Kozubnik Abandoned Resort

HPR Porąbka-Kozubnik Recreation and Training Center Complex - was the center of the defunct Hutnicze Przedsiębiorstwo Remontowe in Katowice, which employed 18,000 workers. It was located in Porąbka in the Mały Beskid Mountains, on an area of 7.5 ha. It was a self-sufficient center, it had its own water intake, sewage treatment plants and an emergency power system powered by two 400 kW tank engines. The center employed permanent medical staff: an internist, a dentist, a rehabilitation specialist, and a nurse, thus ensuring full medical protection. An ambulance was also available. The construction of the center began in 1968 with leveling the ground. Within two years, most of the buildings in the House Complex were built.

It was visited mainly by employees of Hutniczy Przedsiębiorstwo Remontowe, as well as employees of other enterprises that cooperated with HPR, namely Huta im. Lenin in Kraków, the Stalowa Wola Steelworks or the “Kościuszko” Steelworks in Chorzów. However, it must be admitted that the guests of the luxurious apartments were party dignitaries rather than ordinary steel workers. Leonid Brezhnev’s son was also there. As the center had spacious conference rooms, the meetings of the Comecon Committee on Metallurgy were also organized here. In 1987, it was visited by 31,387 people for a period longer than 24 hours. The center also hosted guests from “capitalist” countries. Its glory days ended with the fall of the Polish People’s Republic. The company, owned by two brothers who came to Poland from the USA, which bought the center quickly fell into huge debts.

In 1996, the court declared the company bankrupt. Tourists stopped visiting the center due to the discontinuation of subsidizing employee holidays, as well as the lack of contribution from the new owner to the renovation of the center. Today, the once powerful, high-standard resort is a picture of poverty and despair. All valuable items and devices were looted by thieves. There were chances to save the center, but none of them came to fruition. Today, the center is used by paintball players and people looking for thrills by visiting the ruins of the center