View source for Katowice

{{Redirect|Kattowitz}}
{{distinguish|Kotowice (disambiguation){{!}}Kotowice}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Katowice
| settlement_type    = [[City with powiat rights|City county]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| perrow = 2/3/2/3
| total_width = 282
| align = center
| caption_align = center
| image1 = Katowice (50021).jpg
| caption1 = [[Market Square, Katowice|Market Square]]
| image2 = St. Mary's Church, Katowice 2024 jeh (2).jpg
| caption2 = Mariacka Street
| image3 = Katowice Hotel Monopol 2022 (cropped)2.jpg
| caption3 = [[Monopol Hotel, Katowice|Monopol Hotel]]
| image4 = 20 lecie wejścia Polski do Unii Europejskiej w Katowicach.jpg
| caption4 = [[Silesian Parliament|S. Parliament]]
| image5 = Katowice Mlynska 2 2021 (cropped).jpg
| caption5 = [[PKO Bank Polski|PKO Bank]]
| image6 = Spodek.4.jpg 
| caption6 = [[Spodek]] arena
| image7 = Reflection of building of Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice 03.jpg
| caption7 = [[Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra|Radio Orchestra]]
| image8 = 2024-03 Katowice archikatedra taras (5) (cropped).jpg
| caption8 = Panoramic view of Katowice city centre
}}
| flag_link          = 
| image_flag         = Katowice Flaga.svg
| image_shield       = Katowice Herb.svg
| image_blank_emblem = Logo Katowice.svg
| blank_emblem_type  = [[Logo]]
| pushpin_map        = Poland
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| coordinates        = {{coord|50|15|45|N|19|01|18|E|region:PL|display=title,inline}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{POL}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Powiat|County]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Silesian Voivodeship|name=Silesian}}
| subdivision_name2  = ''city county''
| governing_body     = [[Katowice City Council]]
| established_title  = Established
| established_date   = 16th century – 1598 first official information
| established_title2 = City rights
| established_date2  = 1865
| leader_title       = [[List of city mayors of Katowice|City mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Marcin Krupa]] ([[Independent politician|Ind.]])
| area_total_km2     = 164.64
| area_urban_km2     = 2,554
| area_metro_km2     = 5,400
| elevation_min_m    = 266
| population_total   = {{DecreaseNeutral}} 286,960 ([[List of cities and towns in Poland|11th]])<ref name="population">{{cite web|url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/BDL/dane/teryt/jednostka|title=Local Data Bank|access-date=18 July 2022|publisher=Statistics Poland}} Data for territorial unit 2469000.</ref>
| population_as_of   = 31 December 2021
| population_density_km2 = 1780
| population_urban   = 1,991,000<ref name="demographia">[http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf Demographia.com – World Urban Areas], 20th edition, August 2025</ref>
| population_metro   = 2,535,354<ref name="population-metro-eurostat">{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/met_pjangrp3/default/table?lang=en&category=reg_typ.met.met_demo|title=Population on 1 January by five year age group, sex and metropolitan regions|last=|first=|date=|website=www.ec.europa.eu|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref>
| population_demonym = katowiczanin (male) <br/> katowiczanka (female) ([[Polish language|pl]])
| demographics_type1 = GDP
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref name="gdp-2020">{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/met_10r_3gdp/default/table?lang=en|title=Gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices by metropolitan regions|last=|first=|date=|website=www.ec.europa.eu|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=12 December 2023}}</ref>
| demographics1_title1 = Urban
| demographics1_info1 = €44.570 billion (2021)
| postal_code_type   = Postal code
| postal_code        = 40-001 to 40–999
| area_code          = +48 32
| registration_plate = [[Vehicle registration plates of Poland|{{#property:p395}}]]
| website            = {{URL|https://www.katowice.eu}}
| elevation_max_m    = 352
| timezone           = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset         = +01:00
| timezone_DST       = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST     = +02:00
| motto              = for a change
}}
'''Katowice''' ({{IPA|en|ˌkɑtəˈvitsə}}, {{IPA|pl|katɔˈvit͡sɛ|lang|pl-Katowice.ogg}}, {{Langx|szl|Katowice}}, {{langx|de|Kattowitz}}) is the capital city of the [[Silesian Voivodeship]] in southern [[Poland]]{{TERYT}} and the central city of the [[Katowice urban area]]. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pifczyk |first=Szymon |title=Ile osób rzeczywiście mieszka w Twoim powiecie |url=https://www.kartografia-ekstremalna.pl/p/ile-osob-rzeczywiscie-mieszka-w-twoim |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=www.kartografia-ekstremalna.pl |language=en}}</ref> The [[Katowice metropolitan area]] has a population of 2.5 million,<ref name="population-metro-eurostat"/> and is part of a larger [[Katowice–Ostrava metropolitan area]] that extends into the Czech Republic and has a population of around 5 million people.

Katowice was founded as a village in the 16th century, whereas several modern districts of Katowice were founded as villages in the [[Middle Ages]]. Throughout the mid-18th century, Katowice grew following the discovery of rich [[coal]] reserves in the area. In the first half of the 19th century, intensive [[Industrial Revolution|industrialization]] transformed local mills and farms into industrial [[Steel mill|steelworks]], mines, [[Foundry|foundries]] and artisan workshops. The city has since reshaped its economy from a heavy industry-based one to professional services, education and healthcare. The entire metropolitan area is the [[List of cities by GDP|16th most economically powerful city by GDP]] in the [[European Union]] with an output amounting to $114.5&nbsp;billion. [[Katowice Special Economic Zone]] is ranked fourth on the list of the TOP10 Global Free Zones.<ref name="Global Free Zones">[https://www.fdiintelligence.com/content/rankings-and-awards/global-free-zones-of-the-year-2023-awards-83057 Global Free Zones of the Year 2023] – [[fDi Intelligence]], 2023</ref>

