Dworcowa Street, thanks to its location, was an excellent spot for hotels and other establishments catering to travellers arriving in Katowice by the railway line opened in 1846. One of them was the Monopol, built here in 1903 by Arnold Lustig. From the beginning, it was one of the most luxurious in the city. Many distinguished guests used his services – Artur Rubinstein, Karol Szymanowski, Josephine Baker, Charles de Gaulle... in 1936, a lavish wedding took place here between tenor Jan Kiepura, who was at the peak of his fame at the time, and Hungarian film star Martha Eggerth. The Hotel Monopol fortunately survived the war, although its prestige declined over the years and it was finally closed in the 1980s. Fortunately, it has been serving guests again since 2003 and remains the only five-star hotel in our city to this day.