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Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, USMU also known under official name: Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia, MAUS is a union
Political union

A political union is a type of state which is composed of or created out of smaller states. Unlike a personal union, the individual states share a common government and the union is recognized internationally as a single political entity....
 of 14 adjacent cities
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 in the Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship

Silesian Voivodeship is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centring on the region known as Upper Silesia . Its capital is Katowice....
, Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
.

The Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union is the largest urban center in Poland. Its population is 1.97 million (2008), within a conurbation
Conurbation

A conurbation is an urban area or agglomeration comprising a number of cities, large towns and larger urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area....
 of 2.44 million (the Upper Silesian Industry Area
Upper Silesian Industry Area

Upper Silesian Coal Basin is a coal structural basin in Silesia, mostly in Poland but also partly in the Czech Republic . It also contains a number of other minable resources ....
), and with a greater metropolitan area
Metropolitan area

A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large metropolis and its adjacent zone of influence, or of more than one closely adjoining neighboring central city and their zone of influence....
 of 2,8 million (the Upper Silesian Coal Basin).






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Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, USMU also known under official name: Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia, MAUS is a union
Political union

A political union is a type of state which is composed of or created out of smaller states. Unlike a personal union, the individual states share a common government and the union is recognized internationally as a single political entity....
 of 14 adjacent cities
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 in the Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship

Silesian Voivodeship is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centring on the region known as Upper Silesia . Its capital is Katowice....
, Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
.

The Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union is the largest urban center in Poland. Its population is 1.97 million (2008), within a conurbation
Conurbation

A conurbation is an urban area or agglomeration comprising a number of cities, large towns and larger urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area....
 of 2.44 million (the Upper Silesian Industry Area
Upper Silesian Industry Area

Upper Silesian Coal Basin is a coal structural basin in Silesia, mostly in Poland but also partly in the Czech Republic . It also contains a number of other minable resources ....
), and with a greater metropolitan area
Metropolitan area

A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large metropolis and its adjacent zone of influence, or of more than one closely adjoining neighboring central city and their zone of influence....
 of 2,8 million (the Upper Silesian Coal Basin). The union's share of Poland's Gross Domestic Product
Gross domestic product

File:GDP nominal per capita world map IMF 2008.pngThe gross domestic product or gross domestic income is one of the measures of national income and output for a given country's economy....
 is 8% and the combined budget of the union's participants exceeds 6 billion PLN
Polish zloty

The zloty As a result of inflation in the early 1990s, the currency underwent Denomination #Redenomination. Thus, on 1 January 1995, 10 000 old zlotych became one new zloty ....
.

The union has been created by a local initiative, and the participation was voluntary. An overwhelming majority of the local population supports the formation of the union. The intent to form the union was formally stated by the presidents of the participating cities, who signed a declaration to this effect on January 9 2006 in Swietochlowice
Swietochlowice

Swietochlowice is a city in Silesia, Southern Poland with about 55,500 inhabitants . It is situated in the Silesian Voivodship ; previously, it was in Katowice Voivodship ....
. The Union's registration was signed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration of the Republic of Poland (Polish: MSWiA) on 8 June 2007 with city of Katowice
Katowice

Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Klodnica and Rawa river rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about 50 km from the Silesian Beskids and about 100 km from Sudetes....
 as its seat.

In 2006 and 2007, the union planned to unite these cities in one official city "Silesia".

The aim of the union is the creation of a strong metropolitan center with pooled resources, an internationally competitive profile and unified management of common infrastructure.

Goals of the union

The main goals of the union include the following:
  • Arriving at a common development strategy for the cities comprising the union, in accordance with the current law governing planning and land use.
  • Putting into effect projects embraced by a common development strategy of the constituent cities.
  • Obtaining financial means from available domestic and foreign funding sources.
  • Managing the roadways transferred to the union by its constituent communes (Polish: gminy).
  • Preparing motions having as their aim obtaining public means derived from the budget of the European Union.
  • Stimulating the job market throughout the constituent cities of the union.
  • Supporting innovative economic programs that increase the competitive standing of the cities in the world.
  • Expressing opinions pertaining to legislative and decision-making processes in matters important to the union and affecting the union's activities.


The effects of the union's activity are to include: improvement in managing the agglomeration, strengthening its economic muscle and increased competitive standing of the constituent cities of the USMU, and also the coordination of public relations and promoting the constituent cities, as well as underscoring the importance of the region.

Geography


Location

The Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union spans urban communities in the historical regions of Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia

Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Lower Silesia is to the northwest. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, Kingdom of Bohemia, Poland, Holy Roman Empire, Habsburg Monarchy, Kingdom of Prussia, and later of unified German Reich....
 (south part of Silesia
Silesia

Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in present-day Poland, with parts in the Czech Republic and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas....
) as well as Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland

Lesser Poland is one of the historical regions of Poland. It forms the southeastern corner of the country. It should not be confused with the modern Lesser Poland Voivodeship, which covers just a part of the historical region of Lesser Poland...
's Zaglebie Dabrowskie
Zaglebie Dabrowskie

Zaglebie Dabrowskie is a historical and geographical region in southern Poland. It forms a part of the Lesser Poland, though it shares many cultural and historical features of the neighbouring Silesia....
 in Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship

Silesian Voivodeship is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centring on the region known as Upper Silesia . Its capital is Katowice....
 in southern Poland, within the northern portion of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, between the Vistula
Vistula

The Vistula , is the longest river in Poland at 1,047 km in length. It drains an area of 194,424 km? , of which 168,699 km? lies within Poland ....
 and Oder
Oder River

The Oder is a river in Central Europe Europe. It begins in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line....
 rivers.

Nine million people live within 100 km of Silesian Stadium at USMU center. Six European capitals are located within 600 kilometres from USMU: Berlin
Berlin

Berlin is the Capital of Germany city and one of sixteen States of Germany of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is the country's largest city....
, Vienna
Vienna

Vienna is the Capital of Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million...
, Prague
Prague

Prague is the Capital and World's largest cities of the Czech Republic. Its official name is Hlavn? mesto Praha, meaning Prague, the Capital City....
, Bratislava
Bratislava

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 427,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River....
, Budapest
Budapest

Budapest is the Capitals of Hungary of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it serves as the country's principal political, cultural, commerce, Industry, and transportation center and is considered an important hub in Central Europe....
 and Warsaw
Warsaw

Warsaw is the Capital and World's largest cities of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains....
.

Climate

The climate of the area is continental humid. The average temperature is 8 degrees Celsius
Celsius

Celsius is a temperature scale that is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death....
 (average -1.7°C in January and up to average 17.7°C in July). Yearly rainfall averages 750 mm, the most rainy month being July. Weak winds prevail, averaging 2 m/s from West (Moravian Gate
Moravian Gate

The Moravian Gate is a geomorphological feature in Moravia, Czech Republic. It is formed by the depression between the Western Carpathians and the Eastern Sudetes....
).

Constituent cities

The Upper-Silesian Metropolitan Union has been created by a local initiative, and the participation was voluntary. An overwhelming majority of the local population supports its formation. However, outside of the area, the formation of the union appears to have less support. Originally, 17 cities were to enter into the union, but owing to technicalities of the Polish law which could have prevented its legalization, only 14 of the 17 cities; that is, those with the legal status of an urban county, proceeded with forming the union.

