Katowice

Katowice ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. The Katowice metropolitan area has a population of 2.5 million, and is part of a larger Katowice–Ostrava metropolitan area that extends into the Czech Republic and has a population of around 5 million people. Katowice was founded as a village in the 16th century, whereas several modern districts of Katowice were founded as villages in the Middle Ages. Throughout the mid-18th century, Katowice grew following the discovery of rich coal reserves in the area. In the first half of the 19th century, intensive industrialization transformed local mills and farms into industrial steelworks, mines, foundries and artisan workshops. The city has since reshaped its economy from a heavy industry-based one to professional services, education and healthcare. The entire metropolitan area is the 16th most economically powerful city by GDP in the European Union with an output amounting to $114.5 billion. Katowice Special Economic Zone is ranked fourth on the list of the TOP10 Global Free Zones.…

Katowice ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. The Katowice metropolitan area has a population of 2.5 million, and is part of a larger Katowice–Ostrava metropolitan area that extends into the Czech Republic and has a population of around 5 million people. Katowice was founded as a village in the 16th century, whereas several modern districts of Katowice were founded as villages in the Middle Ages. Throughout the mid-18th century, Katowice grew following the discovery of rich coal reserves in the area. In the first half of the 19th century, intensive industrialization transformed local mills and farms into industrial steelworks, mines, foundries and artisan workshops. The city has since reshaped its economy from a heavy industry-based one to professional services, education and healthcare. The entire metropolitan area is the 16th most economically powerful city by GDP in the European Union with an output amounting to $114.5 billion. Katowice Special Economic Zone is ranked fourth on the list of the TOP10 Global Free Zones. Katowice has been classified as a Gamma – global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network and is a centre of commerce, business, transportation, and culture in southern Poland, with numerous public companies headquartered in the city or in its suburbs including energy group Tauron and metal industry corporation Fasing, important cultural institutions such as Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, award-winning music festivals such as Off Festival and Tauron New Music, and transportation infrastructure such as Katowice Korfanty Airport. It also hosts the finals of Intel Extreme Masters, an Esports video game tournament. Katowice is also home to several institutions of higher learning, notably the University of Silesia, the Silesian University of Technology and the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music. The city is a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network having been recognized as a City of Music.

History

Before the industrial revolution

Parish visitation report from 1598 that mentions the name Katowice for the first time The area around Katowice, in Upper Silesia, has been inhabited by Lechitic Silesian tribes from its earliest documented history. While the name Katowice (Katowicze) is mentioned for the first time in 1598, other villages and settlements that would eventually become parts of modern Katowice have been established earlier, with Dąb being the oldest, mentioned in 1299¹ for the first time in a document issued by Duke Casimir of Bytom. Bogucice, Ligota, Szopenice and Podlesie were all established in early 14th century. Aside from farming, people living in the area would also work in hammer mills: the first one, Kuźnica Bogucka, is mentioned in 1397. The area which would become Katowice was initially ruled by the Polish Silesian Piast dynasty until its extinction. From 1327, the region was under administration of the Kingdom of Bohemia under the Holy Roman Empire. As part of the Bohemian Crown, it was passed to the Habsburg monarchy of Austria in 1526. In 1742, along with most of Silesia, it was seized by Prussia following the First Silesian War. The two subsequent Silesian Wars left the area severely depopulated and with an economy in ruins. In 1838, Franz von Winckler bought Katowice from Karl Friedrich Lehmann and in 1841, he made it the headquarters of his estate.

