Katowice

Katowice is a large city in the Silesian Voivodeship (województwo śląskie) in the south of Poland. In 2021 it had a population of 315,000; it's the central city of Metropolis GZM (population 2.3 million) which in turn is part of Upper Silesian-Moravian metropolitan area sprawling across the Czech border. It's not scenic, but has a rich industrial heritage.

Understand
A series of medieval villages grew up in the forest clearings of Silesia, working at agriculture and small-scale metal-bashing; Katowice is first documented among these in 1598. They urbanised from the 18th century when coal mines plumbed deeper underground, and better processes were invented for extracting metals such as zinc and for turning iron into steel. Katowice outgrew its neighbours and in 1873 it became the county town. Poland in those centuries was carved up by other nations and Katowice was part of Prussia, later of Germany. It was well-connected by rail to other cities and attracted service industries such as banking. After the First World War the border was re-drawn, based on a plebiscite; Katowice voted to remain German but the district all around it voted to join Poland and it had to follow suit, becoming the regional capital.

The Second World War and Nazi occupation brought a high human cost but only selective damage to city buildings - the synagogue was one obvious target but city industry was wanted for the war effort. Then in 1945 the Red Army "liberated" Katowice by destroying much of it, and post-war communist rulers carried on in that vein. Rynek the central market square was soon ringed by the slabby 1960-70s architecture now mocked as "Early Gierek". Later in the 20th century traditional smokestack industry collapsed, labour unrest grew, and the miners of Katowice were as instrumental in the downfall of "the People's Republic" as the ship-builders of Gdańsk.

The city, region and entire nation of Poland had to re-invent themselves after 1989, developing a western free-market economy with a greater role for service sector, education and IT. Other Polish cities have prettified themselves into romantic budget-flight weekend destinations - that was never realistic for Katowice. It does however have a wealth of heritage, good visitor amenities, and transport links around Silesia and beyond.

In the 2000s, Katowice gained a higher profile by creating a new convention center and hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference (2018) and being designated the European City of Science (2024).

By plane
Onward transport:
 * Airport Bus takes 50 min to the main railway and bus stations, every 30 min daytime and hourly through the night.
 * Matuszek Bus runs direct to Kraków.
 * Buses also run direct to Bytom (No 85, 53), Mierzęcice (No 17) and Sosnowiec.

Kraków is a major tourist destination so its John-Paul II Airport has excellent connections across Europe. Flixbuses from Warsaw and Gdańsk call here every few hours on their way to Katowice, but it's usually more convenient to take the frequent bus or train into Kraków city centre and change.

By train
Trains from Warsaw run hourly and take just under 3 hours via Sosnowiec. They may start from Gdynia or Gdańsk.

From Kraków they run hourly and take an hour via Myslowice.

From Berlin Lichtenburg, two trains a day take 6 hr 30 min via Rzepin, Zielona Gora, Glogow, Lublin, Legnica, Wrocław, Opole, Gliwice and Zabrze, and continue to Kraków. From Wrocław the service is every hour or so, taking two hours and continuing to Kraków, Tarnów, Rzeszów, Łańcut and Przemyśl on the Ukraine border.

From the Czech Republic, trains run from Ostrava every hour or two, taking two hours via Bohumin, Wodzislaw Slaski, Rybnik and Tychy. These may start from Prague, Vienna or Budapest.

On cross-border routes, look for split-ticket deals. Reservations are compulsory on all trains from Germany in July and August.

Outlying stations are Zaleze 3 km west, Brynów 5 km southwest and Ligota another 4 km south, and Zawodzie 3 km east.

By bus
From Warsaw, Flixbus runs five times a day, taking 4-5 hours via Katowice Airport.

From Gdańsk they run eight times, taking 8-9 hours via Toruń, Włocławek, Łódź and the airport.

From Berlin they run every hour or two, taking 8 hours via Berlin Airport, Wrocław and Opole.

From Prague they run eight times, taking 6 hr 30 min via Brno, Olomouc and Ostrava. From Vienna takes 6 hours by the same route.

From Kraków is a frequent service. Flixbus, Unibus and Bus-Inter all run hourly, taking 65 min, for a fare in 2024 of 15 zł. They use large coaches with luggage trunks; consider booking, as they sell out at busy times.

By road
From Kraków take west 60 km.

From Wrocław take southeast 180 km.

From Warsaw take southwest 300 km.

From Vienna, Prague, Bratislava and Brno head for Ostrava then take northeast across the border.

On foot
Many sights are within a km or two of Rynek or the main railway station. The pavements are broad and level.

By bus or tram
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.

(PKM Jaworzno are an exception. They run blue and yellow buses on some 20 routes, including lines A, E and J from Aleja Korfantego. They have a completely different fare system; but you're unlikely to use them and they're not described further here.)

In 2024 tickets valid for 20 mins are 4.60 zł, 40 mins 5.60 zł, 90 minutes or for the full route 6.60 zł, and a 90 minute group ticket for up to 5 people is 13 zł. A one-day pass valid until midnight is 12 zł. Concessionary fares are 50% of the relevant normal fare. All these tickets are valid for unlimited transfers within the allotted time. You can also buy e-packages of 20, 40 or 80 tickets (which roughly halve the unit journey price but don't allow transfers), and 30-, 90- and 180-day e-passes.

