Architecturally much of Katowice looks like the contents of your bin, upturned. That’s not to say there aren’t a few points of note. Two in particular are of interest to the industrial geek, one of which is the district of Nikiszowiec. Built between 1908 and 1911 to house workers from the nearby coal mine, the residential complex consists of nine red brick blocks, each centered around a courtyard. Designed by Georg and Emil Zillmann from Charlottenburg this prototype dwelling would have been a socialist planner's paradise, with the community designed to be completely self-sufficient. Included in their sketches were a bakery, schools, hospital, police station, communal laundry, post office, swimming baths and church. The Church – St Anne’s – was only added in the 20s, thanks to the political turmoil that gripped this corner of Europe after the original completion of Nikiszowiec, though it is by no means a sight to be overlooked. Built in a neo-baroque style it includes stained glass crafted in Regensburg, and a 75 voice organ featuring 5,350 pipes. The area fell victim to chronic neglect, and at one stage the dark courtyards became a haven for Katowice’s criminal underclass. Now the buzzword is regeneration, and a campaign is afoot to have this marvelous development included on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sights. Today it’s reasonably safe to wander, though that’s not to say sensible precautions shouldn't be taken – eg avoid zooming your hi-tech camera kit into the faces of a gathering of shaven headed teens.

Next up, pay a visit to Gizowiec, another workers' colony designed by the same pair of brothers responsible for Nikiszowiec. This time the siblings took inspiration from the theories of Ebenezer Single, and set about creating a ‘garden city’ for Katowice’s miners. Accommodating 600 families were a web of streets spinning from plac Pod Lipami. Modelled on English village dwellings, the detached, steep-roofed houses came with electricity and were built with the miners’ families in mind. Completed in 1910 the project included a communal laundry, bathing facilities for wives and offspring, three schools, hostels for single men, a theatre and a strict set of by-laws ensuring the tone would not be ruined; these included statutes governing everything from which plants could be grown to which animals could be kept. Possession of a goat, for instance, would be enough to see you expelled from this Utopian setting. In 1927 a further American-style colony was added, though sadly Gizowiec is a shadow of what it once was. In the 1970s moves commenced to build new accommodation for the workers, and you can just about guess the shape and size they took. Nonetheless, what has been preserved merits the visit, and stands as a super tribute to a bygone time.