 1790, but as early as 1805, a new mine, Neue Hedwig, was established, which extracted higher-quality coal through 13 shafts ranging in depth from 10 to 30 meters. It was also owned by the Chorzów parish.^[27]

19th century and early 20th century

In the first half of the 19th century, the metallurgical industry also developed in Dąb. The Friden Zinc Smelter was established, and in 1823, the puddling ironworks of John Baildon. The growth of the metallurgical industry led to an increase in demand for coal. In 1838, a new Waterloo Coal Mine was established in Dąb, owned by John Baildon and the Canons Regular of the Holy Sepulchre monastery in Miechowice. In 1826, two settlements were erected on the grounds of the Dąb monastic demesne – Józefowiec [pl] and Bederowiec [pl] – founded by the parson of Chorzów, Father Józef Beder [pl]. Dąb, as monastery property, was taken over by the Prussian state in 1840 (as part of an administrative reform), and five years later, the village, the Fürstin Hedwig and Neue Hedwig mines, and half of the Waterloo Coal Mine were transferred to the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Bytom, which had been a co-owner of the village since 1299.^[27]

After John Baildon's death, his shares passed into other hands – ultimately, the Waterloo Coal Mine became the property of Fritz von Friedlaender-Fuld, and the puddling plant was acquired by the Obereisen company in 1887.^[27]

From in the second half of the 19th century, Dąb transformed from a village into an industrial settlement. In the 1840s, it had 52 houses, a folwark, a school, two mills, and two inns. The Agnes Zinc Smelter, the Baildon Steelworks, and the Arthur and Waterloo coal mines operated there. In 1907, the Eminencja Coal Mine [pl] began production, owned by the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, the parish in Chorzów, and the Baildon Steelworks.^[27]

In 1828, the first school in Dąb was established in a rented cottage, and 30 years later, it received its own building. Until 1847, classes were taught only in Polish, and it remained the language of instruction until 1872. By the late 19th century, Dąb had become an important center of Polish cultural life. Active organizations there included: the Christian Workers' Union (1882–1885), which staged numerous theatrical productions, the Society of St. Aloysius (from 1892), which also organized theatrical performances, the Echo (from 1896), the Catholic Workers' Society, and the Youth Social Club. In the 1880s, the Polish Reading Room also began operating there.^[28]

Interwar period

After the capitulation of Germany and the end of World War I in 1918, an independent Poland was established, and with it, the question of Upper Silesia's future was revived. The residents of Dąb actively participated in the three Silesian Uprisings. During the plebiscite in Upper Silesia on 20 March 1921, 54% of eligible inhabitants of Gmina Dąb voted in favor of joining Poland. During the Third Silesian Uprising, insurgent units concentrated in Dąb launched an attack on Katowice on 3 May 1921. Along with part of Upper Silesia, it became part of the borders of the reborn Poland. On 20 June 1922, the Polish authorities formally took over Dąb, which until October 1924 was a rural gmina comprising the villages of Józefowiec and Bederowiec, as well as the settlements of Kolonia Agnieszki [pl] and Sośnina [pl]. After Dąb was incorporated into Katowice on 15 October 1924, the separated village of Józefowiec became part of the municipality of Gmina Wełnowiec.^[29] After 1918, social and cultural life in Dąb flourished – the Society of Polish Women [pl] and the St. Hyacinth Educational Society began their activities, as did a branch of the Sokół Gymnastic Society and the Dąb Katowice sports club.^[30]

World War II

On the eve of the outbreak of World War II, in August 1939, a self-defense unit was organized in Dąb, co-organized by, among others, an officer of the Silesian Voivodeship Police, Jan Górski [pl]. On 15–16 August, he helped lead an operation to dismantle a group of German conspirators.^[31]

