KATOWICE - In Your Pocket

22 WHERE TO STAY
Stalinogród
It was 1953 and an
elderly Polish woman
was settling into
her seat on a train
bound for Katowice.
She had stowed
her belongings and
set out her lunch,
including a family
heirloom, a salt
shaker, on the table.
Just before the train
was to depart she
heard a startling an-
pl.wikipedia.org.
nouncement. This
train wasn’t going to
Katowice after all. It was headed for a frightful sounding
place. Frantically she gathered her things in her arms and
rushed to get off the train. In her haste she fell and hit her
head and broke the treasured shaker. Taken to the hospital
with a bad concussion, she was revived then questioned
about her sudden departure from the carriage. She explained
her mishap to the doctor: She had only wanted to
go to Katowice not to Russia. The doctor smiled in seeing
her mistake, then replied that the woman had been on the
correct train, but that Katowice now had a new name, one
imposed by Moscow: Stalinogród.
That story from the 2009 collection “Train to Stalinogród
and Other Stories” by Andrzej Kozioł, reveals much about
life in the early days of the People’s Republic of Poland
(or PRL using the Polish acronym). It demonstrates the
confusion and chaos of Poland’s monumental post-
World War II change from fighting Nazis to coping with
Communists.
At least a dozen more cities in other Soviet satellites received
the “gift” of a name change, including Stalinstadt,
East Germany (now Eisenhüttenstadt near Brandenburg,
Germany) and plainly Stalin, Bulgaria (now Varna).
After the Red Army took over Katowice in 1945 following
the retreat of the Germans, a new Communist government
took over. They determined the city needed more
of everything – more space, bigger buildings and larger
factories. To be sure in 1953, the year of Joseph Stalin’s
death, the newly renamed Stalinogród benefited from the
internal dynamics of the Polish and Soviet Communist
parties, likely gaining support for public works and other
projects to honor the glory of the once fearsome leader.
The famous Spodek arena was conceived in 1955, the
result of a design competition for a large exhibition space.
But Stalinogród was a short-lived moment in the city’s
history. Under an intense public backlash and with the
memory of Stalin’s death fading and the Party’s attempt
to distance itself from cults of personality, Polish
authorities changed the name back to Katowice after
just three long years.
Today the city has mostly removed traces of its oppressive
Communist legacy and is now focused on
greater integration with Europe and the West. But the
heavy industrialization of the region owes much to the
Soviet Union and though the name may have long gone,
Stalinisation left its mark.
Qubus Hotel N-3, ul. Dworcowa 27, Gliwice, tel.
(+48) 32 300 11 00, www.qubushotel.com. A modern
cube of a hotel with pretty much everything you need within
walking distance from reception. Frankly, it’s the best hotel
in town, as well as the most modern. Rooms come with
air-conditioning, wifi and mini-bar, while the style is chic
and fresh. Suites come with Jacuzzi tubs, while the superior
apartments feature DVD players and computer. Q89
rooms (35 singles, 44 doubles, 6 suites, 4 apartments).
PTHAR6UGKW hhh
Qubus Prestige C-3, ul. Uniwersytecka 13, tel.
(+48) 32 601 01 00, www.qubushotel.com. Top
class modern business facilities inside the Altus Centre.
Occupying the top few floors of the unmissable city-centre
building, facilities include cable television, minibars, safes
and internet connections in every room. Cashing in on the
lofty location, as well as splendid views of the city from any
of the 150 rooms the hotel also has a great cocktail bar
on the 27th floor which is free to enter for guests staying
in the hotel. Q150 rooms (94 singles, 14 doubles, 36
suites, 6 apartments). POTHAR6UFG
KDW hhhh
Royal M-3, ul. Matejki 10, Gliwice, tel. (+48) 32
400 00 00, www.hotelroyal.com.pl. One of Gliwice’s
nicest hotels and right in the centre of the Old Town - you
really can’t do much better. A four-star affair, adorned with
an over-abundance of balustrades and Doric columns,
mirrored tables, archways and open space, Royal has a
real air of aristocracy to it. The rooms are spacious and
the suites even more so, with large luxurious bathrooms
you may be tempted to spend your entire trip in, as well
as internet, 50 channel TV, a mini bar and safe. A classy
restaurant, conference centre and fitness room are also
on site, but if you really want to treat yourself like royalty,
you’ll be scampering back and forth between the dry and
steam saunas, massage table and your insuite bathroom.
Q50 rooms (14 singles, 36 doubles). PTHAFL
GKDW hhh
Mid-range
Blues Hotel I-1, ul. Wolności 15, Chorzów, tel.
(+48) 32 771 94 36, www.blues-hotel.pl. Impressive.
These shockingly stylish rooms right on Chorzów’s
high street have to be the hippest place to hit the sack
in town. Carrying over the blues theme from the Szuflada15
restaurant and jazz club housed in the same old
tenement building, Blues has nailed the ‘birth of cool’
aesthetic; all that’s missing (gratefully) is the poster
of Miles Davis. Modern rooms in shades of steel gray,
silver and deep blue come with fashionable furnishings,
satellite TV, free wireless and slick bathrooms. Choose
between 2 singles, 6 doubles and 2 triples, all of them
handicap accessible and in danger of making you extend
your visit. Q10 rooms (2 singles, 6 doubles, 2 triples).