The constituent cities in decreasing order by population are as follows:
District
District

Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipality, or subdivisions of municipalities....
Population
Population

File:Population density.pngIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings....
Area
Area

Area is a quantity expressing the two-dimensional size of a defined part of a surface, typically a region bounded by a closed curve. The term surface area refers to the total area of the exposed surface of a 3-dimensional solid, such as the sum of the areas of the exposed sides of a polyhedron....
Katowice
Katowice

Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Klodnica and Rawa river rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about 50 km from the Silesian Beskids and about 100 km from Sudetes....
334 200164.6 km˛
Sosnowiec
Sosnowiec

Sosnowiec is a city located in the south of Poland. It is a county capital neighbouring Katowice as well as the mining and industrial region. It is one of the largest cities in the Silesian Voivodeship and Upper Silesian Industry Area....
236 30091.3 km˛
Gliwice
Gliwice

Gliwice is an industrial city in southern Poland with 200,361 inhabitants on the Klodnica River, about 20 km to the west from Katowice.Gliwice is one of the main centers of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, the largest legally-recognized urban entity in Poland, with the population of the greater metropolitan area of 3,487,000....
199 100134.2 km˛
Bytom
Bytom

Bytom is a city in southern Poland with 188,234 inhabitants . Since 1999 it has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship, having previously been in the Katowice Voivodeship ....
198 20069.4 km˛
Zabrze
Zabrze

Zabrze is a city in southern Poland with 194,041 inhabitants . Zabrze is part of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, the largest legally-recognized urban entity in Poland with a population of 2.2 million....
195 40080.5 km˛
Ruda Slaska
Ruda Slaska

Ruda Slaska is a city in south Poland with 149,000 inhabitants , member of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union.It is situated in the Silesian Voivodship , having previously been in Katowice Voivodship ....
149 00077.7 km˛
Tychy
Tychy

Tychy ) is a city in southern Poland with a population of 132,600. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship ; previously, it was in Katowice Voivodeship ....
130 70082.6 km˛
Dabrowa Górnicza
Dabrowa Górnicza

Dabrowa G?rnicza is a city in southern Poland with 140,000 inhabitants and a territory of 177 km?, in a region called Zaglebie.Since 1999 it has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship ...
129 800188.0 km˛
Chorzów
Chorzów

Chorz?w is a city in Silesia, southern Poland with around 114,680 inhabitants and an area of 33.5 km?. Chorz?w is situated on the Rawa river on the Silesian Highland in the heart of the Upper Silesian Industrial Area, 7 km north-west of Katowice....
119 40033.5 km˛
Jaworzno
Jaworzno

Jaworzno [] is a city in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland on the Przemsza and Biala Przemsza rivers . It lies about 25 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Katowice....
96 000152.2 km˛
Myslowice
Myslowice

Myslowice [] is a town in south Poland with 75,183 inhabitants . It is situated in the Silesian Voivodship ; previously it was in Katowice Voivodship ....
78 30066.0 km˛
Siemianowice Slaskie
Siemianowice Slaskie

Siemianowice Slaskie [] is a city of the Upper Silesian Industry Area in Poland. Its population is 72,869, within a greater metropolitan area population of 3,487,000 ....
75 70025.5 km˛
Piekary Slaskie
Piekary Slaskie

Piekary Slaskie [] is a town in south Poland, situated in the Silesian Voivodship . Piekary is a spiritual center of Upper Silesia, a Marian shrine which is a pilgrimage site for thousands of the faithful, and a mining town....
64 60039.6 km˛
Swietochlowice
Swietochlowice

Swietochlowice is a city in Silesia, Southern Poland with about 55,500 inhabitants . It is situated in the Silesian Voivodship ; previously, it was in Katowice Voivodship ....
55 50013.2 km˛
USMU (total)2 062 2001 218.3 km˛


The borders between the constituent cities have been for decades largely artificial, and in many cases absurd. For example one side of the street would belong to the one city, and the other to another.

Nationally, the union strives to address several problems, including:
  • Poor recognition (e.g., often omitted from Polish maps)
  • Gross under-investment (for example, by far the lowest per capita allocation of the EU
    European Union

    The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European Union member state, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community....
     development funds in Poland).


Agglomeration

USMU is the centre of the largest urban agglomeration in Poland and one of largest in European Union (3.5 million). The area bloomed in XIX and early XX centuries thanks to the vibrant development of industry and numerous local resources. The conurbation (the Upper Silesian Industrial Region
Upper Silesian Industrial Region

Upper Silesian Industry Area , is a conurbation in Upper Silesia and western Lesser Poland, Poland, centered around Katowice in the Silesian Voivodeship....
) consists of about 25 neighbouring cities, however the entire metropolitan area (the Upper Silesian Coal Basin) includes over 30 cities. Katowice is also in the middle of a 7-million megalopolis
Megalopolis

Megalopolis may refer to:* Megalopolis , an extensive metropolitan area or a long chain of continuous metropolitan areas.** Jean Gottmann coined this term and later used it as the title of his 1961 book about the northeastern seaboard of the United States....
 stretching from Cracow through Katowice to Ostrava.

Economy

USMU is an area of heavy concentration of industry, including coal, steel, energy, automotive, machinery and chemical. Over the last two decades, the service industry has become increasingly prominent.

Industry

USMU is still a prominent center of coal and metal industries and a site of about a dozen of coal mines (operated by Katowice Coal Holding (pl: Katowicki Holding Weglowy) and Coal Company (pl: Kompania Weglowa); several steel processing plants (Huta Baildon, Huta Ferum, Huta Batory, Huta Pokój, Huta Florian, Huta Jednosc, Huta Zabrze, Huta Zgoda); a foundry of nonferrous metals (Huta Metali Niezelaznych Szopienice); about a dozen of power plants and cogeneration plants (Chorzów, Halemba, Jaworzno, Lagisza, Bedzin, Chorzów, EC Nowa, Katowice, Miechowice, Szombierki, Szopienice, Tychy, Zabrze); two automotive plants (FSM, General Motors
General Motors

General Motors Corporation , founded in 1908, is the world's second-largest automaker after Toyota, ranked by 2008 global unit sales. GM was the global sales leader for 77 consecutive calendar years from 1931 to 2008....
 Manufacturing Poland); two plants producing military vehicles (Wojskowe Zaklady Mechaniczne and Bumar Labedy, the maker of PT-91
PT-91

The PT-91 Twardy is a Poland main battle tank. It is an extensive modernization of the T-72 and first entered service in 1995. The PT-91 was designed at the and is produced by the company - part of polish military consortium - ....
 main battle tank), several chemical companies (fertilizers, paints, etc), and numerous other industrial establishments.
Ulica Chorzowska Widoczna Z Silesia City Center

Business and commerce

Katowice is a large and dynamic business and trade fair centre. Tens of international exhibitions take place every year on the Katowice International Fair
Katowice International Fair

Katowice International Fair is an international trade fair in Katowice and one of the largest in Poland . Few dozen events are organized there each year, with the participation of some 4,500 companies....
 grounds and in the Spodek
Spodek

Spodek is a multipurpose arena complex in Katowice, Poland, opened in 1971 at 35 Korfantego street under the name Wojew?dzka Hala Widowiskowo-Sportowa w Katowicach , under which it is known in the Polish technical/architectural literature, and under which it formally functioned until 1997....
 arena. Katowice is also the site of the second largest business centre in Poland (second to the Warsaw Business Centre). Skyscrapers are located along Chorzowska and Korfantego street in the city centre. The newest office buildings (A-class) in Katowice are the Chorzowska 50 and Altus Skyscraper
Altus Skyscraper

Altus is a skyscraper in Katowice, Silesia, Poland. It is the highest building in Poland outside Warsaw.The construction started in 2001 and finished in 2003....
. Several other large office buildings are currently under construction.