Emergence as an industrial centre

On 3 October 1846, the works of the final stage of the Breslau-Myslowitz (Wrocław-Mysłowice) rail line ended, built and operated by the Upper Silesian Railway. It was opened by king Frederick William IV of Prussia. A year later, on 6 August 1847, the first train arrived at the new Katowice station. The railway connection with major European cities (Katowice gained connections to Berlin, Kraków, Vienna and Warsaw, among others, between 1847 and 1848) fostered economic and population growth. The population grew enough to erect the first Lutheran church on 29 September 1858 (Church of the Resurrection), and the first Catholic church two years later, on 11 November 1860. Katowice (then called Kattowitz) gained city status on 11 September 1865 in the Prussian Province of Silesia, by the act of the king Wilhelm I Hohenzollern. The city flourished due to large mineral (especially coal) deposits in the area. Extensive city growth and prosperity depended on the coal mining and steel industries, which took off during the Industrial Revolution. The city was inhabited mainly by Germans, Poles incl. Silesians, and Jews. In 1884, 36 Jewish Zionist delegates met here, forming the Hovevei Zion movement. Previously part of the Beuthen district, in 1873 it became the capital of the new Kattowitz district. On 1 April 1899, the city was separated from the district, becoming an independent city. In 1882, the Upper Silesian Coal and Steelworks Company (Oberschlesischer Berg- und Hüttenmännischer Verein) moved its headquarters to Katowice, followed by creation of the Upper Silesian Coal Convention (Oberschlesische Kohlen-Konvention) in 1898. Civic development followed industrial development: in 1851, the first post office opens in Katowice, and in 1893 the current regional post office headquarters have been opened; in 1871 the first middle school was opened (later expanded to high school); in 1889, Katowice got a district court; in 1895, the city bath opened and regional headquarters of the Prussian state railways has been established in the city; in 1907¹, the city theater (currently the Silesian Theatre) opened. Under the Treaty of Versailles after World War I, the Upper Silesia plebiscite was organised by the League of Nations. Though Kattowitz proper voted 22,774 to remain in Germany and 3,900 for Poland, it was attached to Poland as the larger district voted 66,119 for Poland and 52,992 for Germany. Following the Silesian Uprisings of 1918–21 Katowice became part of the Second Polish Republic with some autonomy for the Silesian Parliament as a constituency and the Silesian Voivodeship Council as the executive body. In 1924, the surrounding villages and towns were incorporated into Katowice, and the number of inhabitants increased to over 112,000, since then the number of Poles exceeded the number of Germans – throughout the interwar period, the number of Germans decreased (in 1925 they constituted 12% of the inhabitants of Katowice, and in 1939 only 6%, while Poles constituted 93%). At the end of the interwar period, the number of inhabitants exceeded 134,000. From 1926 to 1933, Katowice and the Polish part of Upper Silesia were connected with Gdynia and the Polish part of Pomerania through the Polish Coal Trunk-Line ( ).

World War II

During the early stages of World War II and the Poland Campaign, Katowice was essentially abandoned by the Polish Land Forces, which had to position itself around Kraków. Nevertheless, the city was defended by local Poles, and the invading Germans immediately carried out massacres of captured Polish defenders. In the following weeks the German Einsatzkommando 1 was stationed in the city, and its units were responsible for many crimes against Poles committed in the region. , one of the symbols of the Polish Defense of Katowice Under German occupation many of the city's historical and iconic monuments were destroyed, most notably the Great Katowice Synagogue, which was burned to the ground on 4 September 1939. This was followed by the alteration of street names and the introduction of strict rules. Additionally, the use of Polish in public conversations was banned. The German administration was also infamous for organising public executions of civilians and by the middle of 1941, most of the Polish and Jewish population was expelled. The Germans established and operated a Nazi prison in the city, and multiple forced labour camps within present-day city limits, including two camps solely for Poles (Polenlager), four camps solely for Jews, two subcamps (E734, E750) of the Stalag VIII-B/344 prisoner-of-war camp, and a subcamp of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Eventually, Katowice was captured by the Red Army in January 1945. Significant parts of the downtown and inner suburbs were demolished during the occupation. As a result, the authorities were able to preserve the central district in its prewar character.

Postwar period

The postwar period of Katowice was characterised by the time of heavy industry development in the Upper Silesian region, which helped the city in regaining its status as the most industrialised Polish city and a major administrative centre. As the city developed so briskly, the 1950s marked a significant increase in its population and an influx of migrants from the Eastern Borderlands, the so-called Kresy. The city area began to quickly expand by incorporating the neighbouring communes and counties. However, the thriving industrial city also had a dark period in its short but meaningful history. Most notably, between 7 March 1953 and 10 December 1956, Katowice was called Stalinogród in honour of Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union. The change was brought upon by an issued decree of the State Council. The date of the alteration of the city name was neither a coincidence or accidental as it happened on the day of Stalin's death. In this way, the Polish United Workers' Party and the socialist authority wanted to pay tribute to him. The new name never got accepted by the citizens and in 1956 the former Polish name was restored. The following decades were more memorable in the history of Katowice. Regardless of its industrial significance, it started to become an important cultural and educational centre in Central and Eastern Europe. In 1968, the University of Silesia in Katowice, the largest and most valued college in the area, was founded. Simultaneously the construction of large housing estates began to evolve. Furthermore, many representative structures were erected at that time, including the Silesian Insurgents' Monument (1967) and Spodek (1971), which have become familiar landmarks and tourist sights. The 1960s and 1970s saw the evolution of modernist architecture and functionalism. Katowice eventually developed into one of the most modernist post-war cities of Poland. is one of the main promenades in the city One of the most dramatic events in the history of the city occurred on 16 December 1981. It was then that 9 protesters died (7 were shot dead; 2 died from injury complications) and another 21 were wounded in the pacification of Wujek Coal Mine. The Special Platoon of the Motorized Reserves of the Citizens' Militia (ZOMO) was responsible for the brutal handling of strikers protesting against Wojciech Jaruzelski's declaration of martial law and the arrest of Solidarity trade union officials. On the 10th anniversary of the event, a memorial was unveiled by the President of Poland Lech Wałęsa. In 1990, the first democratic local elections that took place marked a new period in the city's history. The economy of Katowice has been transforming from the heavy industry of steel and coal mines into "one of the most attractive investment areas for modern economy branches in Central Europe".

