City of Katowice. What interesting places are worth visiting in Katowice? Polish city of Katowice

Katowice is a city in southern Poland, the administrative center of the Silesian Voivodeship. It is the center of industry of the Upper Silesian agglomeration. The population is 321,163 people, the main direction of the economy is heavy industry, but recently the emphasis has shifted towards small enterprises. The city has not only good economic and resource potential, but also quite developed recreational resources, annually bringing significant funds to the state treasury. In general, Katowice can easily be called a modern European city, but not without the charm of historically important national heritage sites.

City `s history

The first mention of Katowice is documented in 1598, but there were various settlements at its location three centuries earlier.

The settlement received impetus for development in the first half of the 19th century, and by 1865 Katowice became an urban center. IN late XIX century, a rapid growth in the number of industrial facilities and financial institutions begins.

The period of the First World War was marked by several significant socio-political events. After three Silesian uprisings and a referendum, Katowice became part of the Polish state. The war itself spurred the development of the city, as the metallurgical industry became more in demand.

After the war, an active influx of capital began in Katowice. By 1924, there were more than 50 banks and more than a dozen diplomatic missions in the city. The city conducted active international diplomatic activities.

In 1926, one of the city’s airports was opened on the territory of one of the districts of modern Katowice. Now it functions only for the private purposes of a sports club.

Until the Second World War, the rate of economic growth increased, and by the beginning of the war, Katowice had become the center of the richest region of the state. The war caused some damage to the city's economy, but did not break its development, since even after joining Germany the city remained administratively independent.

In 1940, construction of the city's second airport began by German troops. Long time it was used exclusively by the military. Only 26 years later, in 1966, the airport began accepting passenger flights.

The post-war period is characterized by a rapid increase in the number of cultural and educational facilities. The population also increased, so over time, previously neighboring areas began to be included within the city limits. The rapid growth of Katowice after the 50s left its mark on the city's architecture. At that time, it became the second most relevant architectural solution after the capital of Poland. But during the same period, a significant part of the old and historically significant buildings for the city residents were destroyed for the construction of modern and more functional facilities.

Now the city is the most densely populated region of the state. Absolutely all areas of economics and art are rapidly developing in it. Katowice attracts a significant amount of foreign investment, since in addition to the resource base, investors are also attracted by the potential for the development of knowledge-intensive industrial facilities and the rapid growth of the trade and entertainment sectors.

Climate and geography of Katowice

The climate is temperate continental; more than 700 mm of precipitation falls throughout the year, which is a significant amount for this area. The rainiest month is July, otherwise the amount of precipitation is evenly distributed. Winters are mild average temperature January -6…+1, July +11…+23.

The landscape is mixed. If almost the entire territory of Poland is located on the plain, then Katowice and surrounding areas are located on hills, and there are even mountains to the south. Highest point– Mount Rysy, 2499 meters. You can get to it through Krakow. The total travel time will be about 3-4 hours.

The main aquifers in Katowice were the Vistula and Oder rivers. They have many small tributaries, so the river network of the area is quite developed.

Transport Katowice

Back in the 19th century, Katowice took full advantage of its favorable territorial location, which made it possible over time to create high-quality communications between many European cities and in particular with five European capitals - Berlin, Bratislava, Prague, Warsaw, Vienna. Without exaggeration, Katowice can be called one of the most convenient cities in Poland for traveling around Europe.

Highways

The city is located at the intersection of the most important road routes of both pan-European and national importance. It is a hub on one transport corridor running from Berlin to Lviv through major cities in Poland, as well as on a second corridor that goes to the north of the country through Gdansk, Katowice and Žilina. It is precisely this filling of Katowice with a network of international roads that allows you to travel from the city to any other major settlements in Europe without any particular difficulties.

There are many bus services from Warsaw every half hour to hour. The duration of the trip is on average 5-6 hours, the ticket price is 18-20 euros.

From Krakow the journey by bus will take 1.5 hours, from Wroclaw – 2-4 hours.

Public transport in Katowice includes buses, trams, trolleybuses and electric trains. Tram rails were built back in 1894 and connect to this moment all cities of the Upper Silesian region.