Katowice and USMU house Katowice Special Economic Zone
Special Economic Zone

A Special Economic Zone is a geographical region that has economic laws that are more liberal than a country's typical economic laws. The category 'SEZ' covers a broad range of more specific zone types, including Free Trade Zones , Export Processing Zones , Free Zones , Industrial Estates , Free Ports, Urban Enterprise Zones and others....
 (Katowicka Specjalna Strefa Ekonomiczna).

Transport


Public Transport

Katowicesilesianinterurbans
The public transportation system of the area consists of four branches. Bus
Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus can generally seat a maximum of anywhere from 8 to 200 passengers; many more passengers than a minivan....
es and tram
Tram

A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railroad car, of lighter weight and construction than a train, designed for the transport of passengers within, close to, or between villages, towns and/or cities, on tracks running primarily on streets....
s are united in the KZK GOP. Additional services are operated by private companies and the state-owned railways (regional rail
Regional rail

Commuter rail or suburban rail is a passenger rail transport service between a city center, and outer suburbs and commuter towns or other locations that draw large numbers of commuting?people who travel on a daily basis....
). Trolleybus
Trolleybus

A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from a network of charged overhead wires using spring loaded trolley poles. Two poles are needed, so that one can draw down the live current to power the motor and the other can complete the circuit by carrying the neutral current back to the network....
es in Tychy are operated by MZK Tychy.

Trams
Silesian Interurbans
Silesian Interurbans

Silesian Interurbans - one of the largest tram systems in the world has been in existence since 1894. The system is spread over more than 50 kilometres and covers thirteen towns in the Upper Silesia metropolitan area and their suburbs , which is densely industrialised and inhabited by more than 2 million people....
 - one of the largest tram
Tram

A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railroad car, of lighter weight and construction than a train, designed for the transport of passengers within, close to, or between villages, towns and/or cities, on tracks running primarily on streets....
 systems in the World, in existence since 1894. The system spreads for more than 50 kilometers (east-west) and covers the following cities of the union and adjacent communities: Katowice, Bedzin, Bytom, Chorzów, Czeladz, Dabrowa Górnicza, Gliwice, Myslowice, Ruda Slaska, Siemianowice Slaskie, Sosnowiec, Swietochlowice, and Zabrze.

Trolleybuses

Buses

Roads

The area lacks a good circular road system and most of the East-West and North-South traffic goes directly through the city centre.
  • European route E40
    European route E40

    ||-||-||}European route E 40 is the longest European route, more than 8000 km long, connecting Calais in France via Belgium, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan, with Ridder, Kazakhstan in Kazakhstan near the border to China....
     (France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
     - Belgium
    Belgium

    * A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
     - Germany
    Germany

    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
     - Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - Ukraine
    Ukraine

    Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....
     - Russia
    Russia

    Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
     - Uzbekistan
    Uzbekistan

    Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan , is a Landlocked_country#Doubly_landlocked_country country in Central Asia, formerly part of the Soviet Union....
     - Kazakhstan
    Kazakhstan

    Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a large Eurasian country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the List of countries by area as well as the world's largest landlocked country, it has a territory of 2,727,300 km? ....
    )
  • European route E75
    European route E75

    The E 75 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe.The E 75 starts from Vard?, Norway in the Barents Sea and runs south through Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to Sitia, Greece on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea....
     (Norway
    Norway

    Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
     - Finland
    Finland

    Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
     - Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - Slovakia
    Slovakia

    Slovakia . It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president and again in February 2001 due to EU admission requirements....
     - Hungary
    Hungary

    Hungary , officially in English the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia....
     - Serbia
    Serbia

    Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country in Central Europe and Balkans Europe, covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkans....
     - Macedonia
    Republic of Macedonia

    The Republic of Macedonia , , often referred to simply as Macedonia, is a landlocked country on the Balkans in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south and Albania to the west....
     - Croatia
    Croatia

    Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a Central European country at the crossroads of Pannonian Plain, Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea....
     - Crete
    Crete

    Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and the List of islands in the Mediterranean largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km? ....
    )
  • European route E462 (Czech Republic
    Czech Republic

    The Czech Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east....
     - Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union)
  • Motorway A1 (Czech
    Czech Republic

    The Czech Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east....
     - Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - Tricity
    Tricity

    Tricity is an urban area consisting of three Polish city: Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot. They are situated adjacent to one other, in a row, on the coast of the Gdansk Bay, Baltic Sea, in Eastern Pomerania Pomerania , northern Poland....
     / Baltic Sea
    Baltic Sea

    The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53?N to 66?N latitude and from 20?E to 26?E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Denmark islands....
    )
  • Motorway A4 (Germany
    Germany

    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
     - Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - Ukraine
    Ukraine

    Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....
    )
  • DK1 National Road
  • DK11 National Road
  • DK44 National Road
  • DK78 National Road
  • DK79 National Road
  • DK81 National Road
  • DK86 National Road
  • DK88 National Road
  • DK94 National Road


Airports

The USMU area is served by the Katowice International Airport
Katowice International Airport

Katowice International Airport is an international airport located in Pyrzowice, 30 km north of the Katowice city centre, in Poland.The airport features two passenger terminals A and B and a cargo terminal....
, located some 30 km north of Katowice
Katowice

Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Klodnica and Rawa river rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about 50 km from the Silesian Beskids and about 100 km from Sudetes....
 centre. With over 20 international and domestic destinations, it is by far the biggest airport in Silesia (~2,5 million passengers served in 2008). It is currently the third busiest airport in Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
 and growing rapidly. In July 2007, Terminal B was added increasing the airport's capacity to 3.6 mln passengers per annum. Besides passenger traffic, the airport is also Poland's second largest by cargo, limited only by the size of the existing cargo terminal.

Airline carriers operating from the airport include: Air France
Air France

Air France , based in Paris, France, is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance....
, Centralwings
Centralwings

Centralwings is a charter airline that is based in Warsaw, Poland. The airline previously operated as Low-cost carrier and then a scheduled airline but became a charter-only operation in October 2008....
, EuroLOT
Eurolot

EuroLOT is an airline based in Warsaw, Poland. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of LOT Polish Airlines. It operates for its parent company as a domestic operator, as well as ad-hoc charter airline....
, LOT
Lot

Lot may refer to:In economics and business:*Lot , a tract of land** Parking lot, for automobiles*Lot, a set of goods, together for sale in an auction...
, Lufthansa
Lufthansa

Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft is one of the List of largest airlines in Europe airlines in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried, and the flag carrier of Germany....
 and Wizz Air
Wizz Air

Wizz Air is a Hungary Low-cost carrier with headquarters in Vecs?s, Hungary. Focusing on the markets of Central Europe the company has operational bases at the Sofia Airport, Bulgaria; Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, Hungary; Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport, Katowice International Airport, Poznan-Lawica Airport and Warsaw Frederic Chopin...