Katowice has been classified as a [[Global city|Gamma – global city]] by the [[Globalization and World Cities Research Network]]<ref>{{cite web |title=The World According to GaWC 2020 |url=https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html |access-date=3 September 2020 |website=GaWC – Research Network |publisher=Globalization and World Cities |archive-date=24 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824031341/https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and is a centre of commerce, business, transportation, and culture in [[Regions of Poland|southern Poland]], with numerous public companies headquartered in the city or in its suburbs including energy group [[Tauron Polska Energia|Tauron]] and metal industry corporation [[Fasing]], important cultural institutions such as [[Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra]], award-winning music festivals such as [[Off Festival]] and [[:pl:Festiwal Nowa Muzyka|Tauron New Music]], and transportation infrastructure such as [[Katowice Airport|Katowice Korfanty Airport]]. It also hosts the finals of [[Intel Extreme Masters]], an [[Esports]] video game tournament. Katowice is also home to several institutions of higher learning, notably the [[University of Silesia in Katowice|University of Silesia]], the [[Silesian University of Technology]] and the [[Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music]]. The city is a member of the [[UNESCO]] [[Creative Cities Network]] having been recognized as a [[City of Music (UNESCO)|City of Music]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities/katowice |title=Katowice |website=en.unesco.org |access-date=1 March 2024}}</ref>

==History==
{{further|History of Katowice}}

===Before the industrial revolution===
[[File:Katowice - Akta Wizytacji parafii w Bogucicach (1598).jpg|left|thumb|A fragment from the [[Bogucice]] Parish visitation report from 1598 that mentions the name Katowice for the first time]]
The area around Katowice, in [[Upper Silesia]], has been inhabited by [[Lechites|Lechitic]] [[Silesian tribes]] from its earliest documented history.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|last=silnet.pl|title=Historia miasta i dzielnic – Katowice|url=https://mojekatowice.pl/p,s,historia.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202042336/https://mojekatowice.pl/p,s,historia.html|archive-date=2 February 2017|access-date=25 January 2017}}</ref> While the name Katowice (''Katowicze'') is mentioned for the first time in 1598, other villages and settlements that would eventually become parts of modern Katowice have been established earlier, with ''Dąb'' being the oldest, mentioned in 1299 for the first time in a document issued by Duke [[Casimir of Bytom]]. [[Bogucice]], Ligota, Szopenice and Podlesie were all established in early 14th century. Aside from farming, people living in the area would also work in hammer mills: the first one, ''Kuźnica Bogucka'', is mentioned in 1397.

The area which would become Katowice was initially ruled by the Polish [[Silesian Piasts|Silesian Piast]] dynasty until its extinction.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|title=Discover Katowice|url=https://www.local-life.com/krakow/articles/katowice|work=Local Life|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316025022/http://www.local-life.com/krakow/articles/katowice|archive-date=16 March 2017|access-date=15 March 2017}}</ref> From 1327, the region was under administration of the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]] under the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. As part of the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemian Crown]], it was passed to the [[Habsburg monarchy]] of [[Austria]] in 1526.<ref>{{cite web|title=History – Katowice|url=https://www.inyourpocket.com/katowice/history|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316024836/https://www.inyourpocket.com/katowice/history|archive-date=16 March 2017|access-date=15 March 2017}}</ref> In 1742, along with most of [[Silesia]], it was seized by [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] following the [[First Silesian War]]. The two subsequent [[Silesian Wars]] left the area severely depopulated and with an economy in ruins. In 1838, Franz von Winckler bought Katowice from Karl Friedrich Lehmann and in 1841, he made it the headquarters of his estate.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Moskal|first=Jerzy|title=Bogucice, Załęże et nova villa Katowice – Rozwój w czasie i przestrzeni|publisher=Wydawnictwo Śląsk|year=1993|isbn=83-85831-35-5|location=Katowice|pages=23–25}}</ref>

===Emergence as an industrial centre===
[[File:Katowice Huta Baildon.jpg|thumb|left|Baildon steelworks, 19th century]]
On 3 October 1846, the works of the final stage of the [[Wrocław|Breslau]]-[[Mysłowice|Myslowitz]] (''Wrocław-Mysłowice'') rail line ended, built and operated by the [[Upper Silesian Railway]]. It was opened by king [[Frederick William IV of Prussia]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Nadolski|first1=Przemysław|title=Węzeł Kolejowy Gliwice|last2=Roszak|first2=Tomasz|last3=Soida|first3=Krzysztof|last4=Wieczorek|first4=Edward|publisher=Eurosprinter|year=2010|isbn=978-83-931006-1-3|location=Rybnik}}</ref> A year later, on 6 August 1847, the first train arrived at the new [[Katowice historic railway station|Katowice station]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-02 |title="No limits" {{!}} The Architecture of Industrial Agglomerations {{!}} Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach |url=https://us.edu.pl/en/no-limits-architektura-aglomeracji-przemyslowych/ |access-date=2024-06-28 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The railway connection with major European cities (Katowice gained connections to [[Berlin]], [[Kraków]], [[Vienna]] and [[Warsaw]], among others, between 1847 and 1848) fostered economic and population growth. The population grew enough to erect the first [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] church on 29 September 1858 ([[Church of the Resurrection, Katowice|Church of the Resurrection]]), and the first [[Catholic Church|Catholic church]] two years later, on 11 November 1860. Katowice (then called '''Kattowitz''') gained [[Town privileges|city status]] on 11 September 1865 in the Prussian [[Province of Silesia]], by the act of the king [[William I, German Emperor|Wilhelm I Hohenzollern]].<ref name="auto" />

The city flourished due to large mineral (especially coal) deposits in the area. Extensive city growth and prosperity depended on the coal mining and steel industries, which took off during the [[Industrial Revolution]]. The city was inhabited mainly by [[Germans]], [[Polish people|Poles]] incl. [[Silesians]], and [[Jews]]. In 1884, 36 Jewish [[Zionism|Zionist]] delegates met here, forming the [[Hovevei Zion]] movement. Previously part of the Beuthen district, in 1873 it became the capital of the new [[East Upper Silesia|Kattowitz district]]. On 1 April 1899, the city was separated from the district, becoming an [[independent city]].

