Summary:

The conducted study was aimed at answering the following question: is it possible for the industrial function to coexist with the curative function? Was it justified to convert the spa town into an industrial centre? The authors took into account the still-existing curative potential of the former Jastrzębie-Zdrój spa. The second half of the 1940s and the beginning of the 1950s was a time when it flourished as a therapeutic centre, with the curative facilities built before the second world war being rebuilt and modernised. The local authorities considered this to be a priority, as the spa town was the single large employer in this small town. Despite its glory as a resort in the years following the war, due to social, political and economic decisions as well as due to the exploitation of black coal which began in the 1960s, the rather miniscule town of over 8 000 inhabitants transformed into a large industrial city with more than 100 000 citizens. At first, its curative function coexisted with the rapidly developing industrial function. It turned out that it was possible for them to accompany each other, though it might have seemed before that they were mutually exclusive. The spa is no longer operative since the year 1994, when it was shut down due to a decline in curative waters. What remains are numerous elements of the spa infrastructure, including a beautiful 18 hectare Spa Park. One might wonder whether it was justified to close down a spa with such a magnificent curative potential?.