There are proposals to convert the sport aviation-serving Katowice-Muchowiec Airport
Katowice-Muchowiec Airport

Katowice-Muchowiec Airport is a general aviation airport in the Muchowiec neighborhood of Katowice, Poland.It has one inoperative concrete runway, RWY 05/23 with the dimmensions of 1109 x 30 meters ....
 into a so-called city airport, a second international airport for smaller, business-oriented traffic.

Railway


Standard gauge railway
Train transportation in the region is inexpensive and fairly efficient. The main railroad station is the Katowice Central Station
Katowice Central Station

Katowice Central Station in Katowice, Silesia, Poland, is the biggest and most important railway station in the G?rnoslaski Okreg Przemyslowy area....
, with numerous regional, national and international passenger destinations. There are direct connections to Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna, Prague, Zilina (in Slovakia), Budapest, Kiev and Moscow.

There are two other major hubs (Gliwice and Sosnowiec) and tens of smaller stations.

The Silesian rail has a long and proud tradition, starting in 1846 when the first railroad reached the area (the Upper Silesia Railway, at that time called Oberschlesische Eisenbahn). Nowadays, USMU still contains some of the main railway nodes and exchange points of Silesia and Poland.

Broad gauge railway
Broad gauge railway line called Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa
Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa

Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line , is the longest broad gauge railway line in Poland. Except for this one line, and a few very short stretches near border crossings, Poland uses the standard gauge for its railway tracks....
 is notable for its ability to transport goods directly between the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union and the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Narrow gauge railway
Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union is an home of the longest network of the narrow gauge railway in Europe. Former industrial trains today provide a service for tourists from Bytom to the local 'lake district' and other attractions.

Water Transport

  • Gliwice Canal
    Gliwice Canal

    The Gliwice Canal is a canal connecting the Oder River to the city of Gliwice in Silesian Voivodeship , Poland. Also known as the Upper Silesia Canal , it was built from 1935 to 1939 and replaced the Klodnicki Canal....
     links the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union (Gliwice Harbour) to the Oder River
    Oder River

    The Oder is a river in Central Europe Europe. It begins in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line....
     and thus to the waterway network across much of Germany and to the Baltic Sea
    Baltic Sea

    The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53?N to 66?N latitude and from 20?E to 26?E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Denmark islands....
    .
  • Klodnica Canal
    Klodnica Canal

    The Klodnicki Canal is a canal along the Klodnica River in Upper Silesia, Poland between the Oder River and Gliwice. Constructed when the territory was part of Kingdom of Prussia Province of Silesia, it was originally known as the Klodnitz Canal ....
     is no longer used to transport goods, but it is popular with leisure cruisers.


Education

Biblioteka Slaska
The area is one of the most important education centers of Poland (along with Warsaw). It is home to seven major universities
University

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education....
 and numerous smaller schools of higher education. The most important institutions of post-secondary education are:

  1. University of Silesia
    University of Silesia

    University of Silesia, also called Silesian University , is an autonomous state university in Silesian Voivodship, Silesia, Poland. Its campuses are located mostly in Katowice....
  2. Silesian University of Technology
    Silesian University of Technology

    Silesian University of Technology is a university located in Gliwice, Silesia, Poland. It was founded in 1945 by Polish professors of the Lviv University of Technology, who were forced to leave their native city and move to the Recovered Territories ....
  3. University of Economics in Katowice
    University of Economics in Katowice

    The Karol Adamiecki University of Economics in Katowice , is the only state university specializing in Economics and Business studies in the region....
  4. University of Music in Katowice
    University of Music in Katowice

    University of Music in Katowice is one of the leading musical schools in Poland. It is located in Katowice, Silesia. Some of its most notable graduate include Henryk G?recki, Wojciech Kilar, Krystian Zimerman, Krzysztof Jablonski, Andrzej Jasinski, Tadeusz Zmudzinski, Marcin Dylla....
  5. Medical University of Silesia
    Medical University of Silesia

    The Medical University of Silesia is located in Katowice, Poland. Established on March 20, 1948, it is reportedly the largest Medical school in Poland....
  6. University of Sports in Katowice
  7. University of Arts in Katowice
  8. AGH University of Science and Technology
    AGH University of Science and Technology

    AGH University of Science and Technology is the second largest technical university in Poland, located in Krak?w. The university was established in 1919, and was formerly known as the University of Mining and Metallurgy....
     in Kraków (department in Ruda Slaska)
  9. Polonia University of Czestochowa (department in Gliwice)
  10. University of Arts of Cracow (department in Katowice)
  11. Polish Academy of Sciences
    Polish Academy of Sciences

    The Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences....
  12. International Higher School of Political Sciences in Katowice
  13. International Higher School of Banking and Finances in Katowice
  14. Silesian International Business Higher School in Katowice
  15. Silesian Higher School of Computer Science in Katowice
  16. Silesian Higher School of Management in Katowice
  17. Upper Silesian Higher School of Trade in Katowice
  18. Upper Silesian Higher School of Pedagogy in Myslowice
  19. Upper Silesian Higher School of Enterprise in Chorzów
  20. Higher School of Banking and Finances in Katowice
  21. Higher School of Humanistic Science in Katowice
  22. Higher School of Technical Science in Katowice
  23. Higher School of Computer Technologies in Katowice
  24. Higher School of Pedagogical TWP in Warsaw, the Institute of Pedagogy in Katowice
  25. Higher School of Social Skills in Poznan (department in Katowice)
  26. Higher School of Humanistic - Economic in Lodz (department in Katowice)
  27. Higher School of Marketing Management and Foreign Languages in Katowice
  28. Higher School of Management the Protection of Work in Katowice
  29. Higher School of Management and Marketing in Sosnowiec
  30. Higher School of Management and Social Sciences in Tychy
  31. Higher School of Art Applied in Sosnowiec
  32. Higher School of Strategic Planning in Dabrowa Górnicza
  33. Higher School of Philosophical & Pedagogical in Kraków (department in Sosnowiec)
  34. Higher School of Trading in Ruda Slaska
  35. Higher School of Economy and Administration in Bytom
  36. Higher School of Business in Dabrowa Górnicza
  37. Higher School of Banking in Poznan (department in Chorzów)
  38. Silesian Theological Seminar in Katowice
  39. Theological Seminar of Smaller Brothers in Katowice
  40. Teacher's College of Foreign Languages in Gliwice
  41. Teacher's College of Foreign Languages in Sosnowiec
  42. Teacher's College of Foreign Languages in Tychy
  43. Teacher's College of Foreign Languages in Zabrze
  44. Private Teacher's College of Foreign Languages in Katowice
  45. Private Teacher's Board of Foreign Languages in Bielsko (department in Katowice)
  46. Gliwice Higher School of Enterprise in Gliwice
  47. Polish-Japanese Higher School Computer Technology in Warsaw (department in Bytom)
  48. Higher School of Performance Arts in Bytom


Culture


Theatre

  • Silesian Theatre
    Silesian Theatre

    Silesian Theatre dedicated to Stanislaw Wyspianski is the largest theatre in Silesia. It's located on the market square in Katowice. It was build as "German Theatre" in the years 1905-1907, it's had its Golden Age in the late 1940s and 1950s....
     (Teatr Slaski)
  • Rialto Cinetheater
  • Ateneum Theatre
  • Korez Theatre
  • Cogitatur Theatre
  • GuGalander Theatre (scena gugalander)
  • New Theatre
  • Locus Theatre
  • Small Theatre
  • Silesian Theatre of Dance
  • Teatr Rozrywki
  • Teatr Zaglebia
  • Teatr Iluzji
  • Teatr Gry i Ludzie
  • Teatr Dzieci Zaglebia
  • Gliwicki Teatr Muzyczny


