Gliwice

Gliwice is a city in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland, with a population of 175,102 in 2021. It's part of Metropolis GZM centred on Katowice and is industrial. Nevertheless it has a well-restored old town and many historical sights.

Understand
The Slav particle gliw indicates a soggy bog, and the medieval town channeled its river to form a defensive moat. But the terrain can't have been too quaggy, as Gliwice lay on a trading route. Early industries were brewing and textiles, but the boom came in the 19th century with mining, steel-making and metal-bashing trades. The town was in a borderland and changed nationalities several times - for much of the last 200 years it was Gleiwitz in Prussia or Germany, and in a post-World War I referendum it voted to remain in Germany along with Zabrze and Bytom, while Katowice joined Poland. Community tensions festered, and Germany had ambitions to seize further territory. In August 1939 came the spark that ignited World War II, when Germany faked a Polish attack on the radio station as a pretext for invading. Being already in Germany in no way spared Gliwice from the horrors unleashed on invaded territories. Post-war Silesia was handed back to Poland; the town no longer makes steel but has large automobile and machine engineering sectors.

By plane
Katowice Airport is usually the most convenient, with budget flights across Europe. Bus M14 runs hourly direct from the airport to Gliwice, otherwise take the bus into Katowice and change.

Kraków John Paul II Airport has more flights but involves a longer transfer, changing in Kraków city centre and Katowice.

By train
Trains from Katowice run every 20 minutes and take 30 min via Chorzów and Zabrze. These may start from Częstochowa, Dąbrowa Górnicza, or all the way from Przemyśl on the Ukraine border via Kraków.

Trains from Wrocław run hourly and take two hours via Opole; one per day is direct from Berlin. Change at Katowice for Warsaw and other long-distance destinations.

is at the northwest edge of city centre. It's clean and modern.

By bus
Flixbus runs four times a day from Berlin, taking 7 hours via Berlin Airport, Wrocław, Brzeg and Opole, and heading for Katowice and Kraków.

They run one or twice a day from Vienna and Brno via Olomouc and Ostrava, and once from Prague, heading for Katowice and Kraków.

Gliwice bus station is Centrum Przesiadkowe just north of the railway station, and it too is clean and modern. The old site south of the railway station is still shown on some maps but has been demolished.

Get around
The central area is compact; further out, buses ply all the main streets. ZTM Metropolia run almost all buses and trams across the 40-some cities of Upper Silesian Metropolis, which straddles the Czech border. They have a unified ticket system: see Katowice for ticket options and where to buy them.

See

 * is the market square in town centre. Here are the Town Hall (Ratusz), Neptune fountain and other townhouses - retro-restored but none the worse for that.
 * City walls and a moat surrounded medieval Gliwice. They were demolished in the 19th century and streets laid over the space. Only a few scraps remain, within the castle, at plac Rzeźniczy next to All Saints Church, and at ul Dolnych Wałów and ul Grodowa. They're hardly worth seeking out.
 * at Mikołowska 8 is Armenian Catholic. It was completed in 1838 and is plain.
 * Black Gate (Brama Czarna, Brama Raciborska) was one of the four gates of the medieval city. It's a partly-reconstructed brick archway and adjoining wall below the present street level, in plac Rzeźniczy north side of All Saints.
 * , built in 1859, was originally Lutheran, but handed over to the Roman Catholics after World War II.
 * is redbrick neo-gothic, completed in 1911.
 * Old St Bartholomew 200 m west was the predecessor. This was built around 1276 in the village of Petersdorf or Szobiszowice, 2 km beyond the protection of Gliwice city walls so it had to be fortified. It became obsolete once the new church opened; services are still occasionally held here but it's falling into disrepair and seldom open.
 * , built in 1859, was originally Lutheran, but handed over to the Roman Catholics after World War II.
 * is redbrick neo-gothic, completed in 1911.
 * Old St Bartholomew 200 m west was the predecessor. This was built around 1276 in the village of Petersdorf or Szobiszowice, 2 km beyond the protection of Gliwice city walls so it had to be fortified. It became obsolete once the new church opened; services are still occasionally held here but it's falling into disrepair and seldom open.
 * is redbrick neo-gothic, completed in 1911.
 * Old St Bartholomew 200 m west was the predecessor. This was built around 1276 in the village of Petersdorf or Szobiszowice, 2 km beyond the protection of Gliwice city walls so it had to be fortified. It became obsolete once the new church opened; services are still occasionally held here but it's falling into disrepair and seldom open.
 * is redbrick neo-gothic, completed in 1911.
 * Old St Bartholomew 200 m west was the predecessor. This was built around 1276 in the village of Petersdorf or Szobiszowice, 2 km beyond the protection of Gliwice city walls so it had to be fortified. It became obsolete once the new church opened; services are still occasionally held here but it's falling into disrepair and seldom open.