21st century

In 2008, Katowice was awarded the Europe Prize by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for having made exceptional efforts to spread the ideal of European unity. The city's efficient infrastructure, rapid progress in the overall development and an increase in office space has made Katowice a popular venue for conducting business. The Katowice Expo Centre (Katowickie Centrum Wystawiennicze) organises trade fairs or exhibitions and attracts investors from all over the world. In 2018, the city was the host of the 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP24). In 2022, the city hosted the 11th edition of the World Urban Forum, the world's most important conference on sustainable urbanization and development of cities. , built in 2015

Geography

Katowice encompasses an area of . The city is situated in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids (part of the Carpathian Mountains). Kłodnica and Rawa (tributaries of the Oder and the Vistula respectively) are the largest rivers in Katowice, and the border between catchment areas of Oder and Vistula goes through the city. With a minimal elevation of and median elevation of above sea level, Katowice has the highest elevation among large cities in Poland.

Climate

Katowice has a temperate, ocean-moderated humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfb/Cfb). The average temperature is 8.2 °Celsius ( in January and up to in July). Yearly rainfall averages at . Characteristic weak winds blow at about from the southwest, through the Moravian Gate.

Neighborhoods

Katowice has 22 officially recognized neighborhoods. Śródmieście, Osiedle Paderewskiego-Muchowiec, Zawodzie and Koszutka form the dense central urban core where most cultural and educational institutions, businesses and administrative buildings are located. Most Northern and Eastern neighborhoods around the downtown core are more working-class and developed from worker's estates build around large industry such as coal mines, manufactures and steelworks. Each of these neighborhoods has its own dense commercial strip surrounded by mid-rise apartment buildings and some single-family homes. Szopienice, located between downtown Katowice and Mysłowice, used to be a separate town until mid-1960s. Nikiszowiec, a former mine's town, has undergone strong gentrification in recent years, and emerged as a major tourist attraction in the region thanks to its unique architecture and art galleries. Western and Southern neighborhoods (with the exception of Brynów-Załęska Hałda, which is a working-class neighborhood built around a coal mine) are more suburban in nature, concentrating the city's middle and upper middle classes.

Metropolitan area

Katowice lies in the centre of the largest conurbation in Poland, one of the largest in the European Union, numbering about 2.7 million. The Katowice metropolitan area consists of about 40 adjacent cities and towns, the whole Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area (mostly within the Upper Silesian Coal Basin) over 50 cities or towns and a population of 5,008,000. In 2006, Katowice and 14 adjacent cities united as the Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia (predecessor to the current Metropolis GZM). Its population was 2 million and its area was . In 2006–2007 the union planned to unite these cities in one city under the name "Silesia", but this proved unsuccessful. The Katowice conurbation comprises settlements which have evolved because of the mining of metal ores, coal and raw rock materials. The establishment of mining and heavy industry which have developed for the past centuries has resulted in the unique character of the cityscape; its typical aspects are the red brick housing estates constructed for the poorer working class, factory chimneys, manufacturing plants, power stations and quarries. The inhabitants of a large mining community like Katowice, and local administrations within the conurbation, which have only evolved due to mining, are a subject to overall decline after the liquidation of coal mines and factories. This is one of the reasons which led to the development of the service sector, including office spaces, shopping centres and tourism.

Demographics

The Polish Statistical Office estimates Katowice's population to be 292,774 with a population density of . There were 139,274 males and 153,500 females. Age breakdown of people in Katowice is: 12.9% 0–14 years old, 13.7% 15–29 years old, 23.8% 30–44 years old, 19.5% 45–59 years old, 20.1% 60–74 years old, and 9.9% 75 years and older. Katowice is a centre of the Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area, with a population of approx. 5.3 million. This metropolitan area extends into the neighboring Czechia, where the other centre is the city of Ostrava. 41 municipalities that constitute the core of the metropolitan area created the Metropolis GZM association, which has 2.3 million people

