139 Thousand PLN From Participatory Budget for German Monument: Świętochłowice Residents Have Decided

Świętochłowice residents have funded a 139,000 PLN bench-monument commemorating Prussian industrial magnate Prince Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck, set to be unveiled on August 10.

Świętochłowice Will Honor the Industrial Magnate

A bench-monument commemorating Prince Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck—one of the richest Prussian industrial magnates in the history of Upper Silesia—will be established in Świętochłowice. The project, realized as part of the participatory budget, cost 139,000 PLN. Its official unveiling on Katowicka Street is scheduled for Monday, August 10, exactly on the 196th anniversary of his birth.

Prince Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck will be commemorated in Świętochłowice. The bench with his monument on Katowicka Street will be unveiled on Monday, August 10, on the 196th anniversary of his birth.

The Legacy of the Prince

Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck was one of the most important industrial magnates in the history of Upper Silesia, and at the end of the 19th century, one of the richest entrepreneurs of the German Empire.

He owned the Palace in Świerklaniec, known as the “Little Versailles,” which was destroyed after World War II. The palace gate currently leads to the zoological garden in the Silesian Park. The prince’s residence can still be seen today near the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

Participatory Budget Initiative

The Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck bench is an initiative implemented under the local participatory budget.

“In the strict center of the city, there is a lack of monuments and places that directly refer to the past. The bench would be an ideal beginning of a story about the diverse and complicated history of our city and region for residents and tourists, as well as during thematic walks or regional education classes,” explained the originators.

Silesian Plants and Katowicka Street

They pointed out that in today’s Świętochłowice, several industrial plants belonged to Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck, including the Bethlen-Falva Hutte steelworks (later Florian Steelworks) and the Deutschlandgrube mine (later Polska Mine). On his initiative, the General Directorate of Donnersmarck Ironworks and Mines, the Donnersmarck Estate Administration—which now houses the Museum of the Silesian Uprisings—a hospital for steelworks employees, and Katowicka Street, where his bench was placed, were built.

Monument Unveiling Program and Investment Cost

The unveiling of the Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck bench in Świętochłowice is scheduled for Monday at 11:00 AM in the square near the Augsburg Evangelical church, which was built on land donated by the prince. It will be accompanied by a lecture by Krzysztof Lewandowski, author of the book “Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck. The Life of a Scandalist,” and a concert by the mining and metallurgical orchestra.

The estimated cost of implementing the project from the participatory budget is 139,000 PLN.