In 1882, the Upper Silesian Coal and Steelworks Company (''Oberschlesischer Berg- und Hüttenmännischer Verein'') moved its headquarters to Katowice, followed by creation of the Upper Silesian Coal Convention (''Oberschlesische Kohlen-Konvention'') in 1898. Civic development followed industrial development: in 1851, the first post office opens in Katowice, and in 1893 the current regional post office headquarters have been opened; in 1871 the first middle school was opened (later expanded to high school); in 1889, Katowice got a district court; in 1895, the city bath opened and regional headquarters of the [[Prussian state railways]] has been established in the city; in 1907, the city theater (currently the [[Silesian Theatre]]) opened.

[[File:Katowice - ogolny widok z placem sw. Andrzeja. 1936 (69617540) (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Katowice in the 1930s]]
Under the [[Treaty of Versailles]] after [[World War I]], the [[Upper Silesia plebiscite]] was organised by the [[League of Nations]]. Though Kattowitz proper voted 22,774 to remain in Germany and 3,900 for Poland,<ref name="Urban">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bM2kvVUpCPYC&q=urban+danzig|title=Von Krakau bis Danzig|access-date=21 March 2009|publisher=[[Thomas Urban|Urban, Thomas]]|year=2004|language=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024011628/http://books.google.de/books?id=bM2kvVUpCPYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=urban+danzig&lr=&as_brr=3&as_pt=ALLTYPES#PPA143,M1|archive-date=24 October 2012|url-status=live|isbn=9783406510823}}</ref> it was attached to Poland as the larger district voted 66,119 for Poland and 52,992 for Germany.<ref>Documents on British foreign policy, 1919–1939 Great Britain. Foreign Office, Ernest [[Llewellyn Woodward]] page 44</ref> Following the [[Silesian Uprisings]] of 1918–21 Katowice became part of the [[Second Polish Republic]] with some autonomy for the [[Silesian Parliament]] as a constituency and the Silesian Voivodeship Council as the executive body. In 1924, the surrounding villages and towns were incorporated into Katowice, and the number of inhabitants increased to over 112,000, since then the number of Poles exceeded the number of Germans – throughout the interwar period, the number of Germans decreased (in 1925 they constituted 12% of the inhabitants of Katowice, and in 1939 only 6%, while Poles constituted 93%). At the end of the interwar period, the number of inhabitants exceeded 134,000.

From 1926 to 1933, Katowice and the Polish part of Upper Silesia were connected with [[Gdynia]] and the Polish part of [[Pomerania]] through the [[Polish Coal Trunk-Line]] ({{langx|pl|Magistrala Węglowa}}).

===World War II===
During the early stages of [[World War II]] and the [[Invasion of Poland|Poland Campaign]], Katowice was essentially abandoned by the [[Polish Land Forces]], which had to position itself around [[Kraków]]. Nevertheless, the city was [[Defense of Katowice|defended by local Poles]], and the invading Germans immediately carried out [[Katowice massacre|massacres of captured Polish defenders]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Warzecha|first=Bartłomiej|year=2003|title=Niemieckie zbrodnie na powstańcach śląskich w 1939 roku|magazine=Biuletyn Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej|language=pl|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|issue=12–1 (35–36)|page=55|issn=1641-9561}}</ref> In the following weeks the German ''[[Einsatzkommando]] 1'' was stationed in the city, and its units were responsible for many [[Nazi crimes against the Polish nation|crimes against Poles]] committed in the region.<ref>Warzecha, p. 56</ref>

[[File:Katowice - Wieża spadochronowa 01.jpg|thumb|190px|[[Parachute Tower in Katowice|Parachute Tower]], one of the symbols of the Polish [[Defense of Katowice]]]]
Under [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|German occupation]] many of the city's historical and iconic monuments were destroyed, most notably the [[Great Synagogue (Katowice)|Great Katowice Synagogue]], which was burned to the ground on 4 September 1939. This was followed by the alteration of street names and the introduction of strict rules. Additionally, the use of [[Polish language|Polish]] in public conversations was banned. The German administration was also infamous for organising public executions of civilians<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Katowice/Katowice.html|title=Katowice, Poland|access-date=17 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318003331/http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Katowice/Katowice.html|archive-date=18 March 2017}}</ref> and by the middle of 1941, most of the Polish and Jewish population was [[Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany|expelled]]. The Germans established and operated a Nazi prison in the city,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=2001|title=Schweres NS-Gefängnis Kattowitz|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=5 June 2021|language=de}}</ref> and multiple [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] camps within present-day city limits, including two camps solely for Poles (''[[Polenlager]]''),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=2002|title=Polenlager Kattowitz-Eichenau|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=5 June 2021|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=2003|title=Polenlager Kattowitz-Idaweiche|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=5 June 2021|language=de}}</ref> four camps solely for Jews,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=2005|title=Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Kattowitz|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=5 June 2021|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=2004|title=Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Kattowitz-"Franzosenstraße"|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=5 June 2021|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1877|title=Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Kattowitz-Idaweiche|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=5 June 2021|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100001059|title=Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Schoppinitz|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=5 June 2021|language=de}}</ref> two subcamps (E734, E750) of the [[Stalag VIII-B]]/344 [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|prisoner-of-war camp]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lamsdorf.com/working-parties.html|title=Working Parties|website=Lamsdorf.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029103834/https://www.lamsdorf.com/working-parties.html|access-date=5 June 2021|archive-date=29 October 2020}}</ref> and a [[List of subcamps of Auschwitz|subcamp]] of the [[Auschwitz concentration camp]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://auschwitz.org/en/history/auschwitz-sub-camps/sonderkommando-kattowitz/|title=Sonderkommando Kattowitz|website=Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau|access-date=5 June 2021}}</ref> Eventually, Katowice was captured by the [[Red Army]] in January 1945. Significant parts of the downtown and inner suburbs were demolished during the occupation. As a result, the authorities were able to preserve the central district in its prewar character.

