Dąb () is a part and a district of Katowice, located in the northern part of the city, by the Rawa river.
It is the earliest mentioned settlement within the current boundaries of Katowice. It was already recorded in a document from 19 March 1299, transferring the villages of Chorzów and Krasny Dąb to the monastery of the Canons Regular of the Holy Sepulchre, to which Dąb belonged until the 19th century. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Dąb experienced rapid development due to the establishment of new industrial facilities in the area, especially the (renamed "Gottwald" in 1954 and "Kleofas" in 1990) and the Baildon Steelworks. In 1924, Dąb was incorporated into Katowice. Following the decline of major industrial plants at the end of the 20th century, and with the growth of the service and retail sectors, the district remains a multifunctional center.
The buildings of Dąb date mainly from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries (they are concentrated mostly along the historic thoroughfares – and Agnieszki streets – as well as the streets running perpendicular to them), with a significant proportion of postwar constructions. It is very well connected thanks to Drogowa Trasa Średnicowa and national road 79 (Chorzowska Street), as well as a tram line running parallel to the road toward Chorzów and Katowice's Śródmieście. It has an area of 1.86 km2 and in 2007 had 7,694 inhabitants.
Geography Location Dąb is one of Katowice's administrative districts (no. 10), located in the northern group of districts. It borders with Wełnowice-Józefowiec on the north, Koszutka and Śródmieście on the east, Załęże on the south and Chorzów (with Silesian Park) and Osiedle Tysiąclecia on the west. The district's boundaries are as follows: from the north – along the city border with Chorzów, then along Agnieszki, , and streets, before turning east at the housing estate; from the east – along and F. W. Grundmann streets; from the south – along the center of the Rawa riverbed; from the west – along the boundary of the area owned by the Piast Housing Cooperative west of .
According to physio-geographical regionalization, Koszutka is located in the mesoregion, forming the southern part of the Silesian Upland, which itself is a part of the subprovince.
Geology and soils
Dąb is located in the , which forms the northern part of the large Silesian-Moravian geological structure. This structure is filled with Upper Carboniferous formations, especially the coal-bearing Ruda layers (Westphalian A), which lie within the Paleozoic structures of the Central Polish Uplands. These strata, along with younger ones, cover the vast majority of district (except for a small, higher-elevation area near and Bukowa streets and the vicinity of ) and are overlain by Quaternary formations, mainly of glacial origin, formed during the Mindel glaciation. They consist mostly of till, its weathered products, and glacial sands and gravels, while in the northern part they also include sandstones, conglomerates, mudstones, and claystones.
Soils in Dąb have been subjected to intense anthropogenic pressure due to the development of settlements, resulting in a significant proportion of initial soils. The soils there are mainly anthrosols, formed from till. They are contaminated with heavy metals (lead, cadmium, and zinc), which originate from industrial pollution and coal combustion. A significant area of soil in Dąb belongs to soil quality Class III. Class IV includes small patches near Henryk Kalemba Square and along the border with Osiedle Tysiąclecia.
Terrain In terms of topography, the northern part of Dąb is located in the Chorzów Hills, which consist of undulating ranges of rounded or flattened terrain that reach up to 290 meters above sea level in the northern part of the district. The slopes of the Chorzów Hills stretch along Agnieszki Street and along Dębowa and Złota streets to the Rawa river valley. The area is cut by valley depressions (Dębowa Street runs along one of them).
The highest point of Dąb, reaching 295 meters above sea level, is located at the northern edge of the district, at the intersection of Agnieszki Street with and J. Mikusiński streets. From there, the terrain slopes downward toward the south. The southern part is situated in the Rawa Depression; its elevation at the border of Dąb, Osiedle Tysiąclecia, and Załęże is 265 m above sea level. The difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points in Dąb is therefore approximately 30 metres.
Climate The climatic conditions in Dąb differ only slightly from those of Katowice as a whole. They are influenced by both climatic and local factors, as well as by human activity (e.g. the urban heat island effect). The district's climate is largely influenced by oceanic factors, which predominate over continental ones, as well as by tropical air masses that occasionally reach the area from the southwest through the Moravian Gate. The average annual temperature at the station in nearby Muchowiec for the 1961–2005 period was 8.1 °C. The warmest month is July (17.8 °C), and the coldest is January (–2.2 °C). The average annual sunshine duration for the 1966–2005 period was 1,474 hours. The average annual precipitation for the 1951–2005 period was 713.8 mm. The average duration of snow cover is 60–70 days, and the growing season lasts an average of 200–220 days. Western and southwesterly winds prevail throughout the year, while northerly winds are the least common. The average wind speed is 2.4 m/s.
Hydrography and hydrogeology
Dąb is located entirely within the left bank of the Vistula drainage basin, in the basin of the Rawa river, a tributary of the Brynica, which flows from west to east within the district along the southern border with Załęże; its entire course is regulated and it is embanked. It serves as a receiving body for treated and untreated wastewater as well as stormwater. Between 1992 and 2002, the proportion of external water (municipal and industrial wastewater) was approximately 70%, which caused significant disruption to the natural flow. The groundwater level in the river valley is low, although its depths within the district can vary significantly due to the diversity of the subsoil, the canalization of Dąb, and the sealing of the Rawa riverbed.