Railway

Naturally, the railway lines of many important destinations pass through Katowice, for example, Dresden-Lviv. The city is also located on the route of lines connecting the Baltic countries and the Balkan Peninsula. Directly from Katowice itself you can go to any Big City Poland, as well as direct flights to Berlin, Bratislava, Hamburg, Prague, Vienna.

A ticket to Warsaw will cost 13 euros. Travel time is about 3 hours, trains run more than 10 times a day.

A train ticket to Krakow costs 6 euros, and the journey takes only 1.5 hours. The frequency is the same as with the Warsaw direction.

Katowice International Airport

Located 30 km from the city center. Krakow and Ostrava airports are also located relatively close to the city.

The airport in Pižowice is currently the second largest air gate in Poland after the capital. It is the hub airport of the Polish-Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air.

The main airlines served by the airport: Lufthansa, LOT, Germanwings, Ryanair.

From Katowice you can fly to most European cities, in particular via WizzAir:

a ticket to Warsaw will cost up to 35 euros, the flight time is about 1 hour;
a ticket to Kyiv costs almost 100 euros, the flight time is 1.5 hours;
the journey from Katowice to Rome will take 2 hours and 140 euros;
ticket Katowice – Frankfurt costs about 50 euros, travel time is 1 hour 40 minutes.

The history of the airport begins in 1940, when, after the occupation by Nazi Germany, German troops began to build a new airfield in Katowice. In 1969, full operation of the airport for domestic passenger flights began. For 20 years, the city's air gates were actively developing, but by 1990, passenger traffic had decreased so much that flights were almost non-existent. The difficulties did not last long and after 3 years the airport began to actively operate again, now as an international airport.

In 2003, a partnership between the low-cost airline Wizz Air Hungary and its Polish colleagues began. As a result, air travel to Katowice not only has one more airline, but has also become more accessible. It was Wizz Air that significantly influenced the development of the airport, since in just a year after signing the cooperation, passenger traffic increased by 2.5 times. This was also positively influenced by Poland’s accession to the EU, which made it possible to open airspace for European air carriers.

In general, during the first 5 years of operation of the low-cost airline Wizz Air, the company took 75% of the share of all flights at Katowice Airport.

Sights of Katowice

Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Complex

It is at least cynical to call this tragic place a tourist attraction. Rather, this is a place that every person simply needs to visit. Auschwitz is a World War II concentration camp where at least 1 million people were brutally murdered. Among them are prisoners from different countries, but for the most part the emphasis was on the nationalist component. Most the captives were Jews. There is a memory museum on the territory of the complex. Millions of people visit this place every year; many tourists were personally affected by this tragedy, and they go to Auschwitz to honor the memory of their loved ones. You can get to the complex by special flights from Katowice (30 km) or Krakow (60 km). There is a train from Krakow to Auschwitz station, but from there it will take some time to get to the complex itself, so it’s easier to immediately buy a bus tour.

St. Mary's Church

The start date of construction is 1861. At that time, in the context of active population growth, the city needed a church, which is why the decision was made to erect a new majestic building. The church was designed in the neo-Gothic style by the architect Alexis Langer. The design is very memorable and characteristic of such structures - arches, high vaults, stained glass windows, sharp spiers, sculptures. All elements of the interior decoration are made by hand.

Wooden Church of St. Archangel Michael

It is the oldest architectural monument in the city of Katowice. Also nearby is a 17th-century bell tower. An important feature of this attraction is free entry and free photo and video shooting.

Shopping and entertainment in Katowice

The city has many museums, concert halls, philharmonic societies, various nightclubs and exhibitions. Absolutely every guest of the city will find an opportunity to have an interesting time. Prices are reasonable; within Poland, Katowice is considered a fairly affordable place for shopping and active recreation.

Sports complex Spodek

The largest and most modern entertainment facility in Poland. Large-scale reconstruction was carried out in 2009, after which the technical equipment of the structure allowed for high-quality theatrical and musical performances. The auditorium seats more than 11,000 people. During the operation of the complex, world legends of classical and modern music performed on its territory. Spodek also hosts many annual festivals and world-class sporting competitions.

Silesia City Center

One of most popular places for shopping. It is located 1.5 km from the city center. The shopping and entertainment center contains dozens of shops, boutiques, restaurants, and cafes. Every visitor will be able to find their favorite global brand on the streets of the center. Silesia City Center constantly hosts many events and exhibitions.