===Postwar period===
The postwar period of Katowice was characterised by the time of heavy industry development in the Upper Silesian region, which helped the city in regaining its status as the most industrialised Polish city and a major administrative centre. As the city developed so briskly, the 1950s marked a significant increase in its population and an influx of migrants from the [[Kresy|Eastern Borderlands]], the so-called ''Kresy''. The city area began to quickly expand by incorporating the neighbouring communes and counties. However, the thriving industrial city also had a dark period in its short but meaningful history. Most notably, between 7 March 1953 and 10 December 1956, Katowice was called ''Stalinogród'' in honour of [[Joseph Stalin]], leader of the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dziennikzachodni.pl/artykul/3355309,katowice-zniknely-powstal-stalinogrod-to-juz-61-lat,id,t.html|title=Katowice zniknęły. Powstał Stalinogród. To już 61 lat|first=Zygmunt|last=Woźniczka|date=6 March 2014|access-date=15 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316025329/http://www.dziennikzachodni.pl/artykul/3355309,katowice-zniknely-powstal-stalinogrod-to-juz-61-lat,id,t.html|archive-date=16 March 2017}}</ref> The change was brought upon by an issued decree of the State Council.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://historia.org.pl/2013/12/10/jak-katowice-stalinogrodem-sie-staly/|title=Jak Katowice Stalinogrodem się stały – HISTORIA.org.pl – historia, kultura, muzea, matura, rekonstrukcje i recenzje historyczne|date=10 December 2013|access-date=15 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402131142/http://historia.org.pl/2013/12/10/jak-katowice-stalinogrodem-sie-staly/|archive-date=2 April 2017}}</ref> The date of the alteration of the city name was neither a coincidence or accidental as it happened on the day of Stalin's death. In this way, the [[Polish United Workers' Party]] and the socialist authority wanted to pay tribute to the dictator. The new name [[De-Stalinization|never got accepted]] by the citizens and in 1956 the former Polish name was restored.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://niezalezna.pl/39174-jak-katowice-zamieniono-na-stalinogrod|title=Jak Katowice zamieniono na Stalinogród|access-date=15 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316025051/http://niezalezna.pl/39174-jak-katowice-zamieniono-na-stalinogrod|archive-date=16 March 2017}}</ref>

The following decades were more memorable in the history of Katowice. Regardless of its industrial significance, it started to become an important cultural and educational centre in Central and Eastern Europe. In 1968, the [[University of Silesia in Katowice]], the largest and most valued college in the area, was founded. Simultaneously the construction of large housing estates began to evolve. Furthermore, many representative structures were erected at that time, including the [[Silesian Insurgents' Monument]] (1967) and [[Spodek]] (1971), which have become familiar landmarks and tourist sights. The 1960s and 1970s saw the evolution of [[Modern architecture|modernist architecture]] and [[Functionalism (architecture)|functionalism]]. Katowice eventually developed into one of the most modernist post-war cities of Poland.[[File:MOs810 WG 23 2016 (Zaglebiowskie Zakamarki) (Katowice, 3 Maja).jpg|thumb|[[3 Maja Street, Katowice|3 Maja Street]] is one of the main promenades in the city]]

One of the most dramatic events in the history of the city occurred on 16 December 1981. It was then that 9 protesters died (7 were shot dead; 2 died from injury complications) and another 21 were [[Pacification of Wujek|wounded in the pacification of Wujek Coal Mine]]. The [[Milicja Obywatelska|Special Platoon of the Motorized Reserves of the Citizens' Militia]] (''ZOMO'') was responsible for the brutal handling of strikers protesting against [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]]'s declaration of [[Martial law in Poland|martial law]] and the arrest of [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity trade union]] officials. On the 10th anniversary of the event, a memorial was unveiled by the President of Poland [[Lech Wałęsa]].

In 1990, the first democratic local elections that took place marked a new period in the city's history. The economy of Katowice has been transforming from the heavy industry of steel and coal mines into "one of the most attractive investment areas for modern economy branches in Central Europe".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.silesia-online.com/89,Stalinogrod_-_Post-War_History_.htm|title=Katowice Online – Stalinogrod – Post-War History of Katowice|first=Wirtualny Turysta|last=www.wirtualnyturysta.com|access-date=15 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316113211/http://www.silesia-online.com/89,Stalinogrod_-_Post-War_History_.htm|archive-date=16 March 2017}}</ref>

===21st century===
In 2008, Katowice was awarded the [[Europe Prize]] by the [[Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe|Parliamentary Assembly]] of the [[Council of Europe]] for having made exceptional efforts to spread the ideal of European unity.<ref>[http://website-pace.net/web/apce/the-europe-prize The Europe Prize]</ref>

