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Jan

10

Katowice Travel & Sightseeing Guide

Filed Under Poland

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.

Katowice

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.

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.

Daytrips
There isn’t too much to see outside of Katowice, but topping the list is the huge (and hugely popular) Provincial Park of Culture and Recreation. This is the most important recreational complex around the city, featuring a zoo, planetarium, amusement park and a large stadium that often hosts special events.

The Upper Silesian Ethnographical Park is also onsite. This interesting complex has dozens of traditional wooden houses scattered over 20 hectares which offer a look at the past of Katowice.

Another unusual but interesting destination is the town of Nikiszowiec, a housing estate built exclusively for miners between 1908 and 1924. This fully functioning town seems more like a Hollywood movie set than a real town, and it was totally self-sufficient during its time. It’s still an interesting place to wander around and get a feel for the life of miners during the early 1900s.

Must-see attractions
Katowice may not be one of Poland’s top travel destinations, but it offers enough highlights to make a visit worth your effort. It is a cultural centre of this part of Poland, featuring interesting venues like the Wyspianski Silesian Theatre and the Silesian Philharmonic if you fancy seeing some of the city’s top performing arts.

There are also a number of pleasant green spaces to balance Katowice’s industrial roots. The Silesian Culture and Refreshment Park, Zadole Park, and Tadeusz Kosciuszko Park are the largest public parks in the city, offering plenty of space to relax, take walks and enjoy the sight of locals doing the same. Churches like the Cathedral of Christ and the King and St Stephen’s Church are also worth checking out for their architecture.

Other historic sites like the Silesian Insurgents Monument and the Goldstein Palace provide different perspectives into this Polish region’s turbulent past. Head to the centre of Katowice for a surprising scene of 20th century Art Nouveau buildings, pleasant promenades and nice shopping and dining districts.

Best time to go
From May until October, Katowice enjoys nearly perfect weather. Temperatures during the day hover around 18C, so it never gets too hot, even at the peak of summer in July and August. Afternoon thunderstorms often blow in during the summer, bringing a welcome rinse and dramatic shift in the air.

Spring and autumn are major transition seasons, but around September conditions are ideal with cool temperatures and sparkling blue skies until November, when winter creeps in. Cold, damp weather dominates Katowice until March. This isn’t a pleasant time for a visit, so consider a late summer or autumn trip.

Rainy day suggestions
There’s always a good chance it might be raining in Katowice, so take advantage of the inclement weather to learn more about this burgeoning city at one of its museums. The Katowice History Museum is the best place to get an overview of the timeline of the city through its diverse exhibits.

The Silesian Museum is also a major cultural venue featuring a comprehensive look of the overall culture of Poland. The Museum of the Archdiocese has a nice selection of religious artwork from the medieval era, and if you’re a fan of Pawel Stellar then you won’t want to miss the museum dedicated to the artist’s life and works.

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