CHANGES IN THE KATOWICE AREA SINCE WORLD WAR II

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A046300610001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 9, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 13, 1959
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains Information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.B.Q. Sees. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by las.
C-0-N F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
COUNTRY Poland
REPORT
SUBJECT Changes in the Katowice Area since DATE DISTR.
,L, JAN incC
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE &
DATE ACQ
VQ~
~M AT ION REPORT INFORMATION REPORT
report on developments in the Katowice
area since World War II. The report contains information on changes and
improvements of roads, railroads, bridges and factories, and has attached
a sketch pinpointing installations mentioned in the report.
C-0-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I A-L
?! ATE T ARMY AVY Y IR Biel
distribution indicated by "X"; Field distribution by "#".)
Arc
El
0
1, Jf-)RMATION REPORT 1 N FORMATION REPORT
Try 1 ~ _ _
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MAJOR CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS IN THE KATOWICE AREA OF
POLAND SINCE WW II (C)
Introduction
undergone many changes as the result of damage suffered during WW II and because
of natural industrial expansion.
The following is a list of
ordinates for each.,
locations referred to in
this report, with co-
Location Geogr
aphic Coord
inates
UTM Coordinates
BLEDOWSKA, PUSTYNIA N
50-21, E19-
31
CA-9578
JAWORZNO N
50-14, E19-
17
CA-7763
KOLUSZKI N
51-45, E19-
49
DC-1833
LWOW N
49-518 E24-
01
KR-8625
MIKOLOW N
50-10, E18-
54
CA-5060
MYSLOWICE N
50-14, E19-
08
CA-6767
NIWKA N
50-158 E19-
10
CA 7067
OSWIECIM N
50-03, E19-
15
CA-7344
WELNOWIEC N
50-17, E19-
02
CA-5971
Changes and Improvements in the Katowice Area Since WW II
The items in the area which have under one changes are shown at numbered
points on Annex A and were described as follows.
POINT ITEM DESIGNATION AND DESCRIPTION
1 Road, MYSLOWICE-OSWIECIM
This was an eight-meter-wide road of cobblestone and asphalt, described
by the symbols shown on the annex.
CONJ FL CNTI/-~L
Largely industrial, this area he,
50X
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POINT
C? NJ Ri E07-1 \L
-3-
ITEM DESIGNATION AND DESCRIPTION
2 Railroad Bridge
3 Railroad, Bridge
4 Railroad Bridge
This was a new, two.-track., steel railroad bridge, built in 1955. It
was 30 m long by 6 m wide, and had an underbridge clearance of 10 m.
It had a 250-ton capacity, concrete abutments, a steel deck, and it was
electrified. Built by the Institute of; Sand Railways, it crossed
Road, MYSLOWICE-JAWORZNO
6 Factory
It encompassed 6000 sq m of ground and produced GPO 50X1-HUM
meaning of GPO not known ) 100 and 200 drilling machines. 50X1-HUM
The factory consisted of 3 large main buildings and 3 smaller ones
and employed about 500 people who worked 2 shifts daily. The factory
had been rebuilt at some unknown date after WW II, at which time it
was converted to drilling machine production.
Highway Bridge
8 Road Curve
This was a 40-degree curve on the MYSIAWICE-NIKWA road, constructed 50X1 -HUM
at the time the bridge at point 7 was built. the
bridge was located 10 m north of the point where the road previously
crossed the Przemaza River, necessitating a relocation of a short
section of the read.
9 Coal Mine
A coal mine named "Kopalnia I4yalowice" was located at this point.
It employed about 4000 people who worked 3, 8 -hour shifts.
Co J Fi D E Q I ! f
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POINT
electric high tension power lines, and steel poles for transformers.
10 Steel Factory
12 Housing Area
_NTL NJ j I P\ L.
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ITEK DESIGNATION AND DESCRIPTION
]it contained 2 large buildings, 30 x 15x10 m,
andsmaller one, 20 x 15 in, which was an administrative build-
ing. The factory produced steel members for bridges, steel parts for
on the overlap. This varies with info a on rurni-snea
=its origin as PUSTYNIA BLEDOWSKA
which maintained its main office on Ulica Koniewa in WF.LNOWI DCo
This was a railroad constructed by the Institute of Sand Railways
as does number er
continual work was
in progress to electrify the line, and n ovember 1957, it was
electrified to the point marked "%" on the overlay.