The city's efficient infrastructure, rapid progress in the overall development and an increase in office space has made Katowice a popular venue for conducting business. The Katowice Expo Centre (''Katowickie Centrum Wystawiennicze'') organises trade fairs or exhibitions and attracts investors from all over the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.poland.travel/en-gb/cities/katowice-the-capital-city-of-upper-silesia|title=Katowice – the capital city of Upper Silesia|first=Agata|last=Witosławska|access-date=15 March 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828191708/https://www.poland.travel/en-gb/cities/katowice-the-capital-city-of-upper-silesia|archive-date=28 August 2017}}</ref> In 2018, the city was the host of the 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the [[United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change]] (UNFCCC [[2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference|COP24]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cop24.gov.pl/|title=COP24|website=cop24.gov.pl|archive-date=28 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428180844/http://www.cop24.gov.pl/|access-date=2 July 2022}}</ref> In 2022, the city hosted the 11th edition of the [[World Urban Forum]], the world's most important conference on sustainable urbanization and development of cities.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.ifla.org/events/world-urban-forum-2022/ |title=World Urban Forum 2022 |access-date=2 July 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Katowice 05.15 MCK 2.JPG|thumb|Katowice [[International Congress Centre in Katowice|International Conference Centre]], built in 2015]]

==Geography==
Katowice encompasses an area of {{Convert|164.67|km2|sqmi}}. The city is situated in the [[Silesian Highlands]], about {{convert|50|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of the [[Silesian Beskids]] (part of the [[Carpathian Mountains]]). [[Kłodnica]] and [[Rawa river|Rawa]] (tributaries of the [[Oder]] and the [[Vistula]] respectively) are the largest rivers in Katowice, and the border between catchment areas of Oder and Vistula goes through the city. With a minimal elevation of {{Convert|245|m|ft}} and median elevation of {{Convert|266|m|ft}} above sea level, Katowice has the highest elevation among large cities in Poland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Współrzędne geograficzne Katowic. Szerokość, długość i wysokość nad poziomem morza Katowic, Polska |url=https://dateandtime.info/pl/citycoordinates.php?id=3096472# |access-date=2022-08-08 |website=dateandtime.info}}</ref>

===Climate===
Katowice has a temperate, ocean-moderated [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Dfb/Cfb''). The average temperature is 8.2 °Celsius ({{convert|−2.0|°C|1|disp=or}} in January and up to {{convert|17.9|°C|1|disp=or}} in July). Yearly rainfall averages at {{convert|652.8|mm|in|2|disp=or}}. Characteristic weak winds blow at about {{convert|2|m/s|mph km/h knots}} from the southwest, through the [[Moravian Gate]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wiki.ifmsa.org/scope/index.php?title=Katowice|title=Katowice – IFMSA SCOPE Wiki|access-date=16 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316205329/http://wiki.ifmsa.org/scope/index.php?title=Katowice|archive-date=16 March 2017}}</ref>

