RADLIN – A MODERN MINING TOWN IN SILESIA
History of the town
Radlin is known primarily through the lens of mining activities in the area. The extraction of Silesian “black gold” from the late nineteenth-century marked the development of its lands, transforming the agricultural landscape into an important industrial point in the southern part of Upper Silesia.
Since 130 years the mining plant “Marcel”, formerly “Emma”, has been a regular part of the economic life Radlin. Built in forested areas of Radlin, it started its activity in 1883 with its two mining shafts “Grundmann” and “Mauve”, which in the interwar period were renamed as “Anthony” and “Victor”. Deepened and modernized many times over the years, these shafts are still being utilized for miners and materials transport.
At the turn of XIX and XX centuries the activity of the plant was marked by dynamic growth. In 1885 the nearby mine “Mariahilf”, which had been idle for a year, was leased. A series of complementary industrial activities was founded: briquetting plant, power plant and coking plant.. All of these plants formed one large industrial complex to which in 1909 was attached the mining plant “Reden”.
In the same period, nearby the mining plant there was established a modernist compound housing for workers, known as “Kolonia Emma”. It is a unique house-garden complex in the region and was designed by some of the most renown modernistic architects of the period. The housing complex, which may be compared with Katowice’s Nikiszowiec, can still be inspiring. It is a frequently chosen object for painters and photographers, while “Emma”’s dwellers are engaged in Local Activities Program.
Coal Mine “Marcel” is now one of the most important points on the industrial map of Upper Silesia; on the other hand, Coking plant “Radlin” is boasting the most modern equipment in Europe in its class. From one view, Radlin is a symbol of the history of mining, from another one, it is an example of a modern mining town.
RADLIN, A TOWN WITH A HEART
What is a “town with a heart”…?
It is a certain sensitivity to human needs within our town community, as well as in relations with external stakeholders.
Radlin Town Council – since the beginning of its functioning – focused on working with non-governmental organizations. Many times we incentivized our fellow townsmen to create their own organizations. As one of the first towns in Poland, it prepared its own Sustainable Development Strategy in a participative manner, with a large presence of its local community representatives.
Radlin – despite its intensive connection to mining industry – is a town heavily involved with environment protection. Its ‘Green Heart’ award since many years proves a stable position in the upper ranking of Renewable Energy League.
Radlin has been since years implementing organizational and technological solutions in order to facilitate communication between institutions and citizens. From the very beginning Radlin was involved in the pioneering national project “Electronic Communication System for Public Administration”. The Town Council has repeatedly used environmental-friendly materials and technologies for printing publications and promotional materials. Caring for the environment is very important to us.
Three years prior to the amendment of Protection of Animals Law, Town Council of Radlin already implemented its own animal care policy by approving a Homeless Animal Care and Animal Homelessness Prevention Program. Our experience has helped other municipalities implement similar programs.
The very selection of our promotional slogan (“Town with a heart”) took place in a rather unusual way – it was chosen by our fellow citizens through a special public questionnaire. It was a quite experimental use of the so-called crowdsourcing principle, i.e. harvesting of potential ideas from within our diversified community.
For years civic activity has been encouraged. Its positive practices within non-governmental organizations are reflected at the annual NGO Festival in Radlin.
Town of Radlin has been implementing a Local Activity Program under which social activation projects are deployed in order to prevent social exclusion of the most endangered groups.
This is not all of our activities, of course. At every step we are trying to prove that we are this “town with a heart,” and explain what we mean by that. Many entrepreneurs trusted us with their faith, for whom the slogan “I love to invest in Radlin” is not only a slogan…
Conference facilities
In Radlin one can organize conferences with the support and upon the possibilities of:
- Municipal Cultural Center
- Radlin Town Council
- In the nearby town Wodzisław Śląski there is also a District Conference Center.
- Possibilities of organizing conferences are also provided by local restaurants.