Historical population

Katowice's population grew very fast between 1845 and 1960, fueled by the expansion of heavy industry and administrative functions. In the 60s, 70s and 80s, the city grew by another 100,000 people, reaching a height of 368,621 in 1988. Since then, the decline of heavy industry, emigration, and suburbanization reversed the population development; Katowice lost approx. 75,000 people (20%) since the fall of communism in Poland. Before World War II, Katowice was mainly inhabited by Poles and Germans. The 1905 Silesian demographic census has shown that Germans made up nearly 70–75% of the total population (including German Jews) and Poles constituted 25–30% of inhabitants of Katowice. After the plebiscite in Upper Silesia, Silesian uprisings and the incorporation of Katowice into Poland in 1922, and then the incorporation of several nearby villages and towns into the city, the number of inhabitants of Katowice increased significantly, but the number of Germans in Katowice fell to 12% in 1925 and to 6% in 1939 (most Germans left Poland, many ethnic Silesians who used to identify as Germans switched their identification to Poles, and areas with a Polish majority were incorporated). Thus, in 1939 the ethnic breakdown of the city was: 93% Poles, 6% Germans, and 1% Jews. After the German aggression against Poland in 1939, some Poles were displaced from Katowice and Germans were settled in their place. During the war, the Nazi occupiers committed severe crimes against the local Roma and Jewish communities, either killing them on the spot or transporting them to concentration camps such as Auschwitz for complete extermination. This led to a wartime population drop. In 1945, practically the entire German minority has either left fleeing the Red Army or was forced to leave after Poland regained control of the city, and Poles from Kresy (Eastern Borderlands of interwar Poland that were annexed by USSR after the war) and other parts of the country started to come to settle in the city. Katowice enjoyed a population boom after World War II, driven primarily by internal economic migration from less developed parts of the country. Since the late 1960s, Katowice and the surrounding area experiences low birth rates, which, paired with the decline of heavy industry and reduced job opportunities, caused the population of Katowice to start decreasing in the late 1980s. As of recent years, increased economic activity in the area has stopped outward migration but the negative natural change (more deaths than births) continues to fuel population decline.

Ethnic diversity

Katowice is one of the more diverse cities in Poland. In the 2021 census, 93.87% of inhabitants declared a Polish nationality while 19.38% declared a nationality other than Polish (in the Polish census, respondents are allowed to declare up to two nationalities or ethnicities). Indigenous Silesians were the largest minority, at 17.8%, followed by Germans (0.43%), Ukrainians (0.18%), the English (0.12%), Jews (0.07%) and Italians (0.07%). In addition, Katowice is home to a large immigrant population that is largely unaccounted for in the official population data in Poland. According to the Polish Ministry of Development, Labor and Technology, there have been 20,527 foreigners (7% of official population figure) on a special worker permit for citizens of Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine in Katowice in 2020, 19,003 of them from Ukraine. By the end of 2021, this number has increased to 26,990, with 23,207 of them from Ukraine. Additionally, 11,568 refugees settled in Katowice since the start of the Russian invasion on Ukraine. By the December 2024, the number has increased to 11,894.

Socioeconomics

According to the 2021 census, 32.3% of the population aged 13 and older had a college degree, 34.3% had a high school diploma or some college, 17.9% completed a vocational secondary school, 2.4% only completed a gimnazjum, 8.4% only completed a primary school while 2.1% did not complete primary school. In 2011, in the 25–34 age group, college graduates share is 44.9%, and an additional 31.8% has a high school degree. According to Eurostat data, Katowice and its surrounding Silesian region had one of the highest share of people who have attained at least an upper secondary level of education (more than 90%), and one of the lowest share of school dropouts in Europe (less than 5%). There were 120,869 households in Katowice as of the 2021 census, a drop from 134,199 in the 2011 census. Average household size was 2.33, virtually unchanged from the 2.3 reported in the previous census. 32.4% households were single-person households, 31.2% had two people, 18.5% had three people, 11.5% had four people and 6.4% had five people or more. Compared to the 2011 census, the largest difference was an increase in households with 5 and more people (from 4.9%). As of 2022, Katowice placed third in the country among cities with the highest average salaries, at PLN 8,017.49, behind Warsaw and Kraków. Poverty rate places Katowice on average with other big cities in Poland, at 4.09% of inhabitants eligible for welfare benefits

Religion

Roman Catholicism is the main religion in Katowice; Polish census, 60.52% (172,915 people¹) of Katowice residents declared to be Roman Catholic, representing a significant drop from the 2011 census when Roman Catholics were 82.43% of the population. No other denomination had at least 1,000 followers as of the 2021 census. In the 2011 census, denominations with at least 1,000 worshippers included the Lutheran Church in Poland – 0.43% (1,336 people) and Jehovah's Witnesses – 0.42% (1,311 people). Other religions with presence and places of worship in the city include Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism, as well as other Protestant denominations.

