Kraków 2022-03-11
Railway station Krakow Wisła.
Description of the photo: Remaining railway ramp of the Kraków Wisła station.
Most of the older inhabitants of Krakow remember about the Krakow Grzegórzki railway station in Kazimierz, which was located between the Vistula River and the present Kazimierz Shopping Center. But few remember that exactly on the other side of the Vistula was the Kraków Wisła freight station, which operated from 1911 to 2002. Geographic coordinates: 50 ° 03′06.8 ″ N 19 ° 57′59.8 ″ E.
It was a typical goods station and served industrial plants in Zabłocie. The history of the creation of this station is associated with meat plants (slaughterhouse). Before the construction of this station, cattle and pigs from the Kraków Płaszów station were driven along the streets of Zabłocie. After long efforts of the owners of the slaughterhouse, it was possible to obtain permission to lead the side railway from Kraków Płaszów to Zabłocie to the slaughterhouse. Other manufacturers joined the initiative and new, shorter sidings were built for other plants: Szyndler's Factory (later Telpod), a glass factory (later the Glass Institute), a paper mill, an alcohol factory and others.
The opening of the railway route took place on March 5, 1911. The station was renamed Podgórze Wisła, but in 1924, in free Poland, its name was changed to Kraków Wisła.
The main siding ran parallel to the No. 91 railway route. The main railway line ran on the embankment, and the main siding ran north-west at the level of streets and pavements. Although the line ran over the viaduct over Powstańców Wielkopolskich Street. The main siding was given the number of line No. 112. It crossed Jana Dekerta Street and Lipowa Street, and then, before the Vistula River, it curved to the right (north-east direction). Here, on the Vistula River, a goods station developed over time, which was called Krakow Wisła (Podgórze Wisła).
Next, the tracks ran along the Vistula to the east, reaching the river port "Port Płaszów". The buildings currently standing at the corner of Ofiar Dąbia and Nowohucka streets look as if they were arranged in chaos. And they were positioned according to the track layout. There were as many as five short sidings set in different directions.
Another siding ran westward from the Kraków Wisła station, up the Vistula River. This siding ran as far as the place where the Wilga River flows into the Vistula. This siding handled the reloading of goods from river barges to wagons, on the side of the City of Podgórze, in the area of the Piłsudski Bridge.
The line No. 112 Kraków Płaszów - Kraków Vistula was about 2.10 km long. But in total, the total length of the sidings exceeded 10 km. About 10 smaller sidings in total departed from line No. 112.
The wagons were operated by small steam locomotives of the "Tendrzak" type, and after the Second World War also by diesel locomotives, for example the SM30. After 1990, when most plants started using road transport, rail traffic was limited and eventually stopped. In the following years, the plants were closed and the land was taken over by developers who began to build apartment buildings here.
On February 20, 2002, a resolution was adopted to liquidate the railway line No. 112. The station plain became a park called the Vistula Station. There is a loading ramp in the park. The track layout of the Kraków Wisła station has not survived. All tracks were dismantled. Sometimes you can come across railroads tarmaced in the streets.
Description of the photo: The builder of the apartment building placed railroad rails in the sidewalk, as a reminder of the history of this place.
Description of the photo: Jana Dekert Street. Asphalt railway track in the street.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman