Before revitalisation
The Wilson Shaft Gallery is located on the site of the former shaft of the Wieczorek coal mine, whose history dates back to 1826, as it was in that year that the Morgenroth mining field was granted. A key moment in the development of the mine was the consolidation of the mining fields by the Georg von Giesches Erben company, which established the 'Gieshe’ mine in 1883. The patronal estate Giszowiec was built to serve the needs of the coal mining workers. The buildings of the Wilson Shaft were designed by the cousins Emil and Georg Zillmann, and the shafts located on the site of today’s gallery were originally called „Richthofen” and „Hulda”. In 1935 they were renamed 'Wilson’, after the President of the United States. After the war, the site belonged to the „Wieczorek” mine. In 1995, the Wilson shaft was closed down.
After revitalisation
The Wilson Shaft Gallery is the largest private art gallery in Poland with an exhibition area of over 2,500 square metres. The Wilson Shaft is located in Katowice on the border of three districts: Nikiszowiec, Janów and Szopienice. Since 1998, a private investor and the Eko-Art Silesia Foundation have made a successful attempt to adapt the building into a contemporary art gallery. The gallery has a unique collection of its own contemporary art – paintings, sculptures and installations. You can admire works by Karol Wieczorek, Andrzej Urbanowicz, Marek Kamieński, Lech Kołodziejczyk, Andrzej Tobis, the Eco-Industri-Art Group, Erwin Sówka and the old Janowska Group, as well as foreign artists. In addition to exhibiting its own collections, the aim of the Wilson Shaft Gallery is also to promote young, ambitious and bold artists from all over the world. Wanting to change the post-industrial face of grey Silesia, a group of people associated with this place seek contemporary beauty. The gallery is willing to make the space of this unique place available not only to local artists connected to the region.
