Why Silesia

"The Silesia Voivodship – business information"

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1) Number one in the ranking of the Investment Attractiveness of Voivodships and Subregions of Poland

At the end of 2009 the experts from the Gdańsk Institute for Market Economics prepared a report from the series "Investment Attractiveness of Voivodships and Subregions of Poland". The report contained a synthetic evaluation of the voivodships and subregions in three categories: industry, services and advanced technology. The results have shown for the fifth time in a row that the Silesia voivodship is the most attractive region for investors. To such results contribute, among others things, the largest resources of high quality work, excellent availability of transport, well-developed economic infrastructure and strong economy.

2) Excellent location

Silesia borders with the Czech and Slovak Republic to the south. Six European capital cities, namely Warsaw, Prague, Bratislava, Vienna, Budapest and Berlin, are situated within the radius of 600km from the capital of the region, Katowice. The Silesia voivodship is the 14th biggest voivodship in Poland (12 334 km2), however, it comes second as far as the number of inhabitants is concerned.

3) The biggest urbanized area in the East-Central Europe

The region owes its unique character to the Upper Silesian Conurbation of 14 cities and with over 2 million inhabitants. It is the biggest urbanized area in the East-Central Europe, with a very dense urban network, over 30 institutions of higher education, a few thousand companies and the most developed network of train and tram connections in Poland.

4) Gigantic market – over 4.6 million of potential customers

In a relatively small region of Silesia lives a population of over 4.6 million, which makes it the most densely populated voivodship in Poland: 377people per square kilometer compared with the average of 122 people/km2 in Poland and 116 people/km2 in the EU. Such a great concentration of people creates a vast potential market for consumer goods. The region is highly urbanized – almost 79% of the population lives in the cities.

5) Unique economic position – 13% of the Polish gross domestic product (GDP)

Silesia's unique economic position results from the fact that the voivodship generates 13% of the gross domestic product (GDP), which gives it the second place in the country. With 60% for the market and non-market services and 33% for the industry, Silesia comes first in Poland.

6) Biggest industrial district in Poland

The voivodship has rich natural resources: hard bituminous coal, deposits of zinc and lead, methane, natural gas, marls, limestone, natural aggregate, as well as thermal and mineral waters. Due to the ample resources, the biggest industrial district in Poland was created here.

7) Systematic modernization of mining and metallurgy

Currently the coal mining and iron and steel industry are in the process of deep restructuring. As a result, the mining industry managed to reduce employment and improve its effectiveness. The metallurgy sector changed fundamentally the forms of ownership and the structures of management. In fact, the entire sector has been almost completely denationalized. Simultaneously, the fuel and energy sector is also being reorganized. The Silesia voivodship is the biggest producer of electricity in Poland.

8) Modern engineering and automotive industry

The important element of the voivodship's economic landscape is a modern machinery industry with a suitable machine park and experienced staff. The significance of other branches of industry also grows – the following develop quickly: electrical machinery industry, IT, energy and, most dynamically, automotive industry (the region is the biggest car manufacturer in the country) and food industry.

9) Almost half a million of business entitities

There are over 430 thousand business entities registered in the Silesia voivodship, 96% of them in the private sector. As far as the number of entities operating in the high technology industry is concerned, the voivodship is among the leaders in Poland. A substantial amount of microenterprises (employing fewer than 10 people) function in the region, producing medical and surgical equipment, orthopaedic devices, television and radio transmitters, equipment for telecommunications and wired telegraphy, as well as instruments for measurements, testing, researching, navigation, etc.

10) Numerous organizations supporting business and competitiveness

Undoubtedly, one of the strong points of the Silesia voivodship are its business-related institutions, i.e. local and regional development agencies, chambers of commerce, chambers of industry, craft guilds, consultancy and business information centres, business promotion centres and business associations. The primary objective of the business promotion organizations is to raise the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises and stimulate their development.

Moreover, financial institutions, banks, loan funds, guarantee funds, insurers and venture capital funds operate in the region, as well as business incubators and industry and technology parks.