Communications and Internet
Free internet access (hot spots):
- Radlin’s Olympians Square
- Municipal Cultural Centre
- Municipal Sports and Recreation Center
- Municipal Cultural Centre – Branch in Reymonta Street (district “Głożyny”)
Secretariat of the Mayor
Phone: +48 32 4590202
E-mail: sekretariat@radlin.pl
Dept. of Real Estate, Agriculture and Forestry
Phone: +48 32 4590254
E-mail: geodezja@radlin.pl
Dept. of Urban Planning and Investments
Dept. of Urban Planning and Investments
Phone: +48 32 4590252
E-mail: inwestycje@radlin.pl
Dept. of Economic Activity
Phone: +48 32 4590269
E-mail: dgospodarcza@radlin.pl
Sports Traditions – Our Olympians
Radlin is one of the best sporting towns in the country, taking into account the number of active athletes per capita. Radlin’s athletes are successful on regional, national and international levels.
The main disciplines that are cultivated in Radlin are the following ones (and the names of respective clubs):
- Swimming (KS Górnik Radlin),
- Fencing (Górnik Radlin, UKS Trójka Radlin), Gymnastics (KG Radlin),
- Volleyball (SK Górnik Radlin),
- Football (KS Górnik Radlin)
- Martial arts (UKS Ronin)
Sports facilities
In Radlin there are several general sports facilities:
- Gimnastyc facility “Leszek Blanik” (the so-called “Sokolnia”), Sokolska Street– it is also home to “Radlin” Gymnastyc Club’s headquarters. This facility is used for training purposes, as well as for organizing sport events.
- Municipal Sports and Recreation Center, Korfantego Street,: it has two swimming pools, two halls, two gyms and a sauna. This facility is also available for disabled people; it was modernized with non-public funds. It has the potential to host high profile sport events.
and Sport courts:
- A training court near Mariacka Street: it is the seat of the local “Górnik Radlin” football club and used for organization of recreational and athletic events Sport court in Reden district – a field used for games by amateur clubs; Courts complex “Orlik” –it will be opened in March 2013;
- Gyms in the open air – it is one of the surprises of Radlin’s 15th anniversary celebration. The largest gym is located in Forest Park Areas. It is used not only by adults but also by students of Primary School No. 4, which is located right next to it. Some smaller gym can be found on Sienkiewicza, Findera, Reymonta and Jaśminowa streets.
Radlin’s sports facilities are managed by Municipal Sports and Recreation Center (MOSiR). MOSiR has a wide range of services not only for sporting clubs and associations, but also for individual users. Its offer includes: aqua aerobics, step aerobics, aerobic fitness, pilates, exercise for 40-year-olds, dance fitness, Nordic walking, swimming lessons and much more. In 2014, Radlin opened the first graduation tower in an industrial part of Silesia.
Sports Traditions – Our Olympians
Radlin is a town of rich Olympic traditions dating back to the early twentieth century. Radlin’s athletes caused a dynamic growth in sport practicing among the town’s population and this trend is increasing ever more. The Municipal Sport Center hosts an exhibition dedicated to 20 Olympians closely connected to Radlin in honor of their participation in Olympic games. These are either people from Radlin or members of local sport clubs. Due to this long and extensive Olympian tradition, the area between the Municipal Sport and Recreation Center, Mariacka Street and Korfantego Street was named “Radlin’s Olympians’ Square” (plac Radlińskich Olimpijczyków) by a decree of the Town Council during the Special Council Session on 23rd March 2007. The name of the square was chosen on the basis of an internet poll.
The moist important steering factor of Radlin’s cultural life is its Municipal Cultural Centre (MOK). MOK’s head office is in the strict center of the town, making it easily accessible to residents of Radlin. Its building dates from the 70s and at the very beginning it belonged to the mining plant Marcel. However, in 1998 it was assigned to the town of Radlin. The activity, mainly focused on relations with its former owner, was turned into a far more general cultural activity, which now meets the cultural requirements of the residents of Radlin and a larger area around the town. Nowadays MOK is a fully professional facility with ability to organize a variety of cultural events. It possesses a theater with large stage (400 seats), a smaller one (80 seats) adjoining a café, a cameral exhibition pavilion and a cinema.