{{Weather box
| width = auto
| location = Katowice (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| Jan record high C = 16.0
| Feb record high C = 18.8
| Mar record high C = 22.8
| Apr record high C = 29.5
| May record high C = 32.2
| Jun record high C = 34.6
| Jul record high C = 35.7
| Aug record high C = 37.2
| Sep record high C = 34.4
| Oct record high C = 26.6
| Nov record high C = 20.9
| Dec record high C = 18.2
| year record high C = 37.2
| Jan high C = 1.8
| Feb high C = 3.7
| Mar high C = 8.2
| Apr high C = 14.9
| May high C = 19.6
| Jun high C = 22.9
| Jul high C = 24.9
| Aug high C = 24.6
| Sep high C = 19.2
| Oct high C = 13.7
| Nov high C = 7.8
| Dec high C = 2.7
| year high C = 13.7
| Jan mean C = −1.6
| Feb mean C = 0.1
| Mar mean C = 3.6
| Apr mean C = 9.3
| May mean C = 13.8
| Jun mean C = 17.3
| Jul mean C = 19.1
| Aug mean C = 18.6
| Sep mean C = 13.7
| Oct mean C = 8.9
| Nov mean C = 4.2
| Dec mean C = 0.0
| year mean C = 9.0
| Jan low C = −4.3
| Feb low C = −3.4
| Mar low C = -0.7
| Apr low C = 3.5
| May low C = 8.0
| Jun low C = 11.7
| Jul low C = 13.4
| Aug low C = 12.9
| Sep low C = 8.9
| Oct low C = 4.6
| Nov low C = 0.9
| Dec low C = −2.9
| year low C = 4.4
| Jan record low C = −27.4
| Feb record low C = −30.0
| Mar record low C = −20.8
| Apr record low C = −8.2
| May record low C = −3.4
| Jun record low C = −0.3
| Jul record low C = 4.8
| Aug record low C = 3.1
| Sep record low C = −3.4
| Oct record low C = −8.0
| Nov record low C = −16.3
| Dec record low C = −24.4
| year record low C = −30.0
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 43.8
| Feb precipitation mm = 39.4
| Mar precipitation mm = 47.7
| Apr precipitation mm = 44.9
| May precipitation mm = 75.7
| Jun precipitation mm = 78.7
| Jul precipitation mm = 103.8
| Aug precipitation mm = 73.1
| Sep precipitation mm = 69.9
| Oct precipitation mm = 53.4
| Nov precipitation mm = 49.0
| Dec precipitation mm = 43.8
| year precipitation mm = 723.2
| Jan snow depth cm = 9.1
| Feb snow depth cm = 8.2
| Mar snow depth cm = 5.0
| Apr snow depth cm = 2.3
| May snow depth cm = 0.0
| Jun snow depth cm = 0.0
| Jul snow depth cm = 0.0
| Aug snow depth cm = 0.0
| Sep snow depth cm = 0.0
| Oct snow depth cm = 0.3
| Nov snow depth cm = 3.0
| Dec snow depth cm = 4.9
| year snow depth cm = 
| unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 17.50
| Feb precipitation days = 15.97
| Mar precipitation days = 14.77
| Apr precipitation days = 12.00
| May precipitation days = 14.73
| Jun precipitation days = 14.30
| Jul precipitation days = 14.83
| Aug precipitation days = 12.23
| Sep precipitation days = 12.37
| Oct precipitation days = 14.07
| Nov precipitation days = 14.23
| Dec precipitation days = 16.43
| year precipitation days = 173.44
| unit snow days = 0 cm
| Jan snow days = 17.7
| Feb snow days = 15.2
| Mar snow days = 6.1
| Apr snow days = 1.4
| May snow days = 0.0
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.2
| Nov snow days = 4.4
| Dec snow days = 13.1
| year snow days = 58.1
| Jan humidity = 84.6
| Feb humidity = 80.5
| Mar humidity = 74.1
| Apr humidity = 66.5
| May humidity = 69.8
| Jun humidity = 70.8
| Jul humidity = 71.8
| Aug humidity = 73.4
| Sep humidity = 79.6
| Oct humidity = 83.0
| Nov humidity = 85.9
| Dec humidity = 86.3
| year humidity = 77.2
| Jan sun = 50.7
| Feb sun = 70.6
| Mar sun = 122.6
| Apr sun = 182.7
| May sun = 223.7
| Jun sun = 230.6
| Jul sun = 246.8
| Aug sun = 241.3
| Sep sun = 162.6
| Oct sun = 114.5
| Nov sun = 61.3
| Dec sun = 43.0
| year sun = 1750.3
| source 1 = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management<ref name=IMGWtavg>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211203115527/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TSR_AVE
| archive-date = 3 December 2021
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TSR_AVE
| title = Średnia dobowa temperatura powietrza
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991–2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 20 January 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWtmin>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115043924/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TMIN_AVE
| archive-date = 15 January 2022
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TMIN_AVE
| title = Średnia minimalna temperatura powietrza
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991–2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 20 January 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWtmax>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115044916/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TMAX_AVE
| archive-date = 15 January 2022
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TMAX_AVE
| title = Średnia maksymalna temperatura powietrza
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991–2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 20 January 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWprecip>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220109045820/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/OPAD_SUMA
| archive-date = 9 January 2022
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/OPAD_SUMA
| title = Miesięczna suma opadu
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991–2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 20 January 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWprecipdays>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115051112/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/OPAD_01
| archive-date = 15 January 2022
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/OPAD_01
| title = Liczba dni z opadem ≥ 0,1 mm
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991–2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 20 January 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWsnowdepth>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115054936/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/SNIEG_SR_GRUB
| archive-date = 15 January 2022
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/SNIEG_SR_GRUB
| title = Średnia grubość pokrywy śnieżnej
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991–2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 20 January 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWsnowdays>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220121044246/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/SNIEG_0
| archive-date = 21 January 2022
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/SNIEG_0
| title = Liczba dni z pokrywą śnieżna > 0 cm
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991–2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 20 January 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWsun>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115055331/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/USL
| archive-date = 15 January 2022
| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/USL
| title = Średnia suma usłonecznienia (h)
| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991–2020
| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management 
| language = pl
| access-date = 20 January 2022}}</ref>
| source 2 = Meteomodel.pl (records, relative humidity 1991–2020)<ref name=recordhigh>
{{cite web
| url = https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne/?imgwid=350190560&par=tmax&max_empty=3
| title = Katowice Absolutna temperatura maksymalna
| date = 6 April 2018
| publisher = Meteomodel.pl
| language = pl
| access-date = 23 March 2023}}</ref><ref name=recordlow>
{{cite web
| url = https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne/?imgwid=350190560&par=tmin&max_empty=3
| title = Katowice Absolutna temperatura minimalna
| date = 6 April 2018
| publisher = Meteomodel.pl
| language = pl
| access-date = 20 January 2022}}</ref><ref name=relativehumidity>
{{cite web
| url = https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne/?imgwid=350190560&par=rh&max_empty=3
| title = Katowice Średnia wilgotność
| date = 6 April 2018
| publisher = Meteomodel.pl
| language = pl
| access-date = 20 January 2022}}</ref>
| source = 
}}

===Neighborhoods===
[[File:Katowice jednostki pomocnicze.png|right|300px|Map of Katowice, showing its 5 districts and 22 neighbourhoods.]]Katowice has 22 officially recognized neighborhoods. [[Śródmieście, Katowice|Śródmieście]], [[Osiedle Paderewskiego-Muchowiec]], [[Zawodzie, Katowice|Zawodzie]] and [[Koszutka]] form the dense central urban core where most cultural and educational institutions, businesses and administrative buildings are located.

Most Northern and Eastern neighborhoods around the downtown core are more working-class and developed from worker's estates build around large industry such as coal mines, manufactures and steelworks. Each of these neighborhoods has its own dense commercial strip surrounded by mid-rise apartment buildings and some single-family homes. [[Szopienice-Burowiec|Szopienice]], located between downtown Katowice and Mysłowice, used to be a separate town until mid-1960s. [[Nikiszowiec]], a former mine's town, has undergone strong [[gentrification]] in recent years, and emerged as a major tourist attraction in the region thanks to its unique architecture and art galleries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nikiszowiec |url=https://www.inyourpocket.com/katowice/Nikiszowiec-and-Giszowiec_71613f |access-date=2022-08-08 |website=www.inyourpocket.com |language=en}}</ref>

