Jan

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Katowice Travel & Sightseeing Guide

January 10, 2008 |

A trip to Katowice

Situated on the bank of the River Rawa, Katowice is the biggest city in Silesia and one of Poland’s major industrial hubs. Katowice presents visitors with a rich cultural scene and features the Silesian Museum, Silesian Philharmonic, several theatres and a popular concert hall known as the Spodek. The city is an interesting travel destination that is home to plentiful relics, spectacular modern architecture, and welcoming residents, and lies within easy reach of the Beskidy mountains.

Flights to Katowice
Katowice International Airport is located around 20 miles from the city centre. This is by far the largest airport in Silesia, with more than 20 domestic and international flights daily and an annual throughput of 1.4 million passengers. If you are looking for a cheap flight to Katowice try
lastminute.com. In the summer of 2007, a new terminal was opened, and there is a proposal to change the more conveniently placed sport aviation-handling Katowice-Muchowiec Airport into a second international airport for smaller, business oriented transfers. A frequent shuttle bus service runs between the airport and central Katowice, dropping passengers off close to the main railway station.

The city’s main bus station is placed near the railway station and there are tramways that transport passengers within the city. Information about the Municipal Tramway Enterprise can be obtained at the tram stop in Rynek. Taxi stands can be found in various places in Katowice.
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Sightseeing in Katowice
The most excellent examples of modernism can be discovered in the city’s downtown, while central Katowice presents a large number of Art Nouveau buildings as well as some gigantic Communist era structures, above all Spodek and Superjednostka. The classicist Cathedral of Christ the King was built between 1927 and 1955 and is Poland’s largest cathedral, while St Mary’s Church dates back to the 19th century and is one of the city’s oldest churches.

Drapacz Chmur was the first skyscraper constructed in post-WWI Poland in 1934 and is regarded as the most stunning example of functionalism in Poland. The imposing Silesian Museum was founded in 1929 and displays mostly archaeological and ethnological artefacts from the surrounding region.

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Fun by night – eating, drinking and partying
Katowice has a great variety of dining places for every palate and budget. Zloty Osiol is a vegetarian bar with a special ambience and events like concerts and poetry meetings, while Bar Mleczny Europa is one of the so-called ‘milk bars’ preferred by students. Marysin Dwór is designed as a noble countryside residence from old times.

For nightlife entertainment, there is a variety of clubs in the city, particularly the Hipnoza Jazz Club, one of the most vivid establishments here, as well as a number of common discos such as the Wyższy Wymiar on Matejki street and Inqbator in Dworcowa street. The more cultured might like to check out the city’s array of theatres, especially the Silesian Theatre, Katowice’s main repertory theatre, and the Silesian Theatre of Doll and Actor Ateneum, one of Poland’s oldest doll bands.

Fun by day – shopping and activities
Katowice is a great place for shopping as there are numerous facilities on hand, from clothes shops to little delis offering Polish fancy foods. Silesia City Centre is the city’s biggest department store, with around 250 shops, a hypermarket, restaurants, bars and a cinema.

Aside from shopping, days in Katowice can be spent exploring the city’s architectural wonders, or relaxing in the nearby natural reserves. If the weather takes a turn for the worse, take the opportunity to experience the world of Polish cinema at the IMAX theatre.


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