The central city of the Metropolis GZM with 2.1 million population
High rating by Fitch: BBB+, outlook Stable
20% of the Katowice budget allocated for investments
Central academic center – 19 universities with almost 90,000 students and over 22,000 graduates a year in Metropolis
Very well developed transport infrastructure – the best road network in Poland, promoting the development of sustainable transport (friendly to pedestrians, drivers, cyclists, people using public transport), an access to 3 international airports (within a 30- 100 km radius) nearest Katowice Airport
One of the largest centers of modern business services in Poland - 140 BPO, SSC / GBS, IT and R&D centers from a metropolitan perspective
One of the largest regional office markets in Poland with an office space of 751,000 sq m2
Dynamic development of business tourism
over 42% of green areas
High quality of life (many cultural, sport events, investments in social and sports infrastructure, etc.)
Undoubtedly one of the advantages of Katowice is its excellent geographical location, which is certainly not without significance for both the city’s residents and numerous investors who have appreciated the potential of Katowice. The city is located in the southern part of Poland, at the intersection of important communication routes, which are at the same time the key corridors connecting Western and Eastern Europe as well as Northern and Southern Europe. Thanks to its convenient location and well-developed communication network, Katowice is one of the most important economic centers in Poland.
Katowice on the map of Poland and neighboring countries
- access to 2 highways A1 and A4, express roads S1 and S86, important European road routes (E 40, E 75 and E 462) and railway routes (E30, E 65, C-E 65)
- Silesian Intercity Road, so called DTŚ – which is a high-speed freeway that enables convenient transfers between cities in the Metropolis
- integrated transfer hubs in Katowice: transfer hub „Ligota” built in 2018, 3 more integrated transfer hubs were completed in 2020 („Zawodzie”, „Brynów”, and „Sądowa” with International Bus Station) with over 1,100 parking places
- 3 international airports only within 100 km from Katowice: Katowice Airport – 30 km from Katowice, Kraków Airport – 67 km, Ostrava Airport – 100 km
- majority of European capitals or airline transfer hubs available within 5 hours total travel time
Katowice is one of the best-connected cities in Poland, fast travel around Katowice and adjacent cities is ensured by an extensive public transport network – bus and tram, as well as rail transport. Public transport in Katowice, which is a member of Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolia (GZM), is organized by the Metropolitan Transport Authority.
ZTM (Metropolitan Transport Authority) combines over 50 cities and towns, connecting the most important centres of the Silesian Voivodeship. Nearly 1,700 buses, trams and trolleybuses run every day through Silesia and Zagłębie. Over 500 lines use almost 7,000 stops and cover over 100 000 000 kilometers a year.
Koleje Śląskie, owned by the provincial government of Silesia, transport approx. 20 000 000 passengers a year. Currently, the carrier offers 62 trains, but at the end of 2023, Koleje Śląskie has concluded a tender for another 27 units. Most trains were purchased with the support of the European Funds.
Starting from 2024, the Metropolis GZM (GZM) – Katowice is its capital – organises the city bike rental system. METROROWER is the largest rental system in Poland and the third largest in Europe. 7,000 bicycles and 924 bicycle rental stations are available in 31 cities of the Metropolis. These are 4th generation bikes equipped with a GPS transmitter. Thanks to the integration of various urban systems, now if you rent a bike in Tychy or Chorzów, you can return it in Katowice, Sosnowiec, Siemianowice Śląskie or Zabrze. And there is a place to ride, in Katowice we have over 197 km of cycling infrastructure, of which 85 km are beautiful, landscaped paths in green areas (forests, parks).