Western and Southern neighborhoods (with the exception of Brynów-Załęska Hałda, which is a working-class neighborhood built around a coal mine) are more suburban in nature, concentrating the city's middle and upper middle classes. 
{|
| width="40%" valign="top" |
;I. Central District
*1. [[Śródmieście, Katowice|Śródmieście]]
*4. [[Muchowiec|Osiedle Paderewskiego-Muchowiec]]
*12. [[Koszutka]]
*13. [[Bogucice]]
; II. Northern District
*7. [[Załęże]]
*8. [[Osiedle Witosa]]
*9. [[Osiedle Tysiąclecia]]
*10. [[Dąb]]
*11. [[Wełnowiec]]-Józefowiec
; III. Western District
*2. [[Załęska Hałda-Brynów|Brynów-Załęska Hałda]]
*5. [[Brynów-Osiedle Zgrzebnioka]]
*6. [[Ligota-Panewniki]]
| width="40%" valign="top" |
; IV. Eastern District
*3. [[Zawodzie]]
*14. [[Dąbrówka Mała]]
*15. [[Szopienice]]-Burowiec
*16. [[Janów-Nikiszowiec]]
*17. [[Giszowiec]]
;V. Southern District
*18. [[Murcki]]
*19. [[Piotrowice-Ochojec]]
*20. [[Zarzecze, Katowice|Zarzecze]]
*21. [[Kostuchna]]
*22. [[Podlesie, Katowice|Podlesie]]
|}

===Metropolitan area===
Katowice lies in the centre of [[Katowice urban area|the largest conurbation]] in Poland, [[List of urban areas in the European Union|one of the largest in the European Union]], numbering about 2.7&nbsp;million. The [[Katowice metropolitan area]] consists of about 40 adjacent cities and towns, the whole [[Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area]] (mostly within the [[Upper Silesian Coal Basin]]) over 50 cities or towns and a population of 5,008,000. In 2006, Katowice and 14 adjacent cities united as the Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia (predecessor to the current [[Metropolis GZM]]). Its population was 2 million and its area was {{convert|1104|km2|abbr=on}}. In 2006–2007 the union planned to unite these cities in one city under the name "Silesia", but this proved unsuccessful.<ref>{{in lang|pl}} [http://www.dziennik.pl/Default.aspx?TabId=14&ShowArticleId=24596 dziennik.pl – "17 śląskich miast chce się połączyć w Silesię", 11 December 2006] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930031513/http://www.dziennik.pl/Default.aspx?TabId=14&ShowArticleId=24596 |date=30 September 2007 }}</ref>

{{Adjacent communities|width=auto|state=expanded
| Centre = Katowice
| N = [[Siemianowice Śląskie]]
| NE = [[Czeladź]]<br>[[Sosnowiec]]
| E = [[Mysłowice]]
| SE = [[Lędziny]]
| S = [[Tychy]]
| SW = [[Mikołów]]
| W = [[Ruda Śląska]]
| NW = [[Chorzów]]
}}

The Katowice conurbation comprises settlements which have evolved because of the mining of metal ores, coal and raw rock materials.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Post-industrial Cultural Heritage Sites in the Katowice conurbation, Poland|journal=Environmental & Socio-Economic Studies|first=Marzena|last=Lamparska|date=1 June 2013|volume=1|issue=2|pages=36–42|doi=10.1515/environ-2015-0011|doi-access=free|bibcode=2013ESES....1b..36L }}</ref> The establishment of mining and heavy industry which have developed for the past centuries has resulted in the unique character of the cityscape; its typical aspects are the [[Architecture of Poland|red brick housing estates]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.staypoland.com/about_katowice.htm|title=Katowice – Tourism – Tourist Information – Katowice, Poland -|first=StayPoland Sp. z|last=o.o.|access-date=16 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316205004/http://www.staypoland.com/about_katowice.htm|archive-date=16 March 2017}}</ref> constructed for the poorer working class, factory chimneys, manufacturing plants, power stations and [[quarry|quarries]]. The inhabitants of a large mining community like Katowice, and local administrations within the conurbation, which have only evolved due to mining, are a subject to overall decline after the liquidation of coal mines and factories. This is one of the reasons which led to the development of the service sector, including office spaces, shopping centres and tourism.

[[File:Górnośląski Związek Metropolitalny.svg|right|450px|Map of the Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia, with Katowice highlighted near its centre.]]

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- align=center
!District||Population<ref name="auto3">{{cite web|url=http://demografia.stat.gov.pl/bazademografia/Tables.aspx|title=GUS – Baza Demografia: Wyniki badań bieżących: Stan i struktura ludności: Ludność: 2017: Ludność stan w dniu 30 VI: Ludność według płci i miast: Śląskie|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20141015142423/http://demografia.stat.gov.pl/bazademografia/Tables.aspx|archive-date=15 October 2014}}</ref> (30 June 2017) ||Area (km<sup>2</sup>)||Density (km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
| Katowice||297,197||164.67||1,896
|-
| [[Sosnowiec]]||204,958||91.06||2,444
|-
| [[Gliwice]]||181,715||133.88||1,474
|-
| [[Zabrze]]||175,016||80.40||2,352
|-
| [[Bytom]]||168,968||69.44||2,661
|-
| [[Ruda Śląska]]||138,754||77.73||1,860
|-
| [[Tychy]]||128,191||81.64||1,590
|-
| [[Dąbrowa Górnicza]]||121,387||188.73||682
|-
| [[Chorzów]]||109,151||33.24||3,420
|-
| [[Jaworzno]]||92,215||152.67||626
|-
| [[Mysłowice]]||74,600||65.75||1,139
|-
| [[Siemianowice Śląskie]]||67,710||25.5||2,809
|-
| [[Piekary Śląskie]]||55,820||39.98||1,477
|-
| [[Świętochłowice]]||50,529||13.31||4,097
|}

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
| 1825|675|1845|1326|1861|3780|1875|11000|1890|16513|1910|43173|1923|56739|1931|127044|1938|132894|1945|107735|1950|175496|1960|269926|1970|305000|1978|348538|1988|367014|2002|327222|2011|310764|2021|285711|footnote=source<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.polskawliczbach.pl/Katowice | title=Katowice (śląskie) » mapy, nieruchomości, GUS, noclegi, szkoły, regon, atrakcje, kody pocztowe, wypadki drogowe, bezrobocie, wynagrodzenie, zarobki, tabele, edukacja, demografia }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Demographic and occupational structure and housing conditions of the urban population in 1978-1988|url=https://statlibr.stat.gov.pl/exlibris/aleph/a22_1/apache_media/RQ1U9XAX48KJJDQ54QSAFQKQ6AK6GS.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Statistics Poland - National Censuses|url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/dane/podgrup/temat/}}</ref>}}

The [[Statistics Poland|Polish Statistical Office]] estimates Katowice's population to be 292,774 {{as of|2020|12|31|lc=y|post=,}} with a population density of {{convert|1,778|PD/km2|PD/sqmi}}. There were 139,274 males and 153,500 females. Age breakdown of people in Katowice is: 12.9% 0–14 years old, 13.7% 15–29 years old, 23.8% 30–44 years old, 19.5% 45–59 years old, 20.1% 60–74 years old, and 9.9% 75 years and older.