11) Katowice Special Economic Zone

In order to support and accelerate the restructuring processes, as well as provide new places of employment, the Katowice Special Economic Zone (Katowicka Specjalna Strefa Ekonomiczna S.A.) has been created, whose primary task is to promote the Silesia voivodship as an investor-friendly place. The Katowice Special Economic Zone (KSSE) is a dispersed zone and consists of four subzones: Gliwice, Jastrzębie Zdrój-Żory, Sosnowiec-Dąbrowa and Tychy. In 2010 the KSSE is celebrating the 14th anniversary of its creation; business entities have already invested here the total of 4 billion euros and employ approximately 37 thousand people. The biggest investment in the KSSE is the Opel-General Motors factory in Gliwice. Having in mind economic trends and legal provisions, the zone is focused on projects of BPO centres (Process Business Outsourcing) and research and development centres.

12) Important fair and exhibition centre

The voivodship is a very important national fair and exhibition centre. The fairs are held in "Spodek", the biggest sports and concert hall in Poland. The beginning of 2008 saw also the opening of Expo Silesia in Sosnowiec, at present one of the biggest and most modern exhibition centres in Poland.

13) Excellent research and development potential

The Silesia voivodship has a significant research and development potential – it is the second biggest research centre in the country. The research and development institutions are focused mainly on environment protection, energy industry, automation, electronics and construction.

14) Transport availability guaranteed

One of the key elements of the communication infrastructure in the Silesia voivodship is the International Katowice Airport. In 2009 the airport served 2.36 million passengers. The B MPL Terminal, opened recently, places the Katowice Airport in the first position in regard to the size of terminals of the Polish local airports.

Two of ten trans-European flight routes pass over Silesia: Corridor III (Berlin – Wrocław – Katowice – Cracow – Lvov) and Corridor VI (Gdańsk – Katowice – Żylina). The voivodship has a well developed transport system: apart from main routes, there is a dense network of road infrastructure. The Upper Silesian Conurbation is an important point in the provincial communication system. Two motorways, A-1 and A-2, cross here. The Conurbation is orientated east-west, as this is the direction of the A-4 motorway and the Silesian Intercity Road (Drogowa Trasa Średnicowa). Combined flows of east-west traffic in Katowice can reach around 150 thousand vehicles per day in the near future.

15) Strategic location for international transit

Half of the national railway transport takes place in Silesia. In Tarnowskie Góry there is one of the biggest railway junctions in Europe. The Central Railway Main Line (Centralna Magistrala Kolejowa) connects Bielsko, Katowice and Warsaw, whereas the transport between Katowice and Gdańsk is conducted by means of the Port Railway Main Line (Magistrala Portowa); both lines are used to transport the majority of goods in the voivodship. Additionally, thanks to the CMK a journey from Katowice to Warsaw (297 km) takes only 2 hours and 40 minutes. Important railway routes cross the region, three of which are part of the AGC international network.

Another noteworthy object is the Euroterminal in Sławków. It is the place located furthest to the west where the two railway systems, the broad gauge and the European gauge, meet. The terminal has an internal net of railway tracks, both broad and European gauge, which facilitates the flow of goods in the Asia – Western Europe direction.

16) 200 000 students in over 50 colleges

The Silesia voivodship has over 50 institutions of higher education. Altogether the Silesian colleges educate about 200 thousand students, which amounts to 10% of the total number of students in Poland.

At the end of 2009 the unemployment rate in the region was 8.9%.

17) Well-developed accommodation and training infrastructure

A well-developed and modern accommodation base (hotels, hostels, boarding houses, agrotourism farms) and delicious local cuisine wait for the visitors. Professional staff in the hotels and tourist information centres will be happy to assist you with any problem during your stay. + training facilities

18) Attractive cultural and holiday offer

There are many various tourist attractions in the region. Active persons will appreciate the picturesque trails of the Polish Jura and the Beskids Mountains. The enthusiasts of history, architecture and postindustrial atmosphere will be happy to discover industrial traditions of the region and visit the Trail of Industrial Monuments. If you wish to recover your strength and health, we have an extensive offer of health resorts and a developed medical infrastructure. The Silesian voivodship means also great sports events, unforgettable cultural events and excellent local cuisine. But above all Silesia is people – open, kind, full of passion and positive energy.

The priorities of the Silesia voivodship list economic development, investments and increase in the level and quality of life. The priorities are reflected in policy papers such as: The Development Strategy for the Silesia Voivodship, The Regional Innovation Strategy for the Silesia Voivodship, the strategy of the marketing communication of the economic and investment attractiveness of the Silesia voivodship.