On 2 September 1939, German forces entered Dąb. The following day, major clashes with the Germans took place along the route from Katowice to Chorzów, where Lieutenant Franciszek Kruczek's patrol fought against a Freikorps Ebbinghaus unit commanded by Ewald Wutzen. The final fighting in the Katowice area lasted until 7 September 1939. After occupying Dąb, the Germans began ethnic cleansing – all former Silesian insurgents were dismissed from the Eminencja Coal Mine, and a group of insurgents was executed at the Baildon Steelworks. Many residents of the district and those connected to it perished in the death camps, including Father Karol Żmij [pl], Father Józef Kania [pl], Father Franciszek Macherski [pl], Jan Oleś, and Józef Walus. Between 1941 and 1945, several labor camps operated on the grounds of the Baildon Steelworks. In early 1945, the Red Army launched an offensive in Dąb. In January of that year, Soviet bombers carried out air raids that damaged several buildings.^[32][33]

Post-war years

After World War II, operations resumed at the district's largest industrial facilities. Production at the Baildon Steelworks began again on 1 February 1945. Over the next few years, the steelworks underwent modernization, especially in the 1950s and 1960s. Mining at the Eminencja Coal Mine also resumed on 1 February 1945, and in March 1953, it was named after the late President of Czechoslovakia, Klement Gottwald. In the meantime, the Katowice mining field was incorporated into the mine. On 1 January 1974, it was merged with the Kleofas Coal Mine in Załęże. In 1955, the Gottwald Coal Mine opened a kindergarten and a community center on Krzyżowa Street [pl], and in 1961, a swimming pool on Dębowa Street. In 1981, a clinic was opened at the corner of Żelazna [pl] and Chorzowska streets.^[34]

In the 1990s, the gradual liquidation of mining operations at the Kleofas Coal Mine began, which continued until 1994. On 18 November 2005, a new shopping center – Silesia City Center – opened on the site of the closed mine, and on 22 February 2007, construction began on the Dębowe Tarasy [pl] housing estate,^[34] which continued until March 2022.^[35]

Road transport

The main thoroughfares of Dąb include roads that developed alongside the district's urban growth, especially Dębowa Street [pl], where the oldest buildings are located. Other major internal thoroughfares include Agnieszki, John Baildon [pl], Bracka [pl], Krzyżowa [pl], Piotr Ściegienny [pl], and Złota [pl] streets.^[10][80]

Dąb is very well connected to the rest of the region. Two of the major roads in Metropolis GZM run through there – voivodeship road 902 (Drogowa Trasa Średnicowa; within Dąb, the Lviv Eagles Overpass) and national road 79 (Chorzowska Street). They connect with Bracka and Feliks Bocheński [pl] streets and continue south through Załęże to the A4 motorway at a major interchange. In terms of intra-city connections, Dąb has very good links to Śródmieście (along Chorzowska Street and Drogowa Trasa Średnicowa), as well as to neighboring districts and, along the main roads, to, among others, Bogucice, Koszutka, Giszowiec, and Szopienice-Burowiec.^[80]

Public transport

Public transportation in Dąb consists of buses and trams, operated on behalf of the Metropolitan Transport Authority. There is no rail network. As of August 2020, there are 7 stops in the district, 3 of which are combined tram and bus stops, and 4 are bus stops. Bus routes run along the district's main thoroughfares, while the tram line runs parallel to Chorzowska Street on a dedicated track. The main public transportation routes in Dąb are:^[81]

• Chorzowska Street; at the Dąb Kościół stop, 13 bus lines (6, 7, 7N, 23, 109, 110, 673, 674, 820, 830, 830N, 840, 840N) and 6 tram lines (0, 6, 11, 19, 23, and 33); this route is mainly intercity, with the main destinations being Śródmieście, Chorzów, Bytom, Tarnowskie Góry, and Gliwice;
• The Agnieszki–Krzyżowa–P. Ściegienny route; at the Dąb Krzyżowa stop, 4 bus lines (lines: 0, 50, 110, 193); mainly intra-city lines and to Siemianowice Śląskie.

