Flourishing Polish cultural life

 

One of the aspects of living in the Silesian Voivodship was to create a Polish cultural life. When Michał Grażyński became Voivod in 1926, patronage of artistic communities and cultural institutions was initiated, financed by the Silesian Treasury. Upper Silesia offered favourable conditions for creative work for famous painters (e.g. Julian Fałat, Rafał Malczewski), writers (e.g. Zofia Kossak-Szczucka, Gustaw Morcinek) and numerous architects.

In subsequent years, local Polish cultural life began to develop anew. The art of theatre was pursued by numerous amateur groups, the professional team of the Polish Theatre (Teatr Polski) in Katowice and numerous tours by actors from all over Poland. Universal access to books had been guaranteed for many years by the Society of People’s Reading Rooms (Towarzystwo Czytelni Ludowych). Cinematography attracted considerable interest, as evidenced by the large number of cinemas and even local film studios, notably “Espefilm”. Singing and music societies were popular. The interwar period also saw the expansion of the local museum network, with the Silesian Museum in Katowice as a primary example.

Numerous construction projects initiated by the voivodship authorities as well as other local authorities, religious groups and private investors helped the community of local architects to flourish. The location near the border and the need to move away from the German cultural heritage motivated artists to seek new solutions. New forms of modernism were developed and the latest achievements in construction engineering were used.

 

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+ Official ceremony on Kopiec Wyzwolenia (Liberation Hill) in Piekary Śląskie in 1937 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of a part of Upper Silesia joining Poland. A speech by Voivod Grażyński    (NATIONAL DIGITAL ARCHIVES OF POLAND)

 

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+ Garrison Church in Katowice, built in 1930–1931, designed by Leon Dietz d'Army   (OWNED BY THE SILESIAN MUSEUM IN KATOWICE)

 

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+ Group of journalists at the building site of the Silesian Museum in   (NATIONAL DIGITAL ARCHIVES OF POLAND)

 

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+  Day of the Sea celebrated in Katowice in 1937. Photograph by Czesław Datka   (NATIONAL DIGITAL ARCHIVES OF POLAND)

 

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+ Postcard showing the theatre building in Katowice (OWNED BY THE SILESIAN MUSEUM IN KATOWICE)

 

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+ The auditorium of the People’s House (Dom Ludowy) in Królewska Huta (since 1934: Chorzów)   (NATIONAL DIGITAL ARCHIVES OF POLAND)

 

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+ Design of the Silesian Museum building by Karol Schayer, front view   (NATIONAL DIGITAL ARCHIVES OF POLAND)

 

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+ The shell of the Silesian Museum building, 1938    (NATIONAL DIGITAL ARCHIVES OF POLAND)

 

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+ Complex of buildings of the Józef Piłsudski Voivodship Therapeutic and Educational Institution in Istebna, designed by Jadwiga Dobrzyńska and Zygmunt Łoboda. The sanatorium was built in 1930–1937 and financed by the Silesian Voivodship Office. The institution has provided medical treatment to children from the very beginning (currently: “Kubalonka” Voivodship Paediatrics Centre)  (OWNED BY THE SILESIAN MUSEUM IN KATOWICE)

 

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+ In the interwar period, Dr. Tadeusz Dobrowolski among the most important figures in the Upper Silesian cultural circles. From 1927 onwards, he held the post of district conservator in the Silesian Voivodship Office, and in 1929 he was appointed the first director of the Silesian Museum in Katowice, responsible for creating the collection and the structure of this institution   (OWNED BY THE SILESIAN MUSEUM IN KATOWICE)