Music

  • Silesian Philharmonic
    Silesian Philharmonic

    The Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice is a music institution in Katowice, Silesia, Poland. The Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice was funded in 1945....
     (Filharmonia Slaska)
  • Zabrze Philharmonic (Filharmonia Zabrzanska)
  • Silesian Opera
    Silesian Opera

    Silesian Opera is an opera company in Bytom, Silesia, Poland which was founded in 1945. It has its home at the former City Theatre, which was built between 1898-1901....
     (Opera Slaska)
  • Silesian Music Stage (Estrada Slaska)
  • GuGalander Music Stage (Scena GuGalander)
  • National Symphonic Orchestra of the Polish Radio


Cinema

  • IMAX
    IMAX

    IMAX is a film film format and projection standard created by Canada's IMAX Corporation. The traditional version of IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and than conventional film display systems....
  • Multikino
    Multikino

    Owned by , Multikino is the second largest movie theater chain in Poland, and has the distinction of opening the nation's first multiplex, which was located in Poznan....
     ( 13 halls )
  • Cinema City - Punkt rozrywki 44
    Cinema City Poland

    Cinema City is a brand of movie theater in eastern and central Europe, run by the Israeli company Cinema City International . In Europe it has cinemas in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic....
     ( 13 halls )
  • Cinema City - Silesia City Center
    Cinema City Poland

    Cinema City is a brand of movie theater in eastern and central Europe, run by the Israeli company Cinema City International . In Europe it has cinemas in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic....
     ( 13 halls )
  • Cinema City - Ruda Slaska
    Cinema City Poland

    Cinema City is a brand of movie theater in eastern and central Europe, run by the Israeli company Cinema City International . In Europe it has cinemas in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic....
     ( 8 halls )
  • Cinema City - Sosnowiec
    Cinema City Poland

    Cinema City is a brand of movie theater in eastern and central Europe, run by the Israeli company Cinema City International . In Europe it has cinemas in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic....
     ( 6 halls )
  • Cinema City - Gliwice
    Cinema City Poland

    Cinema City is a brand of movie theater in eastern and central Europe, run by the Israeli company Cinema City International . In Europe it has cinemas in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic....
     ( 13 halls )
  • Helios Film Center Katowice ( 9 halls )
  • Helios Film Center Sosnowiec ( 4 halls )
  • Cinematographic Arts Center ( 2 halls )
  • Cosmos II Cinema (Kino Kosmos II) ( 1 hall )
  • Swiadowid Cinema (Kino Swiatowid) ( 1 hall )
  • Baltyk Cinema (Kino Baltyk) ( 1 hall )
  • Marzenie Cinema (Kino Marzenie) ( 1 hall )
  • Nowosc Cinema (Kino Nowosc) ( 1 hall )
  • Oskar Cinema (Kino Oskar) ( 1 hall )
  • Patria Cinema (Kino Patria) ( 1 hall )
  • Roma Cinema (Kino Roma) ( 1 hall )
  • Andromeda Cinema (Kino Andromeda) ( 1 hall )
  • Amok Cinema (Kino Amok) ( 1 hall )
  • Panorama Cinema (Kino Panorama) ( 1 hall )
  • Theatre-cinema Tecza (Kinoteatr Tecza) ( 1 hall )
  • Theatre-cinema X (Kinoteatr X) ( 1 hall )
  • Theatre-cinema Rialto (Kinoteatr Rialto) ( 1 hall )
  • Theatre-cinema Baltyk (Kinoteatr Baltyk) ( 1 hall )


Museum

Muzeum Slaskie2
*Silesian Museum
Silesian Museum

Silesian Museum is a museum in the city of Katowice, Poland....
 (Muzeum Slaskie)
  • Muzeum Historii Katowic (Katowice History Museum)
  • Muzeum Górnoslaskie (Upper Silesia Museum)
  • Muzeum Zamek Piastowski
  • Muzeum Archidiecezjalne
  • Muzeum Misyjne OO. Franciszkanów (Museum of Misyjne OO. The Franciscan Monk)
  • Muzeum Biograficzne P. Stellera
  • Muzeum Prawa i Prawników Polskich
  • Muzeum Najmniejszych Ksiazek Swiata Zygmunta Szkocnego
  • Muzeum Górnictwa Weglowego
  • Muzeum Sztygarka
  • Muzeum Maszyn Biurowych
  • Izba Slaska
  • Centre of Polish Scenography
  • Centralne Muzeum Pozarnictwa
  • Sztolnia Czarnego Pstraga
  • Silesian center of refreshment and culture


Media

  • TVP 3 Katowice
    TVP 3 Katowice

    TVP Katowice Tower is a 90 meter high reinforced concrete telecommunication tower in Katowice, Poland. It is the property of TP EMITEL, and is not accessible by tourists....
  • TVS
    TVS

    TVS may stand for:...
  • TVN24 - Katowice branch (TVN24 - oddzial Katowice)
  • Radio Katowice
  • Radio Flash
  • Radio eM
  • Radio Roxy FM
  • Radio Planeta
  • Dziennik Zachodni
  • Gazeta Wyborcza
    Gazeta Wyborcza

    Gazeta Wyborcza [] is Poland's second-largest daily newspaper aimed at left-leaning liberal readers. It is considered to be one of the most influential and opinion-forming newspapers in Poland....
     - Katowice office
  • Fakt (gazeta) - oddzial Katowice
  • Echo Miasta
  • Metro (gazeta) Katowice
  • Nowy Przeglad Katowicki


Ongoing performance series

  • Rawa Blues Festiwal - Spodek
    Spodek

    Spodek is a multipurpose arena complex in Katowice, Poland, opened in 1971 at 35 Korfantego street under the name Wojew?dzka Hala Widowiskowo-Sportowa w Katowicach , under which it is known in the Polish technical/architectural literature, and under which it formally functioned until 1997....
  • Metalmania
    Metalmania

    Metalmania is one of the biggest heavy metal music music festival in Central Europe. It has been held annually since 1986. The 2008 edition was held on the March 8 at Spodek in Katowice, Poland....
     - Spodek
    Spodek

    Spodek is a multipurpose arena complex in Katowice, Poland, opened in 1971 at 35 Korfantego street under the name Wojew?dzka Hala Widowiskowo-Sportowa w Katowicach , under which it is known in the Polish technical/architectural literature, and under which it formally functioned until 1997....
  • Mayday - Spodek
    Spodek

    Spodek is a multipurpose arena complex in Katowice, Poland, opened in 1971 at 35 Korfantego street under the name Wojew?dzka Hala Widowiskowo-Sportowa w Katowicach , under which it is known in the Polish technical/architectural literature, and under which it formally functioned until 1997....
  • International Competition of Conductors by Fitelberg
  • International Festival of Military Orchestras
  • International Exhibition of Graphic arts "Intergrafia"
  • The all-Polish Festival of the Director's Art the "Interpretations"
  • Ars Cameralis Silesiae Superioris
  • International Theatrical Festival "APART"
  • International Conference of Dance and Festival of Dancing Art