The origins of the tram network in the district date back to the late 19th century. At that time, the Berlin-based company Kramer & Co. applied for a concession to build a narrow-gauge steam tram line along the route between Królewska Huta, Dąb, Katowice, Wełnowiec, and Huta Laura [pl], which it was granted on 23 March 1896. In the same year, the section between Katowice (near the present-day Jerzy Ziętek Square), Wełnowiec, and Huta Laura was built, while two years later construction began on the tram line between Katowice (Market Square), Dąb, and Królewska Huta, which was completed in August and put into service on 25 November 1898. The route through Dąb remained narrow-gauge until 1940. At that time, a standard-gauge route was put into service on the section between the Market Square, Dąb, and Chorzów's Market Square.^[82]

Bicycle infrastructure

Dąb has a network of bicycle paths located along the following streets:^[83][84]

• The northern part of Chorzowska Street, from J. N. Stęślicki Street to the intersection with Bracka Street; there is a free, unguarded bicycle parking lot near Silesia City Center;^[85]
• Bracka Street (eastern side);
• Bożogrobców Street (western and southern sides).

Dąb also has a municipal bike-sharing network – Metrorower – which replaced the City by bike [pl] system. The first two stations were put into service in 2019 as part of participatory budgeting projects. The cost of launching them was 105,000 złoty.^[86] As of March 2024, the following stations are in operation there: 27071 (P. Ściegienny Street), 27312 (Dębowa Street), 27314 (Żelazna Street), and 27706 (Chorzowska Street).^[87]

Urban development

The urban layout of Dąb had already taken shape before the village was officially established. A road leading to Kraków, known as "Via magna", was designated within the territory of the district. From the direction of Załęże, it ran along the present-day Żelazna Street and continued along the current P. Ściegienny Street to Bytków [pl]. The route to Chorzów ran partly along Szpitalna Street. The oldest settlements in Dąb wawere concentrated on this street and along the present-day Wiejska Street. Buildings were also located in the area of the current intersection of Bracka and Chorzowska streets, near the former folwark. By the 17th century, the urban layout of Dąb was already largely established. The axis of the village's layout was an unnamed stream that flowed along Dębowa and Agnieszki streets. Today's Studzienna, Sportowa, Węglowa, and Źródlana streets were dirt roads at that time. On the western side of Dąb, between Lipowa and Szpitalna streets, there were farm buildings, and fields stretched perpendicular to the main road.^[99][100]

In the early 19th century, the buildings in Dąb along Dębowa Street were wooden and thatched. At that time, the road between Bytom, Królewska Huta, and Katowice (now Chorzowska Street) was constructed, and in 1896, a tram line was opened running parallel to it. As industry developed, new housing for workers was built. In the 1860s, a neighborhood of single-story houses was erected on Studzienna Street, which remains one of the oldest building complexes in Dąb to this day. New tenements were built in the area of farm buildings. This development was particularly intense at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. During this time, the Baildon Steelworks was also expanded, as was the Eminencja Coal Mine [pl] (including the management office and the workers' hall). In 1900, a plan for the expansion of Dąb was drawn up. At that time, Bukowa and Złota streets were laid out parallel to Dębowa Street. New development continued to concentrate along it. Between 1901 and 1904, familoks were built at Lipowa and Krzyżowa streets, as well as Kolonia Agnieszki (now in Wełnowiec-Józefowiec).^[100][101]

Relatively few buildings were constructed during the interwar period compared to the prewar era, including those built in the 1920s at 6–8 Dębowa Street and on the present-day Bukowa Street. The main streets in the district were paved: Chorzowska, Dębowa, Agnieszki, Żelazna, and Lipowa. In the 1930s, construction began on the Holy Spirit Villa Estate on Błękitna and Widok streets.^[102]

In the postwar years, development in Dąb intensified significantly. During the Polish People's Republic era, between 1958 and 1961, a neighborhood of single-family homes was built in the area of Brzoskwiniowa and Morelowa streets. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, construction continued on Osiedle Ducha in the area of Widok, P. Ściegienny, and Błękitna streets. The vast majority of buildings were completed by the 1970s. The western and northeastern areas of the district were also expanded – between 1960 and 1975, a housing estate was built along Akacjowa Street and at Gruszowa and Jabłoniowa streets. During the same period, apartment blocks were built on Sportowa and Złota streets.^[97]