Christianity

, seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Katowice Katowice is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, with the suffragan bishoprics of Gliwice and Opole, and around 1,477,900 Catholics. The Cathedral of Christ the King, constructed between 1927 and 1955 in a classicist style, is the largest cathedral in Poland. There are 36 Catholic churches in Katowice (including two basilicas), as well as 18 monasteries. Katowice is also a seat of a diocesan Catholic seminary, as well as one of the Order of Friars Minor. Katowice Archdiocese owns several media companies headquartered in Katowice: Księgarnia św. Jacka, a Catholic publishing company, and Instytut Gość Media, a multi-channeled media company that owns Radio eM, a regional Catholic radio, and a few magazines. Gość Niedzielny, owned by Instytut Gość Media and published in Katowice, is currently the most-popular Catholic magazine in the country with approx. 120,000 copies sold weekly. Katowice is also the seat of a Lutheran Diocese which covers Upper Silesia, Lesser Poland and Subcarpathian region and has 12,934 adherents Lutherans have two churches in Katowice, including a cathedral, which is the oldest church built originally in Katowice, completed on 29 September 1858. Historically, Lutheran population in Katowice was mostly German, and with the expulsion of Germans from Poland after the Second World War, number of Lutherans dropped in Katowice. Other denominations with churches or praying houses in Katowice include Seventh Day Adventists, Baptists, Christ Church in Poland, Pentecostals and other evangelical and Protestant groups.

Judaism

was destroyed by the German Nazis during the invasion of Poland on 4 September 1939 Judaism has historically been present in Katowice since at least 1702. The first synagogue, designed by a local architect Ignatz Grünfeld, was consecrated on 4 September 1862, while the Jewish cemetery was established in 1868¹. Dr. Jacob Cohn was the first rabbi of Katowice, appointed to this function on 6 January 1872 and holding it until 1920s. Zionism was strong in Katowice, and in 1884 the city was the place of the Katowice Conference, the first public Zionist meeting in history. On 12 September 1900, the Great Synagogue was opened. Following World War I and subsequent creation of the Polish state, most Katowice Jews, who identified with Germany, left the city and settled primarily in Bytom, a nearby city that was still part of Germany. They were partially replaced by Jews moving from the East, particularly the neighboring Dąbrowa Basin region that had a large Jewish population. In 1931, 60% of 5,716 Jews in Katowice were recent immigrants from other parts of Poland. On 1 September 1939, Poland was attacked by Nazi Germany, and Katowice, a border city, surrendered on 3 September. The Great Synagogue was burned by the German army the same day, and in the following months, Katowice Jews were deported to ghettos in Dąbrowa Basin (primarily Sosnowiec and Będzin) or directly to various concentration and death camps where most of them were murdered in the Holocaust. After the war, around 1,500 Jews were living in Katowice, but most of them left Poland and emigrated to the United States and other Western countries. Currently, Katowice has one Qahal with approximately 200 members¹. It owns houses of prayer in Katowice (along with a kosher cafeteria) and nearby Gliwice, and the current rabbi is Yehoshua Ellis.

Other religions

There are two buddhist groups in Katowice: Kwan Um School of Zen, first registered in 1982, and the Diamond Road of Karma Kagyu line association. Jehovah's Witnesses maintain 13 houses of prayer and one Kingdom Hall in Katowice. Aside from Polish-language congregations, there is one for English speakers and one for Ukrainian speakers.

