In my first post I'd like to showf pictures of the house, where i was born and spend first year of my childhood. Now it belongs to my uncle, he lives there with his big family and keeps an apple garden. This old house is full of  antique things, and my relatives try to safe each of  them.
So, some words about my native land. Katowice. It is the largest city in Poland, that located in the middle of Upper Silesia on the banks of the river Rawa.

The origins of the name of the city still remain an uncertain matter. Some historians claim that it originated from the word "kat" (torturer) which was a nickname of the first local settler. Then, others connect the name with the word "kąty". In the past, settlers' huts were called like this. The settlers dealt with clearing the forests and delivering wood to Kuźnica Bogucka. In 1953, after the death of Józef Stalin, Katowice was named Stalinogród, and the name of the Katowice voivodeship was changed into the Stalinogród voivodeship. Former names were re-established in December 1956.

The history of Katowice is a mirror reflexion of the history of the Upper Silesia. In the past these lands belonged to Poland, the Czech state (Czechia), Austria, Prussia and Germany. After Poland had regained its independence in 1918, the region's future was influenced by three Silesian Uprisings and the plebiscite (1919-1921). The city's great development in the twenties and the thirties of 20^th century was discontinued by the outbreak of the World War II. After the war, the whole region of the Upper Silesia became a part of Poland. Modern history of Katowice has been marked, among others, with the tragedy in the "Wujek" Coal Mine (1981), the pilgrimage of the Pope John Paul II (1983) and prizes granted by the Council of Europe between 1998 and 2008.

Also just in the 40 km from Katowice, during the years of war 1940 - 1945, the Nazis were turning the small town of Oswiecim (Auschwitz) into the most gruesome extermination camp in the history of mankind - Auchwitz Birkenau Concentration Camp, the most harrowing symbol of genocide.

I visited my relatives in the begining of september of 2010 and stayed there for a week. Now, four years later, I'd like to publish my shots.

Well, let's begin with the first floor

                                                                                            

It is a renewed cupboard with copper accessories and carved details. An armchair is not old, but looks like something familiar with other artifacts of the interior.

The shabby blue jug was turned into a vase. Really great. And this bread plate is made of clay. Agril, to be exact.

These devices made of wood are the different parts of spinningwheels. Also, this ribbed dark thing that looks like a bat, is an instrument for laundry, named "valiok"

Antique irons are pretty like irons from "Sinderella", but very heavy. The copper pan for jam has a long handle to avoid burns.

The second floor much looks like a russian country house. Homespun, knitted rugs, patchwork blankets and so on. 

This is the room where i stayed. The bed was not so cosy like my own, but i went asleep with the view of a medieval german city

The wicker boxes are wardrobes by the way.

Knitted tableclothes, vases with posies, paintings on the walls. All this makes rooms very comfortable, visually warm and disposessing to recreation.

These books are mine. Tales of different countries in russian, english and polish splendid illustrated where my first knowing of the world.

This is a stairway between the first and second floor.

A hammering on copper. Over 50 years of life made this art object practically black.

A wrought arm, that impressed me very much.

A daddylonglegs. 

And this is coffer for a kitchen stuff. Salt, cereal, grits and semolina, shugar and macaroni stay dry and safe.