Spytkowice 2024-11-23

Spytkowice Railway Station.

Geographic coordinates: 49.995N 19.482E. Elevation 227 m (744.75 ft). Address: Spytkowice 34-116.

Spytkowice Village.

Spytkowice is a village located in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, near Wadowice. It is located in the Wadowice district and is the seat of the Spytkowice commune. It is located in the south of Poland, in the valley of the Vistula and Skawa rivers. The village is picturesquely situated and has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages. In Spytkowice you can find, among others, a historic parish church and other tourist attractions characteristic of this region of Lesser Poland. From Spytkowice the distance to: Wadowice is 16 km, Oświęcim is 24 km, Trzebinia is 25 km, Kraków is 39 km, Warsaw is 310 km. Spytkowice is geographically located in the Carpathian Foothills, which is why these areas have numerous hills and valleys. Due to the proximity of large rivers, the local soils are fertile and suitable for growing various cereals, as well as vegetables and fruits. Freshwater fish farming has also developed in this region, due to the numerous natural and artificial ponds. Due to the well-developed communication network in the 20th century, many residents of the village worked in industry in: Kraków, Skawina, Oświęcim and the area of ​​Chrzanów, Trzebinia and Jaworzno. National Road No. 44 runs through the town; Gliwice – Mikołów – Tychy – Bieruń – Oświęcim – Zator – Skawina – Kraków. The total length of the road is 101 km. Spytkowice has about 4,000 inhabitants (2023).

The first mention of Spytkowice comes from 1229, in connection with the convening of a congress of Piast princes in Spytkowice by Prince Henry the Bearded. Historically, it was a royal estate, and then a princely one. Since 1315, the town has belonged to the Duchy of Oświęcim. The town was owned by the Opaliński family, and then by the Myszkowski family. The town had city rights, but the invaders deprived Spytkowice of these rights. Spytkowice obtained city rights before 1327. In 1488, Spytkowice became the property of the Myszkowski family of the Jastrzębiec coat of arms. Since the 15th century, fish farming has developed here. Currently, the Myszkowski Castle still stands in the town. The castle was built in the 16th century by Wawrzyniec Myszkowski, castellan of Sądecki, in the Gothic-Renaissance style. In addition to the castle, a moat and a stone bridge have been preserved. Its surroundings, fence and trees are valuable. Currently (2024) the castle belongs to the State Treasury. In 2000, a branch of the Krakow State Archives was opened here. A valuable monument in Spytkowice is the church of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The church was mentioned in 1325–1327. The current temple was built from 1633, and its founder was Mikołaj Szyszkowski, bishop of Warmia. The construction of the temple was completed by Łukasz Opaliński, treasurer of Poznań.

Spytkowice railway station.

Spytkowice railway station was opened in 1899, together with the opening of the Oświęcim – Zator – Skawina – Kraków Podgórze railway line. Initially, construction of the line was started by the Skawce – Siersza Wodna Local Railway. A few months later, the Trzebinia – Spytkowice – Wadowice line was opened. The station is located in the Małopolska province, in the Wadowice district, in the Spytkowice commune. At the peak of its development in the 20th century, the station was a junction station. Two LK No. 94 Kraków Płaszów – Oświęcim and LK No. 103 Trzebinia – Wadowice (currently partially used) intersect here. Currently, while LK No. 94 is systematically modernized, LK No. 103 currently serves as a siding on the Spytkowice – Zakłady Chemiczne Alwernia section. In the past, there was a siding from Spytkowice station to Zakłady Eksploatacji Kruszywa in Zator, address: ulica Zaskawie 3, 32-640 Smolice. Length of about 3,000 m.

Spytkowice station experienced its greatest boom in the period 1945-1990. An unloading ramp was built at the station. In 1948, a wagon scale with a capacity of 50,000 kg was installed. A gauge was installed. A major renovation of the water tower was carried out. At the turn of the 50s/60s of the 20th century, a footbridge was built over the tracks. The plans included the construction of a small locomotive shed for servicing electric locomotives and EZTs. However, the plans were not implemented.

Both railway lines (LK No. 94 and 103) were electrified along their entire length. The main goods transported by trains were hard coal from Eastern Upper Silesia to the Skawina power plant. This is still the case today (2024). In 1970, the Kraków Płaszów – Spytkowice section was electrified, and in 1971, the Spytkowice – Oświęcim section. On May 30, 1982, the Trzebinia – Bolęcin section was electrified. On October 25, 1991, the Bolęcin – Spytkowice section was electrified. On December 22, 1989, the Spytkowice – Wadowice section was electrified.