Do

 * Football: Piast Gliwice play soccer in Ekstraklasa, Poland's top tier. Their home ground is Piotra Wieczorka Municipal Stadium, capacity 9900, 2 km northeast of town centre.
 * Teatr Miejski is at Nowy Świat 55, 500 m southwest of the cathedral.
 * Cinema: Amok is near Rynek, at Dolnych Wałów 3. Cinema City is in Forum Centre just north of the railway station.

Buy

 * Lots of convenience stores in town centre, Biedronka is the main chain.
 * Kaufland is the closest big supermarket to the centre, on Pszczyńska 500 m east of the cathedral. It's open M Tu 06:00-22:00, W-F 06:00-23:00, Sa 06:00-13:00.
 * Forum is a shopping centre just north of the railway station, open M-Sa 09:00-21:00.

Eat

 * Momo at Rynek 1 is a restaurant and wine bar open M-Sa 12:00-23:00, Su 12:00-22:00.
 * Desa Gastro Bar at Rynek 22 is open Su-Th 09:30-22:30, F Sa 09:30-00:00.
 * Club Hemingway on Rynek serves steaks and suchlike. It's open M-Th 09:00-01:00, F Sa 09:00-16:00, Su 10:00-01:00.
 * Plado has an offbeat menu. It's at Górnych Wałów 42 a block west of Rynek, open M-F 12:00-21:00, Sa 13:00-21:00.
 * Moja Gruzja is a Georgian restaurant at Grodowa 5 just off Rynek, open Su-Th 12:00-21:00, F Sa 12:00-22:00.
 * TitoTito is an Italian at Plebańska 7, north of Rynek and open Su-Th 12:00-22:00, F Sa 12:00-23:00.
 * Pattaya serves Thai food and sushi at Bankowa 5, off south corner of Rynek. It's open M-Th 12:00-22:00, F Sa 12:00-23:00.
 * Pattaya serves Thai food and sushi at Bankowa 5, off south corner of Rynek. It's open M-Th 12:00-22:00, F Sa 12:00-23:00.

Drink

 * Bars on Rynek include Koneser, Takk, Lux, Dom Alchemika, Ministerstwo, Business Pub, Warka and IBU Craft Beers.

Sleep

 * Hotel Diament Economy is nearer the station at Zwycięstwa 42. Not much difference in price or quality.
 * Hotel Diament Economy is nearer the station at Zwycięstwa 42. Not much difference in price or quality.
 * Hotel Diament Economy is nearer the station at Zwycięstwa 42. Not much difference in price or quality.
 * Hotel Diament Economy is nearer the station at Zwycięstwa 42. Not much difference in price or quality.
 * Hotel Diament Economy is nearer the station at Zwycięstwa 42. Not much difference in price or quality.
 * Hotel Diament Economy is nearer the station at Zwycięstwa 42. Not much difference in price or quality.

Connect
As of March 2024, Gliwice and its approach roads have 5G from all Polish carriers.

Go next

 * Katowice at the centre of the metropolis is grubby and industrial but with lots of 19th / 20th century heritage.
 * Częstochowa is a pilgrimage site for Jasna Góra monastery, with the icon of the Black Madonna.
 * Auschwitz-Birkenau is the chilling monument to hatred multiplied by modern industrial efficiency. Yes, it has a good train service.
 * Kraków is must-see for its wonderful walled city and Wawel citadel.