Photos: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Krzysztof Popławski, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 Frank Schulenburg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Krzysztof Popławski, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 Frank Schulenburg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Giszowiec: the other garden city
Your local guide
Agnieszka Kowal
View profile
Highlights
- A garden-city built for coal miners
- Low houses, space and greenery
- Two settlements, two different plans
- Original street layout, still intact
- Katowice's other mining garden city
About this tour
This session looks at Giszowiec, a garden-city settlement built by the same coal company behind Nikiszowiec but designed with more space and greenery. You see the low houses with their gardens, then the original street layout that set it apart from denser mining housing nearby. It is a look at two different ideas about how to house the same workforce.
We start at the houses with a short sound check, then walk the original streets so you can see the planning choices for yourself. I explain the comparison with Nikiszowiec as we go and take questions throughout. A written list of the two settlements' differences follows afterwards.
It suits anyone who has already covered Nikiszowiec and wants the fuller comparison. It also works well for anyone interested in early twentieth-century urban planning.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Katowice before heading out.
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Giszowiec garden houses 21 min
The camera opens on a row of low, garden-style houses, and I explain how the same coal company that built Nikiszowiec designed this settlement with more space and greenery for its workers.
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Original street layout 21 min
We move through the settlement's original street layout, and you see how it was planned around small gardens rather than the dense courtyards used nearby.
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Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Katowice: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Kluski slaskie and Nikiszowiec, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Warsaw time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 9 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Katowice, showing you Giszowiec garden houses and Original street layout live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I walk Katowice live with my phone.
Times shown in Warsaw time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Sat 31 Oct · 9 seats left From 22,00 €
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