Katowice skyscrapers (Stalexport Towers)

At the western end of Mickiewicza Street stand two silver-and-gold office towers that in 1981 were the tallest buildings in Poland outside Warsaw. The Stalexport Towers were designed by an architect from Belgrade and built by a Swedish firm, and their floors do not rest on columns but hang on cables attached to the tops of concrete cores. They make a good starting point for a walk around Katowice's high-rises, from communist-era modernism to the glass towers of the 21st century.

History: offices for foreign trade

In communist Poland the Katowice region handled about 25% of the country's foreign trade deals, and mining machinery and even complete mines were sold from here to 38 countries. The most important trading agency, Centrozap, needed a new headquarters. The ministry rejected the first designs of 1965, and the final project was drawn up in 1974 by Đorđe Grujičić of the Belgrade firm KMG Trudbenik (structural design: Radomir Mihailović). The towers were built in 1976–1979 by the Swedish company IBS, partly with materials shipped from Sweden. The taller one opened in 1981, the lower one in 1982. The model was the Torres de Colón in Madrid.

What to see

• Tower A: 22 storeys, 97 m to the roof and about 99 m in total.
• Tower B: 20 storeys and about 92 m.
• The suspended structure: the concrete cores went up first, arms were extended from their tops, and the floors were hung from cables. These are the tallest buildings of this type in Poland.
• The façades of metal clad in silver and gold foil, with the light colour picking out the structural elements.
• The three-storey podium linking the towers, with a conference hall for around 300 people.

Interesting facts

On the 19th floor of each tower there is a hidden evacuation chute over 90 m long that slides out when the walls open. The towers were originally called the Foreign Trade Agencies' Offices and later Trade Centre; the name Stalexport stuck after one of the first tenants. The coal exporter Węglokoks is still based here, and the podium houses the "Pod Wieżami" bistro, run by the building's management company.

Other Katowice high-rises

Today the city skyline counts more than a dozen tall buildings. The tallest is .KTW II (about 134 m, 2022) by the roundabout, built on the site of the railway directorate building demolished in 2015. A few hundred metres away stands Altus of 2003 (about 125 m with its spire), and on Wita Stwosza Street the Provincial Office Building of 1985 (105 m). The best-known communist-era landmark is the Superjednostka ("Super-Unit") on Korfantego Avenue (1970): some 187 m long and inspired by Le Corbusier's ideas. On the Tysiąclecia estate rise the five Kukurydze ("Corncobs", 1988–2000) with rounded balconies; the tallest is about 90 m. Sources differ on heights (with or without spires), so treat the figures as approximate.

Tripto tip

The towers are viewed from outside, as they house offices and flats. A comfortable walking route leads from the Market Square along Korfantego Avenue past the Superjednostka to the Spodek arena and .KTW, then along Mickiewicza Street to Stalexport. It takes about 1.5 hours; the Kukurydze are easiest to add by tram. The best view of the Stalexport pair is along the axis of Mickiewicza Street, which the towers close off to the west. Tram stops are about 5 minutes' walk away and the main station about 15 minutes. For a wide panorama of the skyline, head to the paid viewing terrace on Christ the King Cathedral.