9th Day - Tuesday

The Plan:

I will take the tram to Laurahütte and then head north to the city museum, cross Siemianowice to the district of Bytkow and visit the residential areas. Then I will walk back through the Silesian Park.

This is how it went:

You can reach Laurahütte directly from Katowice Rynek with line 13. Since I couldn't decipher the Bilet/Automata, a friendly Polish woman helped me get the right ticket. And here comes my train:

I've always wanted to ride such a tram. The driver sometimes switches switches and sets signals:

Just riding on Trotro must be more exciting...

My GPS tells me where to get off (you can't remember the names of the stops):

When I get off, the driver runs after me and scolds me for taking pictures. I assure him that the photos are only for me personally. Then he calmed down.

Laurahütte / Huta Laura / Huta Jedność

The three names refer to the same steelworks. I am in the immediate vicinity:

And indeed:

This is what remains of Huta Laura:

For comparison, here is a romanticized depiction of Huta Laura from the 19th century:

Interestingly, there is an antiquarian bookstore across from Huta Laura:

Naturally, I went inside and looked through dusty shelves for old writings about Siemianowice and Huta Laura, and actually found some.

Next stop:

Museum Miejskie (City Museum) at Park Miejskie (City Park):

Museum Miejskie

Actually, I come across a city museum with an open door:

But with somewhat strange opening hours:

Tuesdays from 4 pm to 10 pm? A city museum?

It is 1:30 pm. There is no one inside and everything is dark. Okay, maybe I have to ring:

After a while, a very nice gentleman opens up. He is really pleased with my visit and turns on the lights in the rooms. Now we have to find a common language:

He offers me a private tour of his rooms in Polish or French(!). I spontaneously decide on French ;-)

First, I get an overview (L'History de la Haute-Silésie):

So now I know.

I am being shown the importance of Wojciech Korfanty with great dedication:

But it is also important to know how the Silesians used to iron:

This goes on for almost 2 hours. At some point, I don't know where to focus anymore (je ne sais pas où donner de la tête)...

Merci beaucoup i dziękuję bardzo and onwards. Nevertheless, it was a stellar moment of the trip!

Weglowa

Now I'm heading to the Bytkow settlement, where my ancestors lived:

This is it, the Weglowa (Coal Street) in Bytkow:

At the end of the street, there is an exceptional church:

Park Śląski (Silesian Park)

I'm going back on foot, with a detour to Park Śląski. Since my feet are really tired, I take the cable car:

Siegen - Siemianowice

Do you notice anything?