Katowice Mountaineering Club, Memorial landmark in Katowice, Poland.
The Monument to the Alpinists in Katowice is an obelisk in Kościuszki Park, near the historic Church of St. Michael the Archangel. It bears the names of eight members of the Katowice High-Mountain Club who died in the mountains, including Jerzy Kukuczka and Henryk Furmanik.
The memorial was erected in 2015 to mark the achievements of Polish mountaineers who had gained international recognition in the preceding decades. Katowice was chosen as the location because the city has a long history of organized climbing activity and expedition culture.
The obelisk lists eight climbers of the Katowice High Mountain Club who died in the mountains, from Henryk Furmanik in 1974 in Canada's Saint Elias Mountains to Artur Hajzer in 2013 in the Karakoram. The idea arose among local climbers in the 1970s, and the monument was funded by the public collection "Pasja Gór" and a city grant.
The obelisk stands in Park Kościuszki, beside the historic Church of St. Michael the Archangel, not in the city centre. The park lies southwest of the centre and can be reached on foot or by public transport; the memorial is outdoors and freely accessible at any time.
The obelisk lists eight climbers of the Katowice club who died in the mountains, from Henryk Furmanik, killed in 1974 in the Saint Elias Mountains of Canada, to Artur Hajzer and Tomasz Kowalski, both lost in the Karakorum in 2013. Jerzy Kukuczka, who died on Lhotse in 1989, is among them.
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