Built between 1952 and 1955, this was a housing area which contained
about 100, 3- or 4-story brick houses which accommodated approximately
5000 peopled
13 Steel Mill and Foundry
i odlewnia
14
appeared to be an administrative building. Another, a one-story build-
ing, 3ppeared to be a welding shop . Still another appeared to be a
garage large enough to house 10 automobiles.
steel mill and foundry (fabryka konstrukoji atalowych
four large buildings behind which the top of a chimney
was visible. One of the buildings looked new, had four stories, and
at this point the railroad mentioned in Point 11
above was widened to two tracks. 50X1-HUM
15 Factory
it employed about 200 50X1-HUM
people and produced machines used in mining. The only specific pro-
duct was pneumatic drills.
cnvA 1 11 inn
16 Railroad, KATOWICE-WARSAW
This was the main railroad line from KATOWICE through KOLUSZKI to
WARSAW. It was 100 percent electrified.
C0r1 Ft N)TI t\ L--
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Cow FIMra k) ~-1 L
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POINT IT24 DESIGNATION AND DESCRIPTION
17 Railroad., KATOWICE-KRAKOW
This railroad was in the process of being electrified?
18 Road, KATOWICE-WARSAW
19 Electrical Factory
it 50X1-HUM
items it produced were electric cables. The factory was constructed
between 1952 and 19540
20 Electrical Factory
50X1-HUM
t -
sis of two shops and an administrative buildng.,
it produced electrical items for railroads, such as-. signals.,
lighta,and transformers. it was constructed between
1951 and 1954 and employed two shifts because at 1900 hours all lights
were on in the buildings.
21 Iron Foundry
In 1953 about half of the buildings of this foundry, named "Huta
Ferrum,1 were destroyed by fire. The foundry was subsequently rebuilt
and expanded into more than 20 large buildings and many smaller ones.
It employed about 2500 neonle who vnrk.A a ahi~te 50X1-HUM
e main erfort was the smelting of raw iron ore
there were no mi)4tary personnel in evidence.
22 Electric Light Bulb Factory (Fabryka Lamp Zarowych)
Constructed between 1948 and 1951, the only item produced this
factory was electric light bulbs. 50X1-HUM
23 Destroyed Factory
Shown on the map as a factory, this site contained only rubble of a
former brick-producing factory which was razed after WW II.
Railroad., Katowice Bypass
In November 1957 this was a one-track railroad along which a second
track was being laid by the Polish State Railroad Construction Enter-
prise Number Five (Panstwowe Przedsiebiorstwo Robot Kolejowych).
The line was a bypass for KATOWICE and was used only by freight trains,
but it was intended that it would be electrified and used by passenger
trains at some unknown future date.
C 0 N3 F t L___
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POINT ITEM DESIGNATION AND DESCRIPTION
25 Destroyed Factory
Shown on the map as a factory, this site contained only rubble of a
former brick-producing factory which was razed after WW II.
26 Airport
Constructed before WW II, this small airport could accommodate two-
engine planes. On its 400- to 500-meter landing strip two planes
landed daily, one from WARSAW and one from GDANSK. There was no con-
trol tower at the field; its only structure was a two-story building.
this field was the municipal airport for KATOWICE, and
that the only planes (land at the field were the "Dakota"
Soviet Union.
27 Proposed Airfield and Railroad Depot
Road Hazard
50X1-HUM
it was general knowledge that an airfield and rail-
28 Road, KATOWICE-MIKOLOW
29 Railroad Bridge
30 Housing Area
was to have started in 1952, but as of November 1957, it had not begun.
roa depot were to be constructed at this point in the future. Work
and the 2-EU14 furnished by the
The area could accommodate about 6000 people. The homes were two-story,
one family buildings, made of bricx.
31 Housing Area
Built to accommodate about 2000 people, this area consisted of 2-story,
1-family brick homes. Both this area and the one at Point 30 were
started in 1956, and the homes were being constructed by the owners
themselves at an estimated cost of 120,000 zlotys per unit. Work was
still in progress in November 1957.
32
but passable. 50X1-HUM
mines under the road had caved in making this section dangerou-
At this point the KATOWICE-MIKOLOW road was undermined.
