Before revitalisation
The Centre for Education and Business – Nowe Gliwice is a unique place which owes its „life” to the Gliwice coal mine. The two beautifully renovated brick buildings rising from the ground in Bojkowska Street, which catch the eye already from afar, are the remains of the „Gliwice” mine buildings from the first decade of the 20th century.
In the 20th century an important point on the economic map of Gliwice was the coal mine, which extracted coal in the southern district of the city called Trynek. Until 1945 the plant was called „Gliwitzer Grube”, and after that date it became KWK „Gliwice”. The construction of this mining plant began in 1901 by merging 16 adjacent mining fields, which belonged to William Suermondt and a group of entrepreneurs from the Rhineland. However, it was not until nine years later that the shafts began to be drilled.
Along with the excavation of the shafts, the construction of the mine’s most striking buildings also began. According to the design of the architects Emil and Georg Zillmann, who became famous as the creators of Katowice’s Giszowiec and Nikiszowiec buildings, construction began on a huge guildhall with a bathhouse, engine room and boiler house. All three buildings stood in a single line on the north-south axis. After the Second World War, the Gliwice mine continued to operate for over half a century, closing in 2000.
After revitalisation
The Gliwice mine was quite lucky; a few years after the last tonne of coal went out from under the ground, the first stage of revitalisation began, covering a 15-hectare site. Twenty-five hectares were eventually revitalised. Thanks to the commitment of the municipal authorities, the post-mining areas and facilities were developed as the Education and Business Centre – Nowe Gliwice. Today, it is a mecca for companies involved in new technologies. Modern premises of innovative companies are located here next to the historic buildings of the former mine.
The real adornment of Nowe Gliwice is the renovated 100-year-old buildings of the guildhall and engine room. Both historic buildings dominate the surroundings, even though they are located deep within the plot. The location of the main entrance to the campus on the axis between the buildings further emphasises their prominence.
However, the wagon with the last tonne of coal, which stands honourably between the guildhall and the engine house, is not the only remnant of the mine. The Nowe Gliwice project has kept the external appearance of the historic buildings of the former Gliwice mine unchanged. The facades have been cleaned and the roofing replaced. New aluminium and wooden joinery closely reproduces the original glazing divisions. During construction, efforts were also made to preserve the original floors, balustrades and clinker wall cladding.
