Referring to the works by Giorgos Kallis and Jason Hickel, this article discusses the phenomenon of active and closed Polish coking plants in terms of boundaries and moderation. To this end, it analyses the case of a fully operational coking plant in Bytom-Bobrek and a closed coking plant in Ruda Śląska-Orzegowo, which was transformed into a memorial park and playground. In this context, the concepts of ultimate place and post-ultimate place are introduced as spaces that encourage reflection on human pride, unlimited extraction, and limits on fossil fuel burning/coking. The two case studies are supplemented with an interpretation of Jakub Pszoniak’s poetry and Diana Lelonek’s multimedia exhibition O węglu i lodzie [On Coal and Ice]. While exploring the cultural responses to unlimited coal burning and coking, both of which are detrimental to human health and cause environmental degradation later requiring long-term revitalisation and significant financial investments, the author ponders on the critical potential of images created by architects, poets, and artists. Similarly to the Greek tragedy referred to by Kallis, these images can scare and shock, and thus motivate people to abandon their pernicious habits and shift from the policy of growth towards a more balanced living and moderation.
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