Galeria Katowicka

Another popular shopping center. It is located directly next to the central railway station, so you won’t have to look for it for long. The arsenal of stores includes several dozen companies working in various directions:

childen's goods;
underwear;
periodicals;
shoes and clothing;
jewelry;
electronics;
household products;
sports equipment;
Food;
books and much more.

Cafes and restaurants are represented by famous world and national brands, in particular: KFC, Starbucks, Pijalnia Czekolady E. Wedel, etc. You can also have an interesting time at various inserts, flash mobs, promotions, master classes, animated performances, etc. .

Altus

Modern cultural, entertainment, shopping mall, spread over 69,000 sq. m. Located in the city center on the way from the railway station to the northeast towards the University of Silesia. On the upper floors there is one of the city's elite hotels - Qubus Prestige. In Altus, the visitor will find a fitness center, a casino, several elite restaurants and cafes, banks, many boutiques, as well as an official Apple store.

The first records of Katowice date back to the end of the 16th century. The history of the city began with several small agricultural Slavic settlements and one large forge. In their place are modern city blocks. Forges were built in areas covered with a network of rivers and swamps, in places where iron ore lay shallow. Already at the end of the 14th century, the Bogucice Forge was mentioned, located on the banks of the Rava River; next to it there were 3 more similar mini-factories. One can only guess about the origin of the name of the city; there are versions that it came from the name of one of the tenants named Kat or from “Katie”, which in the old days meant “hut for workers” at a logging site. In the second half of the 16th century, the first agricultural settlements appeared in the region.

The industrial development of Katowice began in the mid-19th century and was closely connected with the construction of the railway. The settlement grew rapidly, in 1865 it was granted municipal rights, and soon the status of a powiat.

During the reign of Friedrich Grundmann, the first monumental object was erected - the Evangelical Church on Warsaw Street, next to it the Church of Our Lady was built in the neo-Gothic style, then the monastery of the brothers of the Order of St. John, hospitals and a monastery shelter. At the end of the 19th century, several coal and metallurgical industrial associations, a miners' guild, a state postal administration, and railways Prussia, District Court. All this contributed to the acceleration of the development of the steel industry and coal mines.

At the beginning of the 20th century on Market Square The City Theater was built by architect Karl Moritz, a native of Cologne. The building of the third building has survived to this day. railway station, built in those years. The First World War did not harm the city; on the contrary, it contributed to the strengthening industrial development, as steel mills began to receive more orders. After the war, the city became the capital of the autonomous Silesian Voivodeship.

In the period between the two world wars, Katowice developed intensively, from a small industrial center in Prussia it turned into the richest economic center of Poland and the capital of a region with a developed economy. In 1924, 53 banks and 14 foreign diplomatic missions were opened in the city, and it had extensive international connections. Along with the influx of foreign capital, the volume and pace of construction in Katowice expanded, and its southern part grew especially rapidly. Residential areas were built with exclusive houses, religious buildings were erected. In 1926, the Mukhovets airport building was erected.

At the beginning of 1939, troops left Katowice to fight the German army. In September of this year, all territories of Upper Silesia passed to the Third Reich. The Nazis, in control of Katowice, set fire to the synagogue building on Mickiewicz Street and destroyed the Silesian Museum (the building has now been restored). After the end of the war, the city quickly returned to its former glory as an industrial, scientific, administrative and cultural center.

Katowice today

Today, Katowice is the most densely populated and urbanized region in Poland, it is part of an urban agglomeration of 3 million and is the most attractive region for investors, with trade and small businesses actively developing. The city remains the center of Upper Silesia, hosting trade and industrial fairs annually, and a huge concert hall Spodek is the best stage in the country for popular rock concerts and meetings with famous world names; for example, seeing the brutal guys from Linkin Park or the charismatic Emir Kusturica there is quite possible. There are many cafes, restaurants, and even a hotel near the popular arena, which is very convenient for those who visited the city just for the concert.

How to get to Katowice?