Galleries

  • Galeria Sztuki Wspólczesnej BWA Al. Korfantego 6
  • Galeria Sztuki Wspólczesnej Parnas ul. Kochanowskiego 10
  • Galeria Sztuki Atelier 2 ul. Batorego 2
  • Galeria Zwiazku Polskich Artystów Plastyków ul. Dworcowa 13
  • Galeria Architektury SARP ul. Dyrekcyjna 9
  • Galeria Art-Deco pl. Andrzeja 4
  • Galeria Fra Angelico ul. Jordana 39
  • Galeria Akwarela ul. Mikolowska 26
  • Galeria Marmurowa ul. Mikolowska 26
  • Galeria Pietro Wyzej
  • Galeria Sektor I
  • Galeria Szyb Wilson


Nature & recreation


Parks

  • Silesian Central Park
    Silesian Central Park

    Silesian Culture and Recreation Park or Silesian Central Park or Voivodship Culture and Recreation Park , also sometimes unofficially referred to as General Jerzy Zietek Park, is a recreation complex in the center of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union in Silesia, Poland....
     (Wojewódzki Park Kultury i Wypoczynku)
  • Kosciuszko Park
    Kosciuszko Park

    The Kosciuszko Park, which has existed since 1925, is one of the most famous and frequented parks in Katowice, Poland. It is situated at the street of the same name....
     (Park im. Tadeusza Kosciuszki)
  • Forest Park of Katowice (Katowicki Park Lesny)
  • Valley Three Ponds (Dolina Trzech Stawów)
  • Zadole Park
    Zadole Park

    The Zadole Park which used to be a hamlet of Piotrowice, but now it belongs to Katowice districts of Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union there is a park with an amphitheater for 800 persons, a swimming-pool complex, a cafe and a playground for children and walking alleys....
  • Bolina Park
  • Skalka
    OSiR Skalka

    'OSiR Skalka ' is a multi-use stadium in Swietochlowice, Poland. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 26,000 people....
     (Skalka)
  • Dolomity Sportowa Dolina


Nature reserves

  • Bagna Nature Reserve (Rezerwat przyrody Bagna)
  • Dilina Zabnika Nature Reserve (Rezerwat przyrody Dolina Zabnika)
  • Las Dabrowa Nature Reserve (Rezerwat przyrody Las Dabrowa)
  • Las Murckowski Nature Reserve (Rezerwat przyrody Las Murckowski)
  • Ochojec Nature Reserve (Rezerwat przyrody Ochojec)
  • Oles Nature Reserve (Rezerwat przyrody Oles)
  • Plone Bagno Nature Reserve (Rezerwat przyrody Plone Bagno)
  • Sasanka Nature Reserve (Rezerwat przyrody Sasanka)
  • Segiet Nature Reserve (Rezerwat przyrody Segiet)


Tourism


Castles & palaces

  • Castle in Gliwice
    Castle in Gliwice

    The so called Piast's Castle in Gliwice dates back to the mid-14th century. It consists of a tower from 1322, which was originally part of the city walls, and an adjoining building which was probably an armory....
     (:pl:Zamek w Gliwicach)
  • Castle in Ruda Slaska (:pl:Zamek w Rudzie Slaskiej)
  • Castle in Tarnowice (:pl:Zamek w Tarnowicach)
  • Sielecki Castle
    Sielecki Castle

    Sielecki Castle is a castle in the city of Sosnowiec in southern Poland.It was built in the 17th century....
     (:pl:Zamek Sielecki)
  • Goldstein Palace
    Goldstein Palace

    The Palac Goldstein?w or Goldstein Palace is a neo-renaissance palace in Katowice, Silesian Voivodship, Poland. It was build by Abraham and Joseph Goldstein and is located at the west end of the city centre, at ....
     (:pl:Palac Goldsteinów)
  • Godula Palace (:pl:Palac Goduli)
  • Dietl Palace (:pl:Palac Dietla)
  • Ciechanowski's Palace (:pl:Palac Ciechanowskich)
  • Mieroszewski's Palace in Sosnowiec (:pl:Dwór Mieroszewskich w Sosnowcu)
  • Mieroszewski's Palace in Bedzin (:pl:Palac Mieroszewskich)
  • Rheinbaben Palace (:pl:Palac Rheinbabenów)
  • Wilhelm Palace (:pl:Palac Wilhelma)
  • Winckler Palace (:pl:Palac Wincklerów)
  • Schöen Palace in Sosnowiec (:pl:Palac Schöena w Sosnowcu)
  • Schöen Palace in Srodula (:pl:Palac Schöena w Sosnowcu Sroduli)
  • Palace in Zaleze (:pl:Palac w Zalezu)
  • Palace in Siemianowice (:pl:Palac w Siemianowicach)
  • Palace in Swietochlowice (:pl:Palac w Swietochlowicach)


Historical churches

Cathedral in Katowice
Nikiszowiec
  • Cathedral in Katowice
  • Basilica in Piekary (sanctuary)
  • St. Stephen's Church
    St. Stephen's Church (Katowice)

    The Kosci?l sw. Szczepana or Saint Stephen's Church is a church in Katowice, Silesian Voivodship, Poland. It is dedicated to Saint Stephen and located at on Leopold Markiefki street....
  • Kosciól sw. Trójcy, neogotycki z 1886 roku
  • Kosciól sw. Jacka, neoromanski z 1905 roku
  • Kaplica sw. Ducha, barokowa z 1721 roku
  • Kosciól sw. Wojciecha, gotycki i barokowy z 1783 roku
  • Kosciól sw. Barbary, neogotycki z 1852 roku
  • Kosciól sw. Wawrzynca z 1599 roku
  • Kosciól NMP i sw. Antoniego z 1678 roku
  • Kosciól Wniebowziecia NMP, gotycki z XV wieku, przebudowany w latach 1852-76
  • Kosciól sw. Elzbiety, neogotycki z lat 1840-44
  • Katedra sw. Piotra i Pawla, neogotycka z lat 1896-1906
  • Kosciól sw. Bartlomieja z XV wieku, wedlug legendy zalozony w 1232 r. przez templariuszy
  • Kosciól sw. Jerzego z XV wieku
  • Kosciól sw. Krzyza z 1672 roku. W 1683 r. w czasie marszu na Wieden nocowal tu król Jan III Sobieski.
  • Kosciól Wniebowziecia Matki Bozej z 1493 roku, przebudowany XVII wieku
  • Kosciól Wszystkich Swietych, gotycki z XV wieku
  • Kosciól Podwyzszenia Krzyza Swietego, barokowy z XVII wieku
  • Kosciól Niepokalanego Poczecia NMP, neogotycki z lat 1869-70
  • Kosciól sw. Piotra i Pawla, neogotycki z 1903 roku
  • Kosciól sw. Michala Archaniola z 1510 roku
  • Kosciól sw. Szczepana, noeogotycki z 1894 roku
  • Kosciól Zmartwychwstania Panskiego, neoromanski z lat 1856-58
  • Kosciól Narodzenia NMP, barokowy z XVIII wieku
  • Kosciól Swietego Krzyza z 1810 roku
  • Kosciól Matki Bozej z Lourdes, barokowy z 1806 roku
  • Kosciól Trójcy Przenajswietszej z konca XIX wieku
  • Kosciól sw. Krzyza, neogotycki z 1881 roku
  • Cerkiew Wiery, Nadziei i Lubowi z 1889 roku
  • Katedra Wniebowziecia NMP, neoromanska z lat 1893-98
  • Kosciól sw. Marii Magdaleny, barokowy z 1782 roku
  • Kosciól sw. Andrzeja, neoromanski, z lat 1863-66
  • Kosciól sw. Anny, neogotycki z 1900 roku
  • Kosciól sw. Jana Chrzciciela, neogotycki z lat 1853-58


