The House of the Mayor of Katowice from 1820, yes, that's not a mistake. Today's city of Katowice in 1820 was still a village whose sheriff was the village head. Katowice was granted city rights only in 1865.
The oldest district of Katowice is "Dab", dating back to 1299. Katowice consisted of scattered and distant villages, without a clear center, in which various branches of industry developed.
Therefore, the house from the open-air museum is just one example of a village mayor's house, not everyone had to look the same, but some features are certainly common.
A characteristic element of this farm is the dovecote. Pigeon breeding was one of the passions of Silesian hosts and farmers and I noticed that it has survived to this day.
When I go to the Jura and visit the head of the local village, who is also fascinated by pigeon breeding, but his dovecote is modest, simple, not to say primitive.
The pigeon loft that stands in the open-air museum is almost a work of art. Raised high on a pile, it has dozens of intake openings and an elegantly made roof. It has six sides and three holes on each side. It looks impressive.
As the village head was already a significant person in the village, he could afford more than the average peasant. The Singer sewing machine is undoubtedly a luxury that only a few could afford.
The entrance to the house was decorated with a wooden porch with two benches, probably made for potential applicants.
The mayor also did not have an ordinary well, where a bucket had to be lowered several meters to draw water. The mayor already had an advanced water pump for that period.
The interior of the house is modest, with a tiled stove, a classic chest of drawers in the kitchen, and a small dressing table with a washing bowl.