C O f F , E JTI PL
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POINT ITEM DESIGNATION AND DESCRIPTION
33 Cathedral
Finished in 1955, this cathedral was 40 m high and was capable of
seating 10,000 peopled this was the largest post-war
building of its kind in Poland and that it was built with money con-
tributed by Rome and the populace of Poland. No assistance was ob-
tained from the states
Railroad Bridge
Housing Area Site
homei,d 6 o~ 7 st,o,:,-rigs, high,
tion suitability for home construction. Based o finding tt, ; the
gX ,und way s1~ t 29 ~.' q wc) k was to begin in 1958 'to corn tf,ri o t 40 to EO
drillin s to determine founda-
37 Main Post Office
This platform (przystanek kolejowy) was under construction in November
1957, and upon completion was to be used for electric trains only. It
was located five meters above street level and had two concrete stair-
ways leading to the ground floor.
since the post office was located in the center of the city.
38 Railroad Depot
39 Roundhouse
40 Railroad Platform
41 Factory
piles of coiled steel springs
one-half meter in length, width unknown in the factory area
C00FtLEI`JTIAL_
annotated this point for the purpose of orientation 50X1 -HUM
50X1-HUM
a factory was built at this point between 1
957. It consisted of two large buildings and one small one
C.0I.) FlDEM II7L
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CON FLIE TI PS- C
POINT
42 Coal Mine
ITEM DESIGNATION AND DESCRIPTION
At this point there was a coal mine which was extensively expanded 50X1-HUM
after WW II. many new brick buildings
in the area, one of which was used for separating the hard coal from
43
shale and rock. The mine employed about 4000 people who worked 3
shifts.
Housing Area
Begun in 1951, this area was finished in 1956. It contained 4- or
44
5-story apartment buildings which housed about 20,000 people.
Office Building
This Ministry of Mining building was the largest in KATOWICE
50X1-HUM
and was
located on Ulica Rosy Luksemburg. It contained the major offices con-
cerned with mining, which included. Bureau of Mining Projects (Biuro
Projektow Gorniczych)a Bureau of Mechanical Projects in Coal Processing
(Biuro Projektow Mechanicznej Przerobki Wegla)a Supervisory Bureau of
Mining Equipment Installation (Biuro Zarzadu Matarzu Urzadzien Gor-
nicznych),' and at least six more
45 Housing Area Site
46
made drills s to etermine founda50X1-HUM
tion suitAhi1.1ty for home construction. Based on finding *'-:',.., the
ground era;; su.Lt.eb1e.',9 wiirk was try, begin tn 1958 to 4C
6 or 7 stories high.
Life Saving Equipment Factory
this factory (Fabryka Sprzetu Ratunkowego) was built50X1-H U M
been 194b and 1948. At the time___________________ it produced
gas masks and o.Vgen apparatus used in mines. It employed about 2500
people who worked two shifts. It consisted of a large shop, a barracks
and an administration building.
47 Main Institute of Mining
The Main Institute of Mining (Glowny Inatytut Gornictwa) was built
between 1947 and 1951. All coal mining matters such as the explora-
tion, expansion, and development of coal mines were referred to this
institute. It was directly subordinate to the Ministry of Mining
which had a branch office at 34 Ulica Powetancow in KATOWICE, and it
handled only matters connected with coal, and no other mineral.
48 Road, KATOWICE-WELNOWIEC
This road was five meters wide with a cobblestone pavement. It had
a one-meter-wide dirt shoulder along one side, and a one-half-meter-
wide sidewalk along the other.
CON3 F P %
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C O I\I (= I i C I\1 T I ,g L
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POINT ITEM DESIGNATION AND DESCRIPTION
49 Housing Area
This area was comprised of 4- or 5-story brick homes and could accom-
modate about 109000 people.
50 Housing Area
Built between 1950 and 19549 this area contained 60 to 70, 3-story
brick homes which could house between 5000 and 6000 people.
51 Housing Area
In this area there were 3-story homes which could house about 2000
people.
52 Housing Area
Built between 1952 and 19559 this area contained 1009 3- or /+-story
homes and could house about 5000 people. 50X1-HUM
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POINT ITEM DESIGNATION AND DESCRIPTION
49 Housing Area
This area was comprised of 4- or 5-story brick homes and could accom-
modate about 109000 people.
50 Housing Area
Built between 1950 and 19549 this area contained 60 to 70, 3-story
brick homes which could house between 5000 and 6000 people.
51 Housing Area
In this area there were 3-story homes which could house about 2000
people.
52 Housing Area
Built between 1952 and 19559 this area contained 1009 3- or /+-story
homes and could house about 5000 people. 50X1-HUM
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