Getting to the capital of the region is not difficult; the huge railway station receives direct and transit trains from Prague, Minsk, Wroclaw, Moscow, Lvov, Odessa, London, Kyiv, Vienna and other European cities. You can get to Katowice by air from 32 settlements, six airlines. Travel time from Krakow and Ostrava is just over 2 hours, from the airport to the city center the distance is 33 km, a city bus leaves from the airport terminal to the city center every 20 minutes.

Public transport in Katowice

The capital has a well-developed system public transport. A bus or tram ticket costs 3 zlotys, can be used within one zone, it is valid for 15 minutes, during which time you can change from one route to another route or mode of transport within the zone. There are tickets that allow you to travel for at least a whole day within the three zones. You can go to Chorzów by tram; most routes have a stop at Rynek. Tickets must be purchased at kiosks with bright yellow cars, or at tram stops. The fine for free travel is 90 zlotys plus the cost of the ticket.

Where to exchange currency in Katowice?

Bank branches and exchange offices are located in the airport building (near the terminals); they are open from 8 am to 8 pm. Exchange offices(offices) are also located in large tourist centers and hotels, but rates may vary greatly. The highest rate is for 1 dollar - 3.10 zlotys, for 1 euro - 4 zlotys, for 1 pound sterling they can pay about 5 zlotys.

Where to live in the city?

If you have not booked a hotel in advance, you can immediately turn right at the exit from the train station and walk to Hostel Katowice Centrum. There you can rent a bed for the night for 30 zlotys. Tea or coffee is included in the price of your overnight stay. There are many hotels near the station; from this area it is easy to get to other parts of the city, since transport runs regularly and there is a lot of it. If you want comfort full program, ideal place For relaxation and overnight stay, you can choose the 5-star Monopol Hotel, located in the very center of the city. It's a 2-minute walk from the station. Interior in art deco style, Polish and Italian cuisine, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, fitness center will make your vacation unforgettable, and the hotel also offers trips with an instructor to magnificent golf courses.

What to see in Katowice?

A must-visit is Kościuszko Park, spread over 72 hectares of land. This is very a nice place with well-groomed flower beds and elegant sculptures, however, you should not go there in the evening for safety reasons. The decoration of the park is the wooden church of St. Michael the Archangel, built at the beginning of the 16th century. Everything inside the building is also wooden - the walls, seats, floors.

Citizens also revere a monument built after the death of Pope John Paul II, erected in 2006, who was one of the honorary citizens. The monument is located near Cathedral and is a complete copy of the statue installed in the capital of Uruguay.

From Katowice you can go to a place that is unlikely to be inspiring for tourists, but still, it is history. All in all, we're talking about about the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau or Auschwitz. Many people are indelibly impressed by the “standing cells”, the torture yard and other “inventions” of the fascists. Buses to this “horror movie” depart from PKS station. The trip takes about an hour, it is better to go in the morning, there are flights at 9:00 and 10:00. Entrance to the camp is free, a Polish guide costs 0.25 zlotys, but there are no Russian speakers, they can only be booked in advance for organized groups.

Katowice is an attractive city, a trip here gives the most vivid impressions that remain in memory for a lifetime.

Katowice from A to Z: map, hotels, attractions, restaurants, entertainment. Shopping, shops. Photos, videos and reviews about Katowice.

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Katowice Hotels

This is not to say that there is such an abundance of hotels in Katowice, but there is still plenty to choose from. At Jopi Hostel you can rent for 11-14 EUR per person Double Room, which will have free Wi-Fi access and will serve toast with jam and tea and coffee in the morning. The three-star Hotel Diament will ask its guests from 27-30 EUR per night, and rooms in the four-star Best Western Premier Katowice Hotel will cost from 35 to 130 EUR per night. Current information You can always find information about overnight stays in Katowice on the city website. When researching housing, don’t forget that holiday season There may be problems with hotel rooms, while during the rest of the year a hotel may not even be booked.

