A famous Katowice station’s neon-sign again welcomes travelers to the City. During the great opening of the Railway Station hall on 29th of October, the neon-sign was lighted at 7 p.m. in the presence of citizens gathered in front of the building’s main entrance.
The frame was mounted over two months ago at exactly the same spot where it used to hang for decades after the station’s delivery in 1972. Restored letters from the old station building were placed on top of two umbrella pillars to the east of Szewczyka Sq. A metal structure with the letters forming the word “KATOWICE” had been cleaned and protected against adverse weather conditions before it returned to its place above the station hall’s main entrance.
“We decided to contribute to restoring the glory of Katowice neon-signs as we were inspired by old pictures of the city impressively illuminated with lights. The renovation process is part of our KTW Center program. It is based upon original documentation” – Monika Olejnik-Okuniewska, spokesperson for Neinver Poland, said in August.
The KTW Center which is a concept developed by the investors of the new Railway Station and Galeria Katowicka – Neinver and PKP S.A. The Polish name (KTW) refers to the values the center promotes – Creativity, Tradition and Knowledge (“Kreatywność, Tradycja, Wiedza – KTW”).
The “KATOWICE” sign was removed on 20th of December 2010. In order to keep the frame in the best condition possible, specialist hydraulic shears installed on a crane of several dozen meters were used.
Each letter is 116 cm high. The broadest one (“W”) is 139 cm wide, while the narrowest (“I”) features a width of 20,5 cm. Each of the eight letters is separated with a 20 cm gap. The total width of the word towering 21 meters over Szewczyka Sq. amounts to 8,26 meters.