Currently (2024) the layout of the Spytkowice station from the 50s of the 20th century remains. The station is a typical Austrian station building from the time of the launch of the LK. The station no longer serves a railway function, but it houses apartments for railway families. The external elevation of the station requires renovation, but there is a new roof, covered with metal roof tiles. Some of the windows have been replaced and have curtains in them. There are boards with the inscription SPYTKOWICE on the building, as well as boards with the timetable. The toilet is outside in the form of a ToyToy cabin.

Near the station, on the eastern side, there is an unused water tower. The tower is square in base, built of red brick and plastered. The whole is covered with a gable roof covered with ceramic roof tiles. A pulley and a piece of steel cable from the water gauge remain on the elevation. There are several smaller railway buildings nearby, most of them unused.

At Spytkowice station there are two island platforms, and each has two platform edges. The platforms are of medium height and are about 0.35 m from the railhead. The platforms are 200 m long. Previously, the platforms were longer and were about 280 mm long. Their edges are concrete, and the surface is asphalt. The edges are painted white and a yellow warning line is painted. On each platform there are two metal shelters of the stop type, covered with trapezoidal sheet metal. There is a bench under each shelter. There are display cases with railway information, an audio system, lighting, waste bins and other information boards. The platforms are well-maintained. There used to be a platform at the station building. There was a fence between the first track from the station side and the next one, so that passengers did not run across the track.

The station has a footbridge over the tracks for passengers, which connects the station with Platform 1 and Platform 2. After the last renovation, the footbridge is made of metal and reinforced concrete. Its surface is anti-slip. The balustrades and protective measures against touching the traction network are painted blue. The footbridge has separate lighting. On the western side of the platforms, there is a level crossing of the rails, for example for trolleys of railway services.

The station serves as a passenger and freight station. There are 12 through tracks at the station. All tracks are in use. The tracks on the northern side are used for stopping freight trains. All tracks are electrified. There was also a siding with three tracks, which led to the storage yard, in the western part of the station. The tracks are unused. On the eastern side, the station is adjacent to the FHU “FIBOR” Fuel Depot, which uses the through track from the station side. Coal is unloaded from wagons using self-propelled cranes.

Two lines run through Spytkowice station: LK No. 94 and LK No. 103. LK No. 103 Trzebinia – Skawce, formerly the Trzebinia – Wadowice line. Spytkowice station reaches the eastern head of the station from the north. This section is still used to run to the Alwernia Chemical Plant. LK No. 103, on the other hand, left Spytkowice station at the western head, branching off in an arc to the south, and then crossed National Road No. 44 (Krakowska Street) at an unguarded rail-road crossing. There are still railway tracks in the street. This section to Wadowice is unused, partially dismantled and the traction network has been removed.

There are light semaphores at Spytkowice station. There are two signal boxes at the station: “Sp” on the eastern side and “Sp1” on the western side. Currently, remote control from LCS is being installed at the station.

Currently, Spytkowice station serves up to 100 passengers per day (2023), which is a large increase. This increase in the number of passengers was related to the launch of the SKA2 line, as part of the Krakow Agglomeration Railway. The SKA2 line connects Oświęcim – Kraków Główny – Kozłów.

Spytkowice Krępki passenger stop.

Spytkowice Krępki passenger stop is also a passenger stop in the town of Spytkowice, in its eastern part, closer to the center of the town. From the west, the stop is accessed by Pagory Street, which crosses the railway tracks with a rail-road crossing. From the east, the street is called Kasztelańska. Currently, the crossing is controlled automatically by half-barriers. The old track keeper’s building has been demolished. It had the number Pagory 36. There are two single-edge platforms at the stop, 200 m long. New platforms were built in 2023. The platforms are set opposite each other. The platforms are of the high type, with edge gray slabs measuring 1 m x 2 m. The slabs have buttons and yellow warning lines. There are also leading paths. The rest is paved with grey pavement tiles, measuring 0.5 m x 0.5 m. On each platform there are two bus shelters with benches and rests and additional benches and rests. There are waste bins, railway information boards, lighting, audio system and fencing on the outside of the platform. Access to the platforms is via pavements, which are fenced and have paths leading to them.

Written by Karol Placha Hetman