Dąbrówka Mała (, ) is a part and a district of Katowice, located in the northeastern part of the city, by the Brynica river. In addition to Dąbrówka Mała itself, the district consists of most of its former hamlets and colonies: , , , , , and , as well as . Outside the district's borders, in Szopienice-Burowiec, is the former colony of Dąbrówka Mała – .
The origins of Dąbrówka Mała date back to the 15th century, when it belonged to the Duchy of Siewierz. The settlement underwent rapid development in the second half of the 19th century with the establishment of mining operations and steel mills in the area, which led to a quick increase in the population. During the German occupation (World War II), on 3–4 April 1940, the German police committed a massacre of 40 Poles from Katowice in Dąbrówka Mała. The occupiers also operated a Polenlager forced labour camp for Poles in Dąbrówka Mała.
From 1945, the village formed a separate gmina, and in 1951, it became part of the town of Szopienice. Along with Szopienice, it was incorporated into Katowice on 31 December 1959. After 1989, Dąbrówka Mała underwent economic changes related to the decline of heavy industry, as well as the development of new economic sectors.
The buildings in Dąbrówka Mała consist mainly of tenements and familoks, built near existing mines and steel mills to house workers and their families. Next to them, housing estates made of so-called large-panel-system building were constructed (including Osiedle Konstantego Michalskiego and the apartment blocks on Wiertnicza Street) in the 1960s and 1970s. Dąbrówka Mała is surrounded by a major transportation route – expressway S86 – and the Brynica river. It has an area of 3.68 km2 and in 2019 had 4,759 inhabitants.
Geography Location Administratively, Dąbrówka Mała is located in the Silesian Voivodeship and is one of the auxiliary units of the city of Katowice (no. 14), situated in the northeastern part of the city, approximately 5 km from the center.
It borders the neighboring districts of Katowice: Bogucice to the west, and Zawodzie and Szopienice-Burowiec to the south, as well as the nearby cities: Sosnowiec ( district) to the east, and Czeladź ( district) and Siemianowice Śląskie (area of the former Katowice Power Station; district) to the north. The district's boundaries are: to the north and east – the border of Katowice with the cities of Siemianowice Śląskie, Czeladź, and Sosnowiec (partly along the Brynica river); to the south – to the intersection with Szwedzka Street; to the west – Szwedzka, Techników, Wiertnicza streets, and partially Budowlana Street. Further on, the border of Dąbrówka Mała forms the border of Katowice with Siemianowice Śląskie.
According to physio-geographical regionalization, Dąbrówka Mała is located in the mesoregion, which forms the southern part of the Silesian Upland macroregion. The Silesian Upland itself is a part of the subprovince. Historically, it forms part of eastern Upper Silesia.
Geology
In terms of its geological structure, Dąbrówka Mała is located within the in an area with horst structures. At the turn of the Devonian and Carboniferous periods, the Paleozoic bedrock of the Silesian Upland was disturbed by the formation of a sinkhole, which during the Carboniferous was filled with conglomerates, sandstones, and shales containing bituminous coal deposits. In Dąbrówka Mała, these formations have been entirely covered by layers dating from the Quaternary (Pleistocene and Holocene).
During the Pleistocene, the area of Dąbrówka Mała was likely covered by an ice sheet on two occasions: during the Mindel glaciation and the Riss glaciation. The latter left behind tills, which are found mainly in the western part of Katowice, while in the eastern part, including the area of Dąbrówka Mała, they were partially denudated during the periglacial period, creating extensive areas of diluvial clays mixed with sands and fluvioglacial gravels. Sandy and silty eluvium in Dąbrówka Mała is common in the central part of the district (the urbanized center and the western part), while the remaining area (mainly the northern part) consists of glacial and fluvioglacial sands and gravels.
During the Holocene, Pleistocene deposits were eroded, especially in river valleys, which created low terraces in several stages as a result of the cutting through of the aggradation deposits. Holocene sediments extend along the Śmiłowski Trench valley, in the area of Pod Młynem Street, as well as in a line running parallel to the north of Walenty Roździeński Avenue.
Terrain Dąbrówka Mała is located in the Silesian Upland, within the mesoregion. The district's terrain is characterized by little variation in elevation. The difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points is approximately 20 meters. The highest-elevation areas are the intersection of and Styczniowa streets, as well as the Zielony Zakątek Park along Wiertnicza Street. Elevations in these areas exceed 275 m above sea level. The lowest point, at an elevation of approximately 255 m above sea level, is located in the Brynica river valley near the tripoint of the borders of Katowice, Czeladź, and Sosnowiec. The higher-lying part of Dąbrówka Mała (the western and southern parts of the district) forms part of the Siemianowice Upland, while the lower-lying northern part is part of the Brynica valley. The area of the Siemianowice Upland and the Brynica valley have been heavily transformed by human activity due to settlement and the historical extraction and processing of mineral resources, especially coal. Additionally, the landscape consists of man-made landforms in the form of road and railway embankments. Almost the entire district has been anthropogenically leveled, and the area of the Dąbrówka Mała-Centrum Wastewater Treatment Plant is a mining subsidence basin.