There are no bodies of water in Dąb, whereas as early as the 16th century, there were a number of dammed ponds in Rawa that served forges, were used as fish ponds, and were also intended to prevent flooding. The former Załęże Pond, located in the southeastern part of Dąb, was created as early as the late 15th century.
Dąb is located within the Silesian-Kraków hydrogeological region. Aquifers are present there in all stratigraphic layers, but their significance depends on geological and hydrogeological factors, as well as human influence. Larger complexes are found in the Rawa and Kłodnica valleys. The district is located within the Main Groundwater Reservoir No. 329 Bytom, which is of karst-fissured character, but it does not contain exploitable resources within Dąb.
Nature and environmental protection
In pre-industrial times, vast forest complexes stretched across Dąb, especially to the north and west. Norway spruce stands dominated the area, though deciduous trees were also present. These forests were home to various animal species, particularly roe deers, red deers, foxes, and wild boars. In terms of potential vegetation, the higher elevations of Dąb would be covered by subcontinental oak-linden-hornbeam riparian forests, while the Rawa river valley would have lowland alder and ash-alder riparian forests of water-soil habitats. In later years, as a result of the district's industrialization and urbanization, the proportion of green spaces decreased. In its western part, Dąb borders a vast park complex, the Silesian Park. The residential part is home to synanthropic animal species such as the rock dove, house sparrow, collared dove, swift, jackdaw, magpie, and blackbird. Human activity has had a significant impact on the plant species composition, resulting in the presence of synanthropic and ruderal vegetation.
The following landscaped green spaces and parks are located in the district: Henryk Kalemba Square (intersection of Chorzowska and Dębowa streets); Franciszek Macherski Square (Dębowa Street); Augustyn Pająk Square (intersection of Wiejska and Dębowa streets).
History Origins and the period to the 18th century The first mention of Dąb appears in a document from 19 March 1299, issued by Duke Casimir of Bytom, transferring the villages of Chorzów and Krasny Dąb (Chorzow et Crasni Damb) to the Canons Regular of the Holy Sepulchre in Miechów as an endowment for the maintenance of the monastery and the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Bytom. The earlier existence of Dąb might be suggested by a document from Pope Innocent II of 1136, confirming the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Gniezno over Chorzów and the surrounding estates, as well as a document by Vladislaus I of Opole of 1257 mentioning, among other things, the reconstruction of Chorzów and Białobrzezie, which had been destroyed by a Tatar raid, by the Canons Regular of the Holy Sepulchre. Białobrzezie is likely the original name of Dąb.
Dąb is also mentioned by Jan Długosz in Liber beneficiorum dioecesis Cracoviensis, published in 1480. According to him, Duke Casimir of Bytom donated the village of Dąb to the Canons Regular of the Holy Sepulchre in 1299 as a contribution to the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Bytom. The Bishop of Kraków, Jan Muskata, accepted Duke Casimir's decision and referred to the village as Dąb in his documents.
From the 13th to the 19th century, Dąb, along with Chorzów, was owned by the Canons Regular of the Holy Sepulchre in Miechów. On behalf of the monastery, both villages were administered by the parson of in Chorzów. After the secularization of the order and the administrative reform in the Prussian state in 1810, Dąb became an independent gmina.
The residents of Dąb were Roman Catholic, and the nearest churches were located in Bogucice, , and Chorzów; consequently, as the population grew, the need arose to build a church of their own. Construction of the first temple in Dąb began in 1873. The first, wooden church was dedicated on 28 February 1875 by Father of Bogucice. A significant population increase, as well as the establishment of the church, led to the separation of Dąb from the Chorzów parish and the creation of the on 11 August 1894, with the village of also incorporated into the parish. Construction of the current church, designed by architect , began in 1901. The Bishop of Wrocław, Cardinal Georg Kopp, dedicated it on 15 October 1902.
In the early days of the village, agriculture was the dominant economic activity. Since the Middle Ages, rye and oats were the main crops, and from the 18th century onward, barley, peas, buckwheat, and millet were also grown. Potato farming became widespread in Dąb during the 19th century. Thanks to local deposits of clay and sand, sand pits and brick kilns were also active there. Dąb was likely the site of the first ore and coal mining center in present-day Katowice. Iron ore was also mined there and processed in . The relatively poor deposits were already exhausted by the second half of the 16th century. Nearly two hundred years later, shafts began to be dug in Dąb, this time intended for the extraction of coal. In 1787, the Fürstin Hedwig Coal Mine was established, ownership of which was granted to the parson of Chorzów, . Mining ceased in 1790, but as early as 1805, a new mine, Neue Hedwig, was established, which extracted higher-quality coal through 13 shafts ranging in depth from 10 to 30 meters. It was also owned by the Chorzów parish.
19th century and early 20th century