Cuisine and restaurants in Katowice

This may seem strange to industrial city(where, it would seem, nourishing and high-calorie food should be popular), but one of the most popular cafes there is the vegetarian establishment “Golden Donkey”. The unique spirit of the hippie movement hovers here to this day, and concerts and poetry evenings invariably attract large audiences here. However, there is no shortage of places that serve tasty and satisfying dishes national cuisine, the city is not experiencing. Karcma pod Strzechom and Marysin Dwór, decorated in an old country style befitting their name, always welcome visitors. Fans of Italian cuisine will not pass by the La Grotta trattoria, located in the city center (on Wawelska Street), not far from the pedestrian part, and exotic lovers will undoubtedly be delighted to find the Chinese Restauracja a Dong on Matejki Street. And don't forget about the city's surroundings! For example, about Promienice, where a restaurant in the forest serves very tasty food.

Weather in Katowice

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Shopping and shops

It is impossible to be in the city and not visit the local souvenir shops and shopping centers. We won’t even try to do this (especially since Katowice has extremely pleasant low prices for a variety of products), but let us immediately inform you that real shopaholics need to remember these names: “Gallery Katowice”, “Silesium City Center” on Chorzowska Street and “Rawa Park” not far from the city center. The Trzy Stawy shopping center is also quite good and deserves attention, as well as all kinds of shops in the pedestrian part of the city selling various souvenirs.

Katowice

Entertainment and attractions in Katowice

30 km south of Katowice is the world-famous Auschwitz. Get from the city to memorial complex Auschwitz-Birkenau can be reached by train; the excursion is only possible as part of an organized group and costs 10 EUR maximum (if the guide tells the story in a language other than Polish). Since visiting this mournful place makes a very strong and depressing impression, do not take children with you.

Katowice itself, despite all its modernity and industrialism, is an interesting city. Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary (or St. Mary's Church, as it is called local residents), made in the New Gothic style, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Baroque style and wooden church St. Michael the Archangel are beautiful examples of the architecture of past centuries. Modern attractions include the Spodek sports and entertainment center, a monument to the heroes of the three Silesian uprisings, and the monumental Silesian Concert Hall. There are many museums in the city: archaeological, historical, museum of ancient interiors and even an excellent planetarium and observatory - especially popular with children.

Adults will certainly be interested in trips to the nearby towns of Gliwice, Racibórz, Sosnowiec, Zabrze, where you can admire the mountains and castles. And, of course, numerous festivals (theater, blues and metal, cinema and folk) taking place in the city from spring to autumn. But all kinds of exhibitions and concerts take place here all year round, so it’s very, very difficult to call Katowice dull.

Katowice is located in the south of Poland, this city was born in the 19th century in Upper Silesia, which then belonged to Prussia, at the direction of King William I. Today Katowice is the industrial and commercial center of the country.

Since the 19th century, this city has been one of the centers of the Polish and German coal and steel industries. During the Nazi occupation, a lot of historical and cultural monuments Jews were expelled.

Today Katowice is developing rapidly travel business, the number of tourists visiting this city annually is noticeably increasing, and the service is approaching the quality European level.

We bring to your attention short description monuments and attractions of Katowice with photos and we are waiting for you to visit this wonderful and hospitable city. What can you see in Katowice?

Katowice sightseeing map

This Catholic church was built in Katowice in the 60s of the 19th century. The design of the temple in the neo-Gothic style was made by the German architect A. Langer, although the local bishop really liked monumentalism.

As always, financing issues came up, so we settled on a more modest German version. But the church was built of stone, and a tower more than 70 meters high was erected near its main building in the neo-Gothic style.

It is especially worth highlighting the interior decoration of St. Mary's Church. Many wonderful Polish and German artists of that time worked on its creation. Also noteworthy are the excellent stained glass windows and sculptures.

This museum was created at the end of the 20s of the last century on the initiative of the Silesian Land Society, which for many years collected cultural artifacts that appeared in Silesia. The museum operated until the Second World War.

The first collection put on public display told museum visitors about the folk costumes, crafts, paintings and church utensils of the peoples of Silesia. The second permanent exhibition was never opened.

During the Nazi occupation, the collection of the Silesian Museum was badly damaged, and after the war it was restored only in the 80s of the 20th century. Today, more than 100,000 exhibits, paintings, photographs, posters, etc. are on display here.

This is one of the main streets in the city center and was built in the second half of the 19th century. Previously, a huge metallurgical plant operated in this area, and at the beginning of the 20th century, the largest synagogue in the city was built here, which was later burned by the Nazis.