Soils In Dąbrówka Mała, due to the high level of human impact on the area, the soils have been significantly altered by human activity, resulting in anthrosols where humans are the dominant soil-forming factor. The southern part is composed of soils formed from alluvial clays, while the northern part consists of clayey sands. Due to urban development and industrial activity, these soils have been largely devastated and degraded. They are also contaminated with heavy metals, including those located in forested areas at the forest litter level.
Soils in Dąbrówka Mała are mainly of classes III and IV. Class III soils are found mostly in the western part of the district along Siemianowicka and J. Biniszkiewicz streets, on the south side of Styczniowa Street, and also along opposite the Volunteer Fire Department station. Class IV soils extend along Milowicka Street, in the area of , Żwirowa and Wyrobiskowa streets, west of J. Grzegorzek Street, as well as along Pod Młynem Street, , and the northern part of Styczniowa Street.
Climate The climate of Dąbrówka Mała does not differ significantly from that of Katowice as a whole, but it is modified by local factors (microclimate). The area has a transitional temperate climate, with oceanic influences predominating over continental ones. Westerly winds dominate (accounting for about 60% of the total), with easterly and southerly winds being less prevalent. The average annual temperature for the 1961–2005 period at the nearby station in is 8.1°C, but the urban heat island effect is also noticeable there, which locally modifies the air temperature. The warmest month is July (17.8°C), and the coldest is January (–2.2°C). The average annual sunshine duration for the 1966–2005 period was 1,474 hours. The average annual precipitation for the 1951–2005 period was 713.8 mm.
The microclimate of Dąbrówka Mała depends on the degree of forest cover, urbanization, and its location relative to river valleys. The southern part of the district (south of the line formed by Pod Młynem and Strzelców Bytomskich streets) lies within the microclimate of developed, higher-elevation valleys, where conditions are moderately favorable. With dense development and paved areas, the air heats up more quickly during the day and, with lower humidity, loses heat more quickly. The area directly in the Brynica and Śmiłowski Trench valleys has an unfavourable microclimate. Due to more frequent heat radiation, fog and ground frost occur more often there. The remaining area has an intermediate microclimate with moderately favorable conditions – there, the reduced amount of water counteracts heat loss.
Surface and groundwater The entire area of Dąbrówka Mała is located within the Vistula drainage basin, in the catchment area of two rivers: the Brynica (northern part of the district) and the Rawa (southern part). A fourth-order drainage divide between the Brynica and Rawa catchments runs through the intersection of Siemianowicka and Poranna streets, then east along Henri Le Rond Street, then southeast along the railroad tracks and Walenty Roździeński Avenue to the northeast.
The Brynica river flows toward the border between Katowice and Mysłowice. In Dąbrówka Mała, it also forms the city's northeastern border. The average flow rate of the Brynica at the border between Dąbrówka Mała and Czeladź, with a 50% probability, is 5.50 m³/s. The Śmiłowski Trench also flows through the Brynica catchment, running parallel to Strzelców Bytomskich Street, and then flowing into the Brynica near the animal shelter on Milowicka Street.
Although the Rawa river's catchment includes the district, the river does not flow directly through Dąbrówka Mała.
The hydrographic network of Dąbrówka Mała is heavily anthropogenized as a result of human activity, especially due to historical coal mining and its consequences, which has led to the continuous regulation of the Rawa and Brynica rivers. The Brynica in Dąbrówka Mała has a lined and embanked channel. Additionally, to prevent the formation of floodplains, the riverbed was raised, which led to the loss of hydraulic connectivity between the Brynica and the groundwater.
There are no water reservoirs in Dąbrówka Mała.
According to Paczyński's 1995 regionalization, Dąbrówka Mała is located within the XII Silesian-Kraków hydrogeological region. The district lies within the boundaries of Groundwater Body No. 111. One of the Main Groundwater Reservoirs – No. 329 Bytom – is located beneath the northern part of Dąbrówka Mała. It carries fissure-karst-porous water within a profile of Triassic carbonate formations.
Nature and environmental protection
Dąbrówka Mała has been largely urbanized, resulting in a limited amount of green space, mostly in the form of man-made greenery (mainly family allotment gardens, parks, cemeteries, squares, and recreational areas). Larger areas of tree-lined and undeveloped green spaces in Dąbrówka Mała are found around the Dąbrówka Mała-Centrum Wastewater Treatment Plant between Strzelców Bytomskich and Milowicka streets, in the area between Techników Street and Walenty Roździeński Avenue, as well as in the form of wasteland in the block bounded by W. Siwek, Styczniowa, and Siemianowicka streets.