Katowice Trip – Rozbark Narrow Gauge Railway
There were a few clues dotted around the place which suggested that there used to be a narrow gauge railway around Rozbark, there’s little that gets past my detective mind. Given the industrial nature of Silesia, they were early to this and had horse-drawn tracks set up in the eighteenth century. Before the standardisation of tracks, the network of narrow gauge railways became quite extensive in the region and they became very profitable in the late nineteenth century.
The start of the walk (or the bit of the walk that I did), and unfortunately, there was a lot of rubbish dotted around the area. The development of the railways in this region became more complex after the First World War, as the new Polish state built lots of new bits for their country, whilst the Germans didn’t do much with their bit. The Polish system had to ensure they stayed within their boundaries, although a small section went through Germany, although with no stops.
The former track route, running parallel or next to the road.
Walking towards Bytom. The Soviets caused massive damage here during their occupation and withdrawal in the Second World War, their soldiers ransacked property, burnt down buildings out of malice and it’s evident from the local histories that the Poles haven’t forgotten this.
Very peaceful. Unfortunately, the period in the late 1990s saw massive theft along these lines with track, track bed and other items being plundered and ransacked. The damage done so recently has plagued the economic reconstruction of the area, but the recent investment in the area has improved matters a little.
Makes for a pleasant walk.
The views of Bytom from the railway bridge, looking both ways.
The route of the railway goes on. I only walked for around a mile of the route, but I suspect a longer network of trails will appear in the future, perhaps all better signed with more interpretation boards. Some of the network remains and is the oldest section of narrow gauge railway in the world that is still in operation.
