Water soluble salts in degradation processes of stony architectural monuments in the Upper Silesia

The study goals were aimed at obtaining information on corrosion products of rocks used in architectural monuments in the Upper Silesia. Samples from four monumental buildings located at margins of the Upper Silesia were used in the study. Three of them are located in the western part of the region: a castle at Toszek, a grain elevator at Stare Gliwice and castle ruins at Chudow, and one is located in the eastern part (a castle at Bedzin). Samples of rocks from area significantly less affected by atmospheric contamination (castle ruins at Mirow in the Jura Krakowsko-Czestochowska region) were analyzed for comparison. Samples of sandstone, limestone and granitoids were analyzed with X-ray diffractometry and microstructural analyses. Chemical analyses were conducted for aqueous solutions of powdered rock samples. The following compounds were detected in the studied samples: sulphates, chlorides, nitrates and carbonates. Total salinity in the samples of sandstone and limestone was calculated, based on the results of chemical analyses and X-ray diffractometry. The highest salinity was detected in the samples from the castle ruins at Chudow.