Today, an obelisk stands on the site of the destroyed synagogue, and the area around it has been turned into Synagogue Square. Mitskevich Street received its current name in the early 20s of the last century.

The most important new business developments appeared on this street: a Ford gas station, the first intercity station, a bookstore. There are also architectural monuments here: the buildings of the National Bank, municipal baths, etc.

Katowice is the capital of the Silesian Voivodeship, which is located in southern Poland. This is a fairly young town, founded in the nineteenth century, and it received city status in 1865.

History of the city of Katowice

After Stalin died, in 1953 the city was renamed Stalinogrud, but three years later the city again proudly bore the name Katowice. In 1999, the city received the status of the capital of the Silesian Voivodeship. And from 1975 to 1998, Katowice was the capital of the Katowice Voivodeship. The city of Katowice is the center of the coal and metallurgical industries.

Sights of Katowice

This wooden church of the Holy Archangel is the oldest building in the city. It is located in Kosciuszko Park. The church was built in 1510 and functioned as a parish church. The interior of the temple was decorated with a variety of antique elements, including a sixteenth-century wooden carving of a Mother and Child in her arms, a seventeenth-century pulpit made of wood, and a fifteenth-century crypt. The bell tower, which stands alone, dates from 1679.

In this museum, visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the development of the city, thanks to the exhibitions that are exhibited there. The museum is housed in a magnificent modern house built in 1908. There you can get acquainted with various historical documents, photographs, architectural drawings and valuable paintings, and there are also entire furnished rooms there. Household items, clothes, furniture and dishes are stored there; all these things tell about the life of the middle class and wealthy bourgeoisie.

This museum contains interesting exhibitions dedicated to the culture and art of Upper Silesia. Here you can look at various interiors of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which were common in Silesian huts, paintings by the famous Polish artist Ewald Gawlik. From time to time, seminars on some historical topic are held in this place, and they also conduct practice in preparing traditional dishes of this region.

Silesian Museum

This museum was opened in 1929, the initiator of the opening was Tadeusz Dobrovolski, he was the director. The museum's exhibition was so extensive that in 1936 it was decided to build a new modern building. But, alas, it was not possible to open a new building, since the Germans, who at that time had already occupied the city, dismantled the buildings. This museum was revived in 1984, but restoration work lasted until 1992. There are more than one hundred thousand various objects of art from archeology and ethnography, as well as paintings by famous Polish artists such as Józef Helmonski, Tadeusz Makowski, and Jan Matejko.

This building is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. It was built in 1870 in the neo-Renaissance style. The initiators of the construction were the Goldstein brothers, who owned several sawmills. This two-story building is luxuriously decorated with stucco and decorated with sculptures of three women. These sculptures represent industry, science and art. Inside, everything looks quite elegant, which indicates the wealth of the former owners. Throughout the twentieth century, there was so much to see in this palace. There was a Polish Friendship Society, a chamber of commerce, a theater, then a cinema and many other various establishments. Now the Goldstein Palace is the property of the Katowice administration.

In Katowice, on the Market Square, there is the largest theater in all of Silesia. It was built in 1907 in the style of Art Nouveau and Neoclassicism. The architect of this building, Karl Moritz, decorated the facade of the building with luxurious bas-reliefs, and main staircase, which led to the entrance with amazingly beautiful lanterns. In the twentieth century, very famous Polish actors performed on the stage of this theater. The theater's repertoire mainly consists of works of world and Polish classics.

This monument is one of the main symbols of the city. This is a memorial that is dedicated to the three uprisings of the inhabitants of the voivodeship against the German authorities. The monument was opened in September 1967. Wojciech Zablocki was the architect of the monument, and the sculptor was Gustav Zemla. Their steel design represents three eagle wings, which are a symbol of the Silesian uprisings of 1919-1921.

This is another symbol of the city. Spoden is a large sports and entertainment hall in the shape of a saucer. This facility was built over seven years, starting in 1964. His total area is 339 thousand square meters. Due to the fact that the hall is very spacious, it can accommodate about twelve thousand people; major musical and, of course, sporting events are held there, attracting a large number of people not only from all over Poland, but also from other countries. The most famous bands have performed and often perform in Spodek.

The city of Katowice will leave pleasant memories for those who came here for new, vivid impressions.