The drainage grate is the only component of the storm drainage system visible at the street level. Its purpose is to receive rain and melt water from pavements and streets. In Kraków, drainage grates have only been used since early 20th century, when a modern water supply network with a sewerage system was opened in the city, in a form which has been developed and modernised to this day. Before that, inhabitants did not have free access to water or a convenient way to remove waste, which had a major impact not only on the comfort of Kraków’s dwellers’ daily lives, but also on their health and life expectancy. This was because before the sewerage networks were built they used gutters – uncovered troughs between the street and the pavement – for manually disposing of household waste and rain and melt water. Gutters were a source of bad odours and a habitat for dangerous pathogens.
The drainage grate was made in a cast iron foundry located in Kraków and established in 1918 by Władysław Klimek. Before opening his own enterprise, Klimek gained the necessary professional experience as a master moulder at the Kraków factory owned by Ludwik Zieleniewski, a major player in the machine building sector. Klimek’s company produced all kinds of cast iron and steel castings, including farming and industrial machine components. In 1949, the company was nationalised, as were many other private businesses operating at the time.
Interesting fact: Władysław Klimek’s factory had a wide production range, so much so that it cast metal shells for wz.33 defensive grenades for the Polish army, among other things.

References:
R. Wierzbicki, Wodociągi Krakowa, Kraków 2011, book available in the Repository of the Kraków Technical University at: https://suw.biblos.pk.edu.pl/viewResource&mId=444027 (Accessed: 9.05.2021).