Radlin’s cultural offer is quite extensive. The most important annually organized events, also recognized outside Radlin, are the following ones:
- “Faces of the Blues” – concerts featuring stars of blues music, bringing together lovers of the genre from all over the region,
- “Stars are dancing” – dancing competition with local leaders, modeled on “Dancing with the Stars”
- Concert “Valentine’s Day in the Town with a Heart” – Valentine’s Day concert with the participation of well-known stars,
- “Radliński Betlejki” – an overview of the Christmas shows, collects theater groups from around the country,
- NGO Festival – an event dedicated to non-governmental organizations from Radlin and neighboring municipalities, during of which the organization present themselves, a conference and an exhibition of main activities take place; the festival has a pronounced artistic accent
- Outdoor events “Summer Welcome” and “Farewell to Summer” – large outdoor events involving high-level celebrities are held on the main square in the town center.
AMATEUR ART ASSOCIATIONS
Numerous groups of people, representing a large part of our community, interested with art are active within MOK. Group activities help cultivating traditions, customs but also developing new interests. MOK is all the time expanding its offer of how the people of Radlin can spend their leisure time.
Municipal Cultural Centre in Radlin organizes artistic groups in the following three main areas:
- Theatre – Youth Theatre MIRROR, Words and Music Lounge
- Painting and drawing – art groups “Passion” (adults), “Little Passion” and “Spots” (children and adolescents).
- Dance – Dance groups: TEP, VENUS, PRZYTUP, Marakas, Ballroom Dance Group DEJA-VU
Associations In Radlin there are more than 30 non-governmental organizations, providing thus a wide range of leisure activities and opportunities to develop new interests.
Community of Radlin stands out with a modern approach to business in the tertiary sector and the idea of civil society. New associations have been formed over the past 15 years. They now operate in the area of local development and no longer with a typical hobby orientation as before.
Radlin hosted in 2001 the first ever NGO Festival in Wodzislaw district. An initiative took place later in 2003 whose consequences resulted in the establishment of Radlin’s Council of Non-Governmental Organizations and Town Council’s decree defining the principles of cooperation between NGOs and Town Council itself.
Radlin began to stand out on the map of civil activity and it started being pointed out as a reference of good practices in this area, which didn’t go unnoticed in the region or even the country (good inter-sectorial cooperation established in Radlin had an important effect in the choice of the town to be included in a nationwide project called “Transparent Municipality”).
Leaving numerous sports clubs aside, Radlin’s associations mainly operate in the sphere of culture and local development (they have different statutory objectives: local culture and tradition development, women’s activities, action for children and young people, helping the disable).
One of the most interesting initiatives carried out entirely by a local NGO is surely Citizens Counseling Bureau – one of the few of its kind in the region, it offers free legal and civil advice. The bureau belongs to the Union of Citizens Counseling Bureaus. About 900 cases are considered each year.
There are currently 9 educational institutions, all of which are managed by the town of Radlin.
Pre-school:
- Public Kindergarten No. 1, Rymera Street 170
- Public Kindergarten No. 2, MielęckiegoStreet 13
- Public Kindergarten No. 3, Mariacka Street 1
Primary Schools:
- Sporty Primary School No. 2 in the framework of the School Sports, Rogozina Street 52
- Primary School No. 3, Rymera Street 170
- Primary School No. 4, Wiosny Ludów Street 287
Secondary schools:
- School No. 1, Makuszyńskiego Street 17
- Sports School No. 2 in the framework of the Sports School, Rogozina Street 52
Other facilities:
- After School Activity Center, Rogozina Street 55