Katowice - the capital of the Upper-Silesian region and formerly - a town identified exclusively with heavy industry and workers' houses is today a real European city where tradition meets modernity.
Nowadays, Katowice with the population of 300 000 residents is a city of dynamic transformations, open to changes, attracting young people who associate their future with the city. In the first place it is them to who the city authorities address their projects of social and town planning reconstruction.
The city whose origin goes back but to the nineteenth century prides on the possession of numerous objects registered as historical monuments. Among them there are stand out art nouveaux tenements in the city centre, neo-baroque and Neo-Gothic buildings with architectural details restored with reverence, as well as the workers' housing estates in the Giszowiec and Nikiszowiec quarters that constitute examples of unique architecture.
The city is situated at the crossing point of transport routes and impacts of several cultures, i.e. the Polish, the German, the Jewish and the regional Silesian ones intermingle here. They all have left a firm mark on the image of the city whose history includes both splendid and tragic moments. Its monumental buildings, such as the pre-war seat of the Silesian Parliament, remind of the past years' glory of Polish Katowice. On the other hand, emerging at a hectic pace office buildings, seats of companies, trade centres, cultural centres and great arterial roads are signs of the new builders' dynamics.
Katowice is the heart of one of the largest population centres in Europe. Along with the neighbouring towns and cities it constitutes a huge market to be developed by economic subjects, and it is from the economic viewpoint that Katowice has a great future ahead. The present authorities of the city take care of developing a favourable background for investments. Katowice is considered to be one of the best developed Polish cities in terms of a modern infrastructure involving traffic systems, preparing land for investments, water supply, sewage disposal system and appropriate environment for economy in the form of housing undergoing the development process, sporting and recreational facilities, commercial facilities, catering industry, modern cinema halls, libraries, museums, etc. It is worth mentioning that 42% of the area in Katowice is covered by forests and greenfields including 2 nature reserves. Everybody can appreciate values of our city's natural environment during a long cycle tour of signposted routes.
More information you can find at Invest in Katowice website.
Source: Invest in Katowice: http://en.invest.katowice.eu/