PAR6UGKW hhh
Campanile F-5, ul. Sowińskiego 48, tel. (+48) 32
205 50 50, www.campanile.com.pl. Great value in a
city where accommodation is still very limited in choice.
Modern, Identikit rooms come with shower room, cable
tv, wireless internet and comfortable beds. The breakfast
buffet is as good as you will find in a Polish 2-star hotel and
the competitive pricing policy means that Campanile have a
winning formula. You are advised to book ahead if planning
on staying during the week when the city’s hotels fill up with
business travellers. Q77 rooms (77 singles, 77 doubles).
PTHA6UGKW hh
Katowice In Your Pocket katowice.inyourpocket.com
• 76 AIR-CONDITIONED ROOMS WITH
TV AND BATHROOM
• FREE WIRELESS INTERNET HOTSPOT
• RESTAURANT WITH
INTERNATIONAL CUISINE
• COMFORTABLE CONFERENCE ROOMS
• MONITORED CAR-PARK
DeSilva Inn Katowice Airport ul. Równoległa 2,
Pyrzowice, tel. (+48) 32 393 88 88, www.desilva.
pl. With Katowice airport located some way from the city
centre, this new business hotel is ideally located for those
with an early flight. 77 air-conditioned rooms come fitted
out with all modern cons and large, comfortable beds
while the in-house bar and restaurant and impressive
conferencing facilities make it a very handy business
choice. Q77 rooms (77 singles, 77 doubles, 77 triples).
PTHA6ULGKW hhh
Diament Economy Gliwice N-2, ul. Zwycięstwa
42, Gliwice, tel. (+48) 32 231 18 21, www.hotelediament.pl.
A splendid art nouveau facade hides
some of the best value accommodation in Gliwice,
and it comes as absolutely no surprise that we’re to
thank the chaps behind the Diament brand. Expect the
uniform three star trimmings, including free internet
access and a separate floor for non-smoking fingerwaggers.
A hairdresser and beauty salon have also
been opened inside. Q27 rooms (7 singles, 20 doubles).
TA6ULGKW hhh
Diament Zabrze ul. Cisowa 4, Zabrze (Zaborze
Południe), tel. (+48) 32 721 10 00, www.hotelediament.pl.
Set inside a powder blue building the
Diament is a no-nonsense mid-ranger with a tiled lobby
that appears to double as an art gallery. Rooms come
decorated with pleasant neutral colours and feature
spotless bathrooms, satellite TV and wireless internet
access. The restaurant is one of your best chances
for a meal that won’t debilitate you. Q38 rooms (12
singles, 22 doubles, 4 suites). THA6ULG
KDW hhh
katowice.inyourpocket.com
WHERE TO STAY
SOWIŃSKIEGO 48, 40-018 KATOWICE, TEL: +48 (032) 205 50 50, FAX: +48 (032) 209 06 06
EMAIL: KATOWICE@CAMPANILE.COM
Hotel Bella Notte K-4, ul. Paderewskiego 35,
Chorzów, tel. (+48) 32 606 82 82, www.stylehotels.pl.
A stylish new hotel located next to the Arsenal Palace Hotel
on the Katowice/Chorzów border, guests are entitled to use
the facilities of their illustrious neighbour such as the swimming
pool, sauna and fitness centre. An attractive choice in
its own right, Bella Notte features 32 standard rooms, 12
deluxe rooms and a two-storey apartment is also available.
Q45 rooms (43 singles, 43 doubles, 1 suite, 1 apartment).
THAR6ULGW hhh
Hotel Rycerski (Knights Hotel) ul. Będzińska
53, Czeladź, tel. (+48) 32 763 58 88, www.hotelrycerski.pl.
Nestled on the road between Czeladź and
Będzin, this sleeper has been made to look like a Polish
mountain hut from the outside, but harbours spacious,
well-equipped, modern rooms set out on the inside.
You’ll need a car to get around, but you’re compensated
with very good accommodation at affordable rates, with
a recommended Polish restaurant and bar meaning you
don’t need to go anywhere else to eat like one of the
aforementioned knights. Modern conference, meeting
and banqueting facilities, plus an adjacent children’s
playground, seem to have made it a success from the
word ‘go’. Q26 rooms (24 singles, 19 doubles, 1 suite, 1
apartment). THARGK hhh
Ibis Katowice - Zabrze R-1, ul. Jagiellońska 4,
Zabrze, tel. (+48) 32 777 70 00, www.accorhotels.
com. Opened with a swipey card, the rooms at the Ibis are
everything one expects from these middle-bracket stalwarts.
Plain and identikit it might be, but your accommodation is
guaranteed to be absolutely pristine, with soundproof doors
and extra-strong curtains ensuring your sleep faces no inter-
July - October 2012
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