Architecture and urban design

Tourist attractions

, a historic workers' housing estate , a multipurpose arena from 1971 Market square and adjacent streets: Warszawska, Teatralna, Dyrekcyjna, Staromiejska, Dworcowa, św. Jana, Pocztowa, Wawelska, 3 Maja, Stawowa, Mielęckiego, Starowiejska and Mickiewicza, the so-called "Great Market Square of Katowice" or "Old town of Katowice"—many historic (monument) buildings. This is a group of functional-architectural. On the market square and most of the above-mentioned streets are prohibitions or restrictions on cars. Streets: Staromiejska, Dyrekcyjna, Wawelska, Stawowa and Warszawska is lined decorative cobblestone creating a pedestrian zone. The authority plans to Katowice—Quarter streets: św. Jana, Dworcowa, Mariacka, Mielęckiego, Stanisława and Starowiejska is to become so "small market square". Nikiszowiec – historical settlement of Katowice, candidate to UNESCO Cathedral of Christ the King St Mary's Church Church of the Resurrection, Evangelical-Augsburg, built in 1856–1858 Church of St Michael Archangel, the oldest church in the city, built in 1510 Drapacz Chmur, one of the first skyscrapers in Europe Silesian Parliament, built in 1925–1929. For a very long time, it was the biggest structure in Poland Modernist old town Spodek (a large sports centre/concert hall, whose name translates as the 'saucer', from its distinctive shape resembling a UFO flying saucer) Silesian Insurgents Monument (Polish: Pomnik Powstańców Śląskich), the largest and heaviest monument in Poland. It is a harmonious combination of architecture and sculpture with appropriate symbolism: the wings symbolize the three Silesian Uprisings (1920–1921) while the names of places that were battlefields are etched on the vertical slopes. The monument, which was funded by the people of Warsaw for Upper Silesia, is considered Katowice's landmark. Silesian Theater, built in 1907 Rialto Cinetheater, built in 1912 Silesian Museum, built in 1899 Old train station in Katowice, built in 1906 The Goldstein Palace The Załęże Palace Parachute Tower, a tall lattice tower was built in 1937 for training parachutists. It was used in the first days of World War II and is the only parachute tower in Poland. Other: Franciscan Monastery in Panewniki Church of St Joseph (Załęże) St Stephen's Church Church of Christ Resurrection The Monument to Marshal Piłsudski by Croatian sculptor Antun Augustinčić, 1937–39. It was commissioned in 1936 but brought to Poland in 1991 Monopol Hotel Katowice Rondo, the large square/roundabout, reconstructed recently, with the semi-circular Galeria Rondo Sztuki in the centre.

Economy

Katowice has been classified as a Gamma – global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network and is considered as an emerging metropolis. Katowice's metropolitan area is the 16th most economically powerful urban area in the European Union by GDP, with an output amounting to $114.5 billion. The city is one of the major industrial, commerce and financial hubs of Poland and has successfully transformed its economy from heavy industry-based to knowledge-based one.

Culture

Vibrant and progressive artistic communities, particularly around musical arts, make Katowice one of the leading cultural spots in Poland. Since mid-2000s, Katowice has established a strategy to redevelop the post-industrial areas using culture – the pinnacle of which was a massive development on the site of a former coal mine known as Strefa Kultury (the "Zone of Culture"), where numerous cultural and convention institutions are located.

Media

TV stations: TVP 3 Katowice TVS (TV Silesia) TVN24 – department Katowice (TVN24 – oddział Katowice) radio stations: Radio Katowice Antyradio newspapers: Dziennik Zachodni – Katowice section Fakt – Katowice section Metro International – Katowice Nowy Przegląd Katowicki

Festivals and events

Rawa Blues Festiwal – Spodek Metalmania – Spodek Off Festival Mayday – Spodek International Competition of Conductors by Fitelberg International Cycling Film Festival International Festival of Military Orchestras International Exhibition of Graphic arts "Intergrafia" Esports tournament ESL One Katowice Tournament in 2015. Esports tournament Intel Extreme Masters World Championship, one of the biggest esports events in the world Poland hosted the 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP24), with the meeting held in Katowice. Wikimania 2024 was held at the International Congress Centre August 7–10, 2024.

Parks and squares

parks: Silesian Park (Wojewódzki Park Kultury i Wypoczynku) Kościuszko Park (Park im. Tadeusza Kościuszki) Forest Park of Katowice (Katowicki Park Leśny) Valley of Three Ponds (Dolina Trzech Stawów) Zadole Park squares: during summer holidays Katowice market square (Rynek w Katowicach) Freedom Square (Plac Wolności) Andrzej Square (Plac Andrzeja) Miarka Square (Plac Miarki) Council of Europe Square (Plac Rady Europy) Alfred Square (Plac Alfreda) A. Budniok Square (Plac A. Brudnioka) J. Londzin Square (Plac J. Londzina) A. Hlond Square (Plac A. Hlonda)

Nature reserves and ecological areas

Nature reserve Las Murckowski Nature reserve Ochojec Szopienice-Borki Źródła Kłodnicy Staw Grunfeld Stawy Na Tysiącleciu Płone Bagno

Education and science

in Katowice Katowice is a large scientific centre and has been designated as the European City of Science 2024 by EuroScience (ESOF). It has over 20 schools of higher education, at which over 100,000 people study. – Faculty of Law and Administration University of Silesia in Katowice University of Economics in Katowice Medical University of Silesia Silesian University of Technology University of Social Sciences and Humanities Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice Academy of Physical Education im. Jerzy Kukuczka in Katowice Higher Silesian Seminary in Katowice There are also: around 80 high schools around 35 gimnasia around 55 primary schools around 50 libraries, including the Silesian Library

Transportation

Public transportation

tram in Katowice The public transportation system of the Katowice consists of commuter and long-distance trains, trams, buses and city bikes. Around 38 percent of people in Katowice use trams and buses on their daily commute (40 percent if counted those using the park-and-ride facilities), 10 percent walk, 4 percent cycle, and 2 percent takes the train, according to a 2020 report. There are also three park-and-ride centers in Katowice with over 1,000 parking spaces.