You can buy tickets from kiosks, newsagents, shops, machines at the main stops, or at POP passenger service points: these are within Katowice railway station, at Pocztowa 10 near Rynek, and at the ZTM offices on Barbary 21a. The only ticket you can buy on boarding is the 90 minute 6.60 zł (or concessionary 3.30 zł) ticket from bus drivers, who don't give change (they don't yet have contactless payment), and are sometimes out of tickets.

You must validate your ticket immediately on boarding. Inspectors prowl, and an unvalidated ticket is as bad as no ticket at all. For outlying sights buy your return ticket along with your outbound in case you find no convenient ticket point or the machine is broken, and with trams you don't have the option of paying the driver.

By taxi
There are taxi ranks at the airport, north entrance of the railway station at 3 Maja, the bus station, main hotels and city transport nodes. Ask the price beforehand or the taxi driver will use his wildest imagination. Using an app such as Uber ensures an agreed price.

See



 * Zachód Słońca - "Sunset" - is a neon installation on Rynek, a red globe low over the Rawa canal.
 * Zachód Słońca - "Sunset" - is a neon installation on Rynek, a red globe low over the Rawa canal.



Do

 * Football: GKS Katowice play soccer in 1 Liga, the second tier. Their home ground Stadion GKS (capacity 6700) is on Bukowa, 3 km northwest of city centre and just over the boundary with Chorzów. Other top tier (Ekstraklasa) teams nearby are in Chorzów, Zabrze and Gliwice.
 * Ice hockey: GKS Katowice play in Polska Hokej Liga, the top tier. Their home rink is within Spodek.
 * Games & puzzles: Ludiversum is a board games cafe at Kamienna 7, next to Hostel Centrum near the railway station.
 * Flamberg is a hobby and games shop at Adama Mickiewicza 3, near the Marriott.
 * Or get in touch with Silesian Fantasy Club.
 * Games & puzzles: Ludiversum is a board games cafe at Kamienna 7, next to Hostel Centrum near the railway station.
 * Flamberg is a hobby and games shop at Adama Mickiewicza 3, near the Marriott.
 * Or get in touch with Silesian Fantasy Club.

Cinema
Katowice has several new, multi-screen cinemas and some traditional ones. Check if films are shown dubbed or sub-titled.



Events

 * JazzArt Festival is in April.
 * A-Part Festival is an international look at alternative and experimental "Off" theatre. It runs over a week in June, see A-Part Theatre above.
 * Tauron Festival is a Techno and dance rave in the Industrial Museum Complex in June.
 * Fitelberg Competition for Conductors is organised by the Silesian Philharmonic (see above) and held in July.
 * OFF Festival is a new music event over the first weekend in August.
 * CIOFF organise folk music and dancing festivals globally, with the Katowice event held Aug / Sept.
 * Rawa Blues Festival is an indoor blues festival in October.
 * Mayday is a Techno music event held at Spodek in November.

Learn

 * All of these may offer short courses suitable for visitors, though their main offerings are for undergrads.


 * Silesian University of Technology (Politechnika Śląska) is based in Gliwice. but the Faculties of Materials Science and Metallurgy, of Transport and of Management are sited here.
 * Silesian University of Technology (Politechnika Śląska) is based in Gliwice. but the Faculties of Materials Science and Metallurgy, of Transport and of Management are sited here.
 * Silesian University of Technology (Politechnika Śląska) is based in Gliwice. but the Faculties of Materials Science and Metallurgy, of Transport and of Management are sited here.
 * Silesian University of Technology (Politechnika Śląska) is based in Gliwice. but the Faculties of Materials Science and Metallurgy, of Transport and of Management are sited here.
 * Silesian University of Technology (Politechnika Śląska) is based in Gliwice. but the Faculties of Materials Science and Metallurgy, of Transport and of Management are sited here.
 * Silesian University of Technology (Politechnika Śląska) is based in Gliwice. but the Faculties of Materials Science and Metallurgy, of Transport and of Management are sited here.
 * Silesian University of Technology (Politechnika Śląska) is based in Gliwice. but the Faculties of Materials Science and Metallurgy, of Transport and of Management are sited here.

Buy
Shopping centres are mostly north of the station. Galeria Katowicka is adjacent on 3 Maja, open M-Sa 09:00-21:00.

Silesia City Center is 3 km northwest on the boulevard to Chorzów, with Cinema City.

Mid-range

 * Hotel M23 is by the Mariacki at No 23 and gets good reviews.
 * Hotel Jantor next door is filthy.
 * Hotel M23 is by the Mariacki at No 23 and gets good reviews.
 * Hotel Jantor next door is filthy.
 * Hotel Jantor next door is filthy.
 * Hotel Jantor next door is filthy.
 * Hotel Jantor next door is filthy.
 * Hotel Jantor next door is filthy.
 * Hotel Jantor next door is filthy.
 * Hotel Jantor next door is filthy.

Connect

 * As of April 2024, Katowice, its approach roads and nearby towns have 5G from all Polish carriers.

Stay safe
Standard precautions about safeguarding valuables, beware traffic (including trams, which run along Rynek and other pedestrian spaces), and avoid drunks.

Go next

 * Chorzów 5 km west has a zoo, amusement park and the Silesian Ethnographic Park.
 * Tychy 12 km south has a Brewing Museum.
 * Central Firefighting Museum in Mysłowice.
 * Mining skansen in Zabrze.
 * Silver mine and Black Trout Gallery in Tarnowskie Góry.
 * Auschwitz-Birkenau is the Nazi death camp complex by the town of Oświęcim.

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