Capital of the “Polish Ruhr Area”
Major centre of the Upper Silesian Industrial Area
Location: Southern Poland, close to the Czech and Slovakian borders
Population: 320,000 (Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union: 2 226,000)
80,000 students (Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union: 143,000)
23 universities and colleges
Investor focus: IT, high-tech, manufacturing, steel, energy
Biggest investors: FIAT, General Motors, Mittal, Isuzu, Delphi, Manuli, Valeo
BPO/SSC sector in Katowice: Rockwell Automation, Ontrack, Mentor Graphics, CapGemini
Katowice is the capital city of the Silesia region, the most industrialised region of Poland, dominated by heavy industry, mainly mining and metallurgy. Also the automotive sector is strongly represented.
As for the attractiveness of Katowice for foreign investors, the city's situation is very good. The number of active foreign investors in relation to the population is relatively low, but the estimated scale of foreign investment per capita in the last 5 years is very high. Undoubtedly the attractiveness of Katowice is strengthened by its location in a huge agglomeration.
Did you know that...
- Katowice is located in the centre of the largest conurbation in Poland, with a population of almost 3 million
- “Kompania Węglowa”, the largest coal mining company in Europe with a headcount of over 65,000, is headquartered in Katowice
- Katowice has been the home and workplace of such world-famous composers as Wojciech Kilar and Henryk Mikołaj Górecki. Every year the Rawa Blues, Metalmania, Mayday and other festivals attract thousands of music fans from all around the world to Katowice