Freeways, roads and streets

Katowice has an extensive network of freeways, roads and streets, totaling over in length. The well-developed network supports over 200,000 cars registered in Katowice, and 49 percent of commuters that drive alone, a high share compared to other major cities in Poland. Several freeways in Katowice are among the busiest in Poland: expressway S86 between Sosnowiec and Katowice's city center and highway A4 between Murckowska and Mikołowska interchanges both see over 100,000 cars passing each day. Katowice has a ring around its city center, consisting of highway A4, Murckowska freeway, Drogowa Trasa Średnicowa (a freeway-style road connecting downtowns of cities in the Katowice urban area) that partly goes in a tunnel underground and Bocheńskiego road. Many of the roads and freeways in Katowice expand radially from the city center and replaced old local roads.

Airports

Located approximately north of the city center, Katowice Airport is the main airport serving Katowice. The airport is a focus city for LOT Polish Airlines, Ryanair and its subsidiary Buzz, Wizz Air, Smartwings, and Enter Air. The busiest routes are: London, Dortmund, Antalya, Eindhoven, Warsaw and Frankfurt. Katowice is the largest leisure travel airport in Poland. Long-haul flights are operated from Katowice to Varadero in Cuba, Bangkok in Thailand, Cancún in Mexico, Malé in Maldives and to Puerto Plata as well as Punta Cana in Dominican Republic. Katowice is also the second-largest cargo airport, after Warsaw Chopin. The airport is accessed through a metropolitan express bus line, running every 30 minutes between 4am and 9:30pm and every hour at night. A new train station at the airport is under construction, scheduled to be operational in 2023. Katowice is also within an hour drive from Kraków Airport, which offers additional destinations and airlines such as Amsterdam (KLM), Paris (Air France), Helsinki (Finnair), Chicago and Newark (LOT Polish Airlines), Copenhagen and Stockholm (SAS) and Zurich (Swiss). The airport can be accessed through scheduled buses leaving from Katowice bus station every 30–60 minutes.

Sports

Katowice has a long sporting tradition and hosted the final of EuroBasket 2009 and 1975 European Athletics Indoor Championships, 1975 European Amateur Boxing Championships, 1976 World Ice Hockey Championships, 1957, 1985 European Weightlifting Championships, 1974, 1982 World Wrestling Championships, 1991 World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships, 2011 Women's European Union Amateur Boxing Championships, 2014 FIVB Men's World Championship and others. The Stadion Śląski is between Chorzów and Katowice. It was a national stadium of Poland, with more than 50 international matches of the Poland national football team played here and around 30 matches in UEFA competitions. There were also a Speedway World Championship, Speedway Grand Prix of Europe and many concerts featuring international stars. Tourists can relax playing tennis or squash, doing water sports also sailing (for example—in Dolina Trzech Stawów), horse-riding (in Wesoła Fala and Silesian Park), cycling or going to one of equipped fitness clubs. Near the city centre are sporting facilities like swimming pools (for example "Bugla", "Rolna") and in neighbourhood—Golf courses (in Siemianowice Śląskie).

Sports clubs

GKS Katowice – men's football, ice hockey, volleyball, women's football club (Polish Football League Runners-Up (4): 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994 Polish Cup Winners (3): 1986, 1991, 1993; Polish Super Cup Winners (2): 1991, 1995; Polish Ice Hockey League Champions (8): 1958, 1960, 1962, 1965, 1968, 1970, 2022, 2023; Polish Women's Football League Winners (1): 2023, Runners-Up (1): 2024, Polish Women’s Cup Winners (1): 2024. 1. FC Katowice - men’s and women’s football club AZS AWF Katowice – various sports, women's handball team playing in Polish Women's Handball Superleague, men's basketball team playing in the second league, fencing section – many medals in the Polish Championship Naprzód Janów Katowice – hockey club playing in Polish Hockey Superleague, vice-champion of Poland (5x): 1971, 1973, 1977, 1989, 1992; bronze medal (7x): 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1987; Polish Cup (1x): 1970. AZS US Katowice – various sports, many medals in the Polish Championship in various sports HKS Szopienice – various sports, many medals in the Polish and Europe and World Championship in weightlifting Silesia Miners – American football club playing in Polish American Football League, Polish champion in 2009, vice-champion in 2007 Jango Katowice – futsal club playing in Polish Futsal Superleague; Polish Cup (1x): 2007; bronze medal Polish Championship (2x): 2001, 2007 Rozwój Katowice – football club playing in Polish Third League MK Katowice – football club playing in Polish Fourth League Hetman Szopienice – chess club, many medals in the Polish Championship Sparta Katowice – various sports, many medals in the Polish Championship in various sports Policyjny Klub Sportowy Katowice – various sports, many medals in the Polish Championship in various sports AWF Mickiewicz Katowice – basketball club Silesian Flying club (Aeroklub Śląski) Defunct sports clubs: Diana Kattowitz – football club 1. FC Kattowitz – football club, vice-champion of Poland: 1927; champion of Upper Silesia: 1907, 1908, 1909, 1913, 1922, 1932, 1945 Germania Kattowitz – football club KS Baildon Katowice – various sports, many medals in the Polish Championship in various sports Pogoń Katowice – various sports, many medals in the Polish Championship in various sports