Other local landmarks

  • Nikiszowiec
    Nikiszowiec

    Nikiszowiec is a historical settlement of Katowice.Now that is inner district Jan?w - Nikiszowiec....
  • Giszowiec
    Giszowiec

    Giszowiec is an eastern district of the city of Katowice . It was created as a coal miners' settlement in 1907, initially with about 18,600 inhabitants and area of 12 square kilometers....
  • Parachute Tower Katowice
    Parachute Tower Katowice

    Parachute Tower Katowice is a 50 metre tall lattice parachute tower built in 1937 for training Parachuting. It was used in the first days of World War II by 73rd regiment of infantry as an observation tower....
  • Gliwice Radio Tower
    Gliwice Radio Tower

    File:Sender gliwice.jpg The Gliwice Radio Tower is the transmission tower of the Gliwice, Upper Silesia, Poland, radio station, situated on Tarnog?rska Road in Szobiszowice....
  • FM- and TV-mast Kosztowy
    FM- and TV-mast Kosztowy

    The FM- and TV-mast Kosztowy is a 355 metre tall guyed Radio masts and towers for FM and TV situated at Kosztowy, Poland .). It replaced the TVP Katowice Mast which was dismantled in the 1970s....
  • Silesian Insurgents Monument
    Silesian Insurgents Monument

    The Silesian Insurgents' Monument in Katowice was designed in 1967 by Gustaw Zemla - a sculptor, and Wojciech Zablocki - an architect. It is considered one of the best-designed Polish monuments and is presented at a very well exposed location....
  • Bledów Desert
    Bledów Desert

    Bled?w Desert is an area of sands between Bled?w and the village of Klucze, Lesser Poland Voivodeship in Poland. The area lies mainly on the Silesian Highlands in the Silesian Voivodeship....
  • Silesian Sejm


Sports


Polish 1st League:


  • Ruch Chorzów
    Ruch Chorzów

    Ruch Chorz?w is a Poland association football club based in Chorz?w, Upper Silesia. It is one of the most successful soccer teams in Poland, 14 time national champion, 3 time winner of the Polish Cup....
     - men football
    Football in Poland

    Association football, is the most popular Sports in Poland in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally....
  • Górnik Zabrze
    Górnik Zabrze

    G?rnik Zabrze is a Poland association football club from Zabrze. The club has won numerous Polish Championship in Football, and was a dominant force in the 1960s and 1980s....
     - men football
    Football in Poland

    Association football, is the most popular Sports in Poland in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally....
  • Polonia Bytom
    Polonia Bytom

    TS Polonia Bytom, Wikibooks:Polish/Polish pronunciation , is a Poland football club founded January 4, 1920 in the Upper Silesian city of Bytom, during the hectic months of the Silesian Uprisings....
     - men football
    Football in Poland

    Association football, is the most popular Sports in Poland in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally....
  • Piast Gliwice
    Piast Gliwice

    Piast Gliwice, Wikibooks:Polish/Polish pronunciation , is a Polish football club based in Gliwice, Poland. Founded in June of 1945 by the Repatriation of Poles , Piast's football team played as many as 32 seasons in the Polish Second Division, before finally being promoted into the Polish top division, the Ekstraklasa in 2008....
     - men football
    Football in Poland

    Association football, is the most popular Sports in Poland in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally....
  • Olimpia Piekary - men handball
    Handball in Poland

    Team handball is a popular team sport in Poland.* Polish Seria A Handball League* Polish Seria B Handball League* Polish Seria A Women's Handball League...


Other Leagues


  • GKS Katowice
    GKS Katowice

    GKS Katowice, Wikibooks:Polish/Polish pronunciation , is a Polish football club based in Katowice, Poland. The club now plays in the Polish First League....
     - men's football
    Football in Poland

    Association football, is the most popular Sports in Poland in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally....
     team (Polish Cup
    Polish Cup

    The Polish Cup in football is an elimination tournament for Polish football clubs, held continuously from 1950, and is the second most important national title in Polish football after the Ekstraklasa title....
     winner: 1986, 1991, 1993; Polish SuperCup
    Polish SuperCup

    The Polish Super Cup in football is an annually held match between the Champion of the The cup winner resigned . The 2nd placed team in the Polish First league, GKS Belchat?w, replaced the cup winner....
     winner: 1991, 1995; 1st league in 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 seasons)
  • AZS AWF Katowice
    AZS AWF Katowice

    AZS AWF Katowice is a Poland women's team handball team, based in Katowice, playing in Polish Ekstraklasa Women's Handball League ....
     - women's handball
    Handball in Poland

    Team handball is a popular team sport in Poland.* Polish Seria A Handball League* Polish Seria B Handball League* Polish Seria A Women's Handball League...
     team playing in Polish Ekstraklasa Women's Handball League
    Polish Ekstraklasa Women's Handball League

    History* 1939 - Znicz L?dz* 1946 - Zryw L?dz* 1947 - Zryw L?dz* 1948 - SKS Warszawa* 1949 - Unia L?dz* 1950 - Sp?jnia Warszawa* 1951 - Unia L?dz...
  • 1. FC Kattowitz - football club, vice-champion in Poland: 1927; champion in Upper Silesia: 1907, 1908, 1909, 1913, 1922, 1945; 3 place in championships of south-east Germanys: 1922
  • Slask Swietochlowice
    Slask Swietochlowice

    Slask Swietochlowice is one of the Poland sports clubs from Upper Silesia, strongly connected with the region, which is reflected in its name - Slask simply means Silesia....
     - men's football
    Football in Poland

    Association football, is the most popular Sports in Poland in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally....
  • Szczakowianka Jaworzno
    Szczakowianka Jaworzno

    Garbarnia Szczakowianka Jaworzno is a Polish football club based in Jaworzno, Poland. The club is currently playing in the 7th level of Polish football....
     - men's football
    Football in Poland

    Association football, is the most popular Sports in Poland in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally....
  • Zaglebie Sosnowiec
    Zaglebie Sosnowiec

    Zaglebie Sosnowiec, Wikibooks:Polish/Polish pronunciation , is a football club based in Sosnowiec, Poland. The club was established in 1906....
     - men's football
    Football in Poland

    Association football, is the most popular Sports in Poland in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally....
  • Naprzód Lipiny
    Naprzód Lipiny

    GKS Naprz?d Swietochlowice Lipiny - a sports club from Swietochlowice?s district of Lipiny , founded in 1920 by Alfons Maniura, who became Naprz?d first chairman....
     - men's football
    Football in Poland

    Association football, is the most popular Sports in Poland in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally....


