Europe

Katowice's oldest existing Catholic parish church was built from Silesian dolomite, not the usual red brick, between 1862 and 1870 to a design by the famous Breslau (Wrocław) architect Alexis Langer. Originally planned on a far grander scale than it was eventually built, the 43m-long, 31m-wide neo-Gothic building features an eye-catching, trademark Langer 71m octagonal tower and a feast of good things inside. The altar in the transept supposedly dates from the 15th century, whilst the wonderful stained glass windows on either side of the nave representing sin and virtue are the work of Adam Bunsch (1896-1969). The Chapel of the Holy Sacrament includes a likeness of Father Emil Szramek in traditional Silesian dress. Szramek was the parish priest from 1926 until his arrest by the Gestapo in April 1940. Sent to a number of concentration camps including Dachau, where he quickly became a spiritual leader for other incarcerated Silesian priests, he was murdered on January 13, 1942. https://www.inyourpocket.com/katowice/st-marys-church_32645v

The grand opening of the brand new home of the Silesian Museum is perhaps the biggest of all of Katowice's recent investment unveilings. The museum’s scope, the quality of the permanent exhibitions and the architectural prowess of the newly adapted subterranean chambers are all equally impressive. https://www.inyourpocket.com/katowice/silesian-museum_137651v

If you get to the brand new sparkling Rynek and see a strange unidentified lying object at the end of Al. Korfantego, the odds are you're looking at Katowice's very own flying saucer! This multipurpose 'space age' sports and concert venue has a rather colourful history as you might expect and has the ability to play space tunes whenever the lights go on. https://www.inyourpocket.com/katowice/spodek_32246v