Katowice

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Overview

Katowice (kah-to-vee-tseh) is the largest constituent of the so-called Upper Silesian Urban Area, a vast conurbation with a population approaching three million. Built on coal wealth, the rural village that once snoozed here exploded into a modern industrial city in the 19th century.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Silesian Museum

Katowice

A symbol of Katowice's transition from a centre of heavy industry to one of culture, the Silesian Museum sits in an ingeniously repurposed coal mine in…

Museum of Katowice History at Nikiszowiec

Katowice

This branch of Katowice's museum, an ethnographic exploration of working-class and industrial life in Upper Silesia, lies in the distinctive suburb of…

Cathedral of Christ the King

Katowice

With a base measuring 89m by 53m, this is Poland's largest cathedral. Erected between 1927 and 1955, the neoclassical sandstone basilica's progress was…

Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park

Katowice

This sprawling open-air museum contains scores of traditional wooden buildings spread over 20 hectares, representing architectural styles from Upper…

Psychiatric Hospital

Katowice

In May 1940 popular British novelist PG Wodehouse, creator of the masterful valet Jeeves and his hapless employer Bertie Wooster, was captured by the…

Rynek

Katowice

The city's central market square is not lined with historical burghers' houses as you’d find elsewhere in Silesia, but is instead encircled by drab…

Toszek Castle

Katowice

This impressive Gothic castle was first mentioned in surviving records in 1222, although some experts believe it's originally from the 12th century…

Cloud Scraper

Katowice

This blocky, 14-storey, 60m-high apartment building was Poland’s tallest building from 1934 until 1955. Considered the purest example of functionalism in…

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