Famous people

  • Kurt Alder
    Kurt Alder

    Kurt Alder was a German chemistry and Nobel laureate....
  • Marcin Baszczynski
    Marcin Baszczynski

    Marcin Baszczynski is a Poland football who plays for Wisla Krak?w, with whom he won five Polish League Championships in 2000/01, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2007/08, and for the Poland national football team....
  • Ewald Cebula
    Ewald Cebula

    Edward Cebula was a Poland football player and defender. He played in five matches for the Poland national football team as well as one match representing Poland at the Olympic Games....
  • Gerard Cieslik
    Gerard Cieslik

    Gerard Cieslik , also known as Gienek, is a former football player of Ruch Wielkie Hajduki .Playing for the Polish national football team, he is most noted for having scored two goals against the Soviet Union national football team on October 20, 1957 at Stadion Slaski....
  • Janusz Gajos
    Janusz Gajos

    Janusz Gajos is a highly acclaimed and popular Poland actor.He graduated in 1965 from the National Film School in L?dz as one of its best students despite having been rejected during entrance exams for three times....
  • Edward Gierek
    Edward Gierek

    Edward Gierek was a Poland communism politician.He was born in Zag?rze, outside of Sosnowiec. He lost his father to a mining accident in a pit at the age of four....
  • Jedrzej Giertych
    Jedrzej Giertych

    Jedrzej Giertych was a Polish politician, journalist and writer, son of Franciszek Giertych, father of Maciej Giertych and grandfather of Roman Giertych....
  • Maria Goeppert-Mayer
  • Kurt Goldstein
    Kurt Goldstein

    Kurt Goldstein was a Germany neurologist and psychiatrist who was a pioneer in modern neuropsychology. He created a holistic theory of the organism based on Gestalt psychology which deeply influenced the development of Gestalt therapy....
  • Damian Gorawski
    Damian Gorawski

    Damian Gorawski is a Poland football who plays as a right winger in midfield. He is currently with G?rnik Zabrze.Previously he played for Ruch Chorz?w, Wisla Krak?w and FC Moscow....
  • Jerzy Gorgon
    Jerzy Gorgon

    Jerzy Pawel Gorgon was a Poland football player who is remembered for his participation in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He was a 6'4" tall defender who became well-known in 1967 while playing for G?rnik Zabrze....
  • August Hlond
  • Otylia Jedrzejczak
    Otylia Jedrzejczak

    Otylia Jedrzejczak is a Polish swimming. She is the Olympic champion from 2004 Summer Olympics in the 200 metre butterfly stroke. She finished 4th in this event in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing....
  • Henryk Kasperczak
    Henryk Kasperczak

    Henryk Wojciech Kasperczak is a former Poland footballer, and later a football manager. He played for the Poland national football team at the 1974 FIFA World Cup and 1978 FIFA World Cup, and won the silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada....
  • Jan Kiepura
    Jan Kiepura

    Jan Wiktor Kiepura was a Poland singer and actor. He was born of a Jewish mother and a Polish father.In 1926 he left Poland. History of Poland , he built a well-known hotel, "Patria", in Krynica-Zdr?j, which cost him about United States dollar3 million....
  • Wojciech Korfanty
    Wojciech Korfanty

    Wojciech Korfanty , born Albert Korfanty, was a Poland nationalism activism, journalist and politician, serving as member of the German Empire parliaments Reichstag and Prussian Landtag, and later on, in the Second Polish Republic Sejm....
  • Jerzy Kukuczka
    Jerzy Kukuczka

    Jerzy Kukuczka , born in Katowice, Poland, was a Polish alpine and high-altitude climber. On 18 September 1987, he became the second man, after Reinhold Messner, to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders in the world....
  • Kazimierz Kutz
    Kazimierz Kutz

    Kazimierz Julian Kutz is a Poland film director, author, journalist and politician, one of the representatives of the Polish Film School and a deputy speaker of the Senate of Poland....
  • Wlodzimierz Lubanski
    Wlodzimierz Lubanski

    Wlodzimierz 'Wlodek' Leonard Lubanski is a former Poland football striker, the all-time goal scorer for the Poland national football team. He was considered the best Polish striker ever....
  • Franz Leopold Neumann
    Franz Leopold Neumann

    Franz Leopold Neumann was a Germany left-wing political activist and labour law, who became a political scientist in exile and is best-known for his theoretical analyses of Nazism....
  • Krzysztof Oliwa
    Krzysztof Oliwa

    Krzysztof Artur Oliwa is a former professional ice hockey player. He played as a left winger in the National Hockey League....
  • Lukas Podolski
    Lukas Podolski

    Lukas Podolski is a Germany association football who plays as a striker for FC Bayern Munich and is a member of the Germany national football team....
  • Miroslav Klose
    Miroslav Klose

    Miroslav Klose is a Germany association football who plays as a striker. He plays for FC Bayern Munich in the Fu?ball-Bundesliga in Germany, and for the Germany national football team....
  • Daniel Podrzycki
    Daniel Podrzycki

    Daniel Tomasz Podrzycki , was a Poland socialist politician.His career began from participation in the activity of illegal students' circles of Warsaw, which appeared at the end of the Seventies and were oriented at the beginning on the diccident Committee on Defending the Workers and later on the forbidden in 1981 independent trade-union...
  • Roman Polko
    Roman Polko

    Major General Roman Polko is a Poland Army officer, acting chief of Biuro Bezpieczenstwa Narodowego , former commander of "GROM".Polko graduated from the"Tadeusz Kosciuszko Tadeusz Kosciuszko Land Forces Military Academy" in Wroclaw....
  • Jan Sawka
    Jan Sawka

    BiographyIn 1946, Sawka was born to an architect father and linguist mother, Jan and Maria Sawka, in the Silesian city of Zabrze. His childhood was overshadowed by his father?s Stalin-era political imprisonment....
  • Hanna Schygulla
    Hanna Schygulla

    Hanna Schygulla is a Germany actor and chanson.Schygulla was born in Chorz?w, Upper Silesia, to German parents Antonie and Joseph Schygulla....
  • Wladyslaw Szpilman
    Wladyslaw Szpilman

    Wladyslaw ?Wladek? Szpilman was a Poland pianist, composer, and memoirist. Szpilman is widely known as the protagonist of the Roman Polanski film The Pianist , which is based on his autobiography book recounting how he survived the Holocaust....
  • Krzysztof Warzycha
    Krzysztof Warzycha

    Krzysztof "Kristof" Warzycha...
  • Ernest Wilimowski
    Ernest Wilimowski

    Ernst Willimowski was a German peoples-born football player who played for both the Poles and German national teams.Born in Kattowitz , Prussian Silesia, German Empire as Ernst Otto Pradella, he was raised in a Silesian family, typical of the Upper Silesian Polish-German borderland....
  • Sobieslaw Zasada
    Sobieslaw Zasada

    Sobieslaw Zasada is a Poland former Rally racing driver. He won the European Rally Championship in 1966, 1967, 1971 and was vice-champion in 1968, 1969, 1972....
  • Aleksander Zawadzki
    Aleksander Zawadzki

    Aleksander Zawadzki was a Poland Communist political figure and head of state of Poland from 1952 to 1964.A member of the Communist Youth Union, Zawadzki went into exile in the Soviet Union in 1931, after spending six years in prison for "subversive activities." He returned to Poland in 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II, but...
  • Krystian Zimerman
    Krystian Zimerman

    Krystian Zimerman is a Poland Classical music piano....


Gallery


See also

  • Tricity
    Tricity

    Tricity is an urban area consisting of three Polish city: Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot. They are situated adjacent to one other, in a row, on the coast of the Gdansk Bay, Baltic Sea, in Eastern Pomerania Pomerania , northern Poland....


External links