Sports events

in Katowice match in Katowice 1975 European Athletics Indoor Championships 1976 World Ice Hockey Championships FIVB World League 2001 FIVB World League 2007 Eurobasket 2009 Tour de Pologne 2010 BNP Paribas Katowice Open EMS One Katowice 2014 (CS:GO Major Championship) IEM World Championship Katowice 2015 ESL One Katowice 2015 (CS:GO Major Championship) IEM World Championship Katowice 2016 IEM World Championship Katowice 2017 Overwatch World Cup 2017 Qualifier IEM World Championship Katowice 2018 IEM World Championship Katowice 2019 (CS:GO Major Championship) ESL One Katowice 2019 BWF World Senior Badminton Championships 2019 IEM Katowice 2020 IEM Katowice 2021 Intel Extreme Masters Season XVI – Katowice Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023 ESL Pro League Season 24 Finals

Notable people

Hans Sachs (1877–1945), serologist Kurt Goldstein (1878–1965), neurologist Erich Przywara (1889–1972), priest Hans Mikosch (1898–1993), general Hans Källner (1898–1945), general Franz Leopold Neumann (1900–1954), politician Willy Fritsch (1901–1973), actor Hans Bellmer (1902–1975), surrealist photographer Hans-Christoph Seebohm (1903–1967), politician Maria Goeppert-Mayer (1906–1972), physicist, Nobel Prize winner Kurt Schwaen (1909–2007), composer Rudolf Schnackenburg (1914–2002), priest Georg Thomalla (1915–1999), actor Ernst Wilimowski (1916–1997), football player Ernst Plener (1919–2007), football player Anneli Cahn Lax (1922–1999), mathematician Richard Herrmann (1923–1962), football player Chaskel Besser (1923–2010), Orthodox rabbi Gwendoline Jarczyk (1927–2021), philosopher and historian Kazimierz Kutz (1929–2018), film director and politician Waldemar Świerzy (1931–2013), artist, illustrator and cartoonist Wojciech Kilar (1932–2013), classical and film music composer Henryk Górecki (1933–2010), classical composer Władysław Masłowski (1933–1986), journalist and press researcher Janusz Sidło (1933–1993), javelin thrower Tadeusz Strugała (born 1935¹), orchestra conductor Josef Kompalla (born 1936), ice hockey player and referee Jolanta Wadowska-Król (1939–2023), pediatrician Henryk Broder (born 1946), journalist Krzysztof Krawczyk (1946–2021), singer, guitarist and composer Jerzy Kukuczka (1948–1989), alpine and high altitude climber Krzysztof R. Apt (born 1949¹), computer scientist Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska (born 1963), politician Elżbieta Bieńkowska (born 1964), politician Robert Konieczny (born 1969), architect Anna Kańtoch (born 1976), writer Alicja Kwade (born 1979), contemporary visual artist Jan P. Matuszyński (born 1984¹), film director Grzegorz Kosok (born 1986), volleyball player Zuzanna Bijoch (born 1994), fashion model Mateusz Musiałowski (born 2003), footballer

International relations

Consulates

There are 15 honorary consulates in Katowice, of Austria, Belarus, Benin, Bulgaria, Chile, France, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Peru, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

Twin towns – sister cities

Katowice is twinned with: Cologne, Germany Groningen, Netherlands Košice, Slovakia Lviv, Ukraine Miskolc, Hungary Mobile, United States Opava, Czech Republic Ostrava, Czech Republic Pula, Croatia Saint-Étienne, France Shenyang, China Kaohsiung, Taiwan

See also

List of mayors of Katowice List of tallest buildings in Katowice Wojciech Korfanty Avenue Balkan railway Architecture of Katowice

References

External links

The Municipal Council of the City of Katowice Katowice Portal in English

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1376400503 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.