Silesian Park () is a recreation complex in the center of the Upper-Silesian Metropolis in Chorzów in Upper Silesia, Poland. Silesian Park is managed by WPKiW S.A. The area of the park is 620 hectares, twice as large as the Central Park in New York. Until 2012, the park was known under its formal name of "General Jerzy Ziętek Voivodeship Park of Culture and Recreation" (, abbreviated ), named after Jerzy Ziętek, a Silesian politician who headed the 1950s initiative to create this park. It restored an industrially devastated piece of land in the middle of a highly urbanized area. As a result of the exchange of land during the construction of the Millennium district in Katowice in 1990s, the Silesian Park is entirely located within the administrative boundaries of Chorzów. However, it does not belong to any of its districts which emphasizes its regional character. History One of the main initiators of the creation of the park was General Jerzy Ziętek. The decision to build this largest ecological investment in Upper Silesia was made in 1950 at a meeting of the Provincial National Council in Katowice. The investment area included 75% of devastated post-industrial areas: heaps, post-mining waste, poor shafts, sinkholes, swamps, landfills, as well as agricultural wastelands with an area of about 640 ha on the territory of Chorzów and Katowice. Due to the low usefulness of local acidic podzolic soils, 3.5 million m³ of land was brought to the area of the current park and 0.5 million m³ of humus soils and peat were transported. Construction began in July 1951. It was carried out in large part through social deeds. Monetary donations were also collected. The basic assumption that guided the design of the park by the team of architects was to divide it into two zones using the existing topographic system. The central part of the park was designed as a forest area, crossed by a network of roads, alleys and pedestrian routes to promote silence, passive rest and active physical recreation. The remaining part of the park, about 13 ha in total, was designed as cultural and recreational areas and areas conducive to active recreation, where additional attractions were to be built and festivities were to be organized. In the 1950s and 1960s, further investments were carried out in the park: a stadium, a zoo, an amusement park and a planetarium. In 1957, a more