Katowice is a centre of the [[Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area]], with a population of approx. 5.3 million. This metropolitan area extends into the neighboring [[Czech Republic|Czechia]], where the other centre is the city of [[Ostrava]]. 41 municipalities that constitute the core of the metropolitan area created the [[Metropolis GZM]] association, which has 2.3 million people {{as of|2019|lc=y|post=.}}

===Historical population===
Katowice's population grew very fast between 1845 and 1960, fueled by the expansion of heavy industry and administrative functions. In the 60s, 70s and 80s, the city grew by another 100,000 people, reaching a height of 368,621 in 1988. Since then, the decline of heavy industry, emigration, and [[suburbanization]] reversed the population development; Katowice lost approx. 75,000 people (20%) since the fall of communism in Poland.

Before World War II, Katowice was mainly inhabited by Poles and Germans. The 1905 Silesian demographic census has shown that Germans made up nearly 70–75% of the total population (including German Jews) and Poles constituted 25–30% of inhabitants of Katowice. After the plebiscite in Upper Silesia, [[Silesian uprisings]] and the incorporation of Katowice into Poland in 1922, and then the incorporation of several nearby villages and towns into the city, the number of inhabitants of Katowice increased significantly, but the number of Germans in Katowice fell to 12% in 1925 and to 6% in 1939 (most Germans left Poland, many ethnic Silesians who used to identify as Germans switched their identification to Poles, and areas with a Polish majority were incorporated). Thus, in 1939 the ethnic breakdown of the city was: 93% Poles, 6% Germans, and 1% Jews.

After the German aggression against Poland in 1939, some Poles were [[Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany|displaced]] from Katowice and Germans were settled in their place. During the war, the Nazi occupiers committed severe crimes against the local [[Holocaust|Roma and Jewish communities]], either killing them on the spot or transporting them to [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camps]] such as [[Auschwitz]] for complete extermination.<ref>{{cite web |title=Holocaust – oshpitzin.pl |url=http://oshpitzin.pl/holocaust/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316210702/http://oshpitzin.pl/holocaust/ |archive-date=16 March 2017 |access-date=16 March 2017}}</ref> This led to a wartime population drop. In 1945, practically the entire German minority has either left fleeing the Red Army or was forced to leave after Poland regained control of the city, and Poles from [[Kresy]] (Eastern Borderlands of interwar Poland that were annexed by USSR after the war) and other parts of the country started to come to settle in the city. Katowice enjoyed a population boom after World War II, driven primarily by internal economic migration from less developed parts of the country.

Since the late 1960s, Katowice and the surrounding area experiences low birth rates, which, paired with the decline of heavy industry and reduced job opportunities, caused the population of Katowice to start decreasing in the late 1980s. As of recent years, increased economic activity in the area has stopped outward migration but the negative natural change (more deaths than births) continues to fuel population decline.

===Ethnic diversity===
Katowice is one of the more diverse cities in Poland. In the 2021 census, 93.87% of inhabitants declared a Polish nationality while 19.38% declared a nationality other than Polish (in the Polish census, respondents are allowed to declare up to two nationalities or ethnicities). Indigenous Silesians were the largest minority, at 17.8%, followed by Germans (0.43%), Ukrainians (0.18%), the English (0.12%), Jews (0.07%) and Italians (0.07%).<ref>{{Cite web |last=GUS |title=Tablice z ostatecznymi danymi w zakresie przynależności narodowo-etnicznej, języka używanego w domu oraz przynależności do wyznania religijnego |url=https://stat.gov.pl/spisy-powszechne/nsp-2021/nsp-2021-wyniki-ostateczne/tablice-z-ostatecznymi-danymi-w-zakresie-przynaleznosci-narodowo-etnicznej-jezyka-uzywanego-w-domu-oraz-przynaleznosci-do-wyznania-religijnego,10,1.html |access-date=2024-03-02 |website=stat.gov.pl |language=pl}}</ref>

In addition, Katowice is home to a large immigrant population that is largely unaccounted for in the official population data in Poland.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-21 |title=Kilkumilionowa wyrwa demograficzna. Polaków jest 36 mln czy 39 mln? [RAPORT] |url=https://www.gazetaprawna.pl/wiadomosci/kraj/artykuly/8737727,ile-ludnosci-liczy-polska-2023.html |access-date=2024-03-02 |website=www.gazetaprawna.pl |language=pl}}</ref> According to the Polish Ministry of Development, Labor and Technology, there have been 20,527 foreigners (7% of official population figure) on a special worker permit for citizens of [[Belarus]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Moldova]], [[Russia]], [[Serbia]] and [[Ukraine]] in Katowice in 2020, 19,003 of them from Ukraine. By the end of 2021, this number has increased to 26,990, with 23,207 of them from Ukraine.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wortal Publicznych Służb Zatrudnienia prowadzony przez Ministerstwo Rozwoju, Pracy i Technologii – aktualna strona : Statystyka|url=https://psz.praca.gov.pl/web/urzad-pracy/-/8180211-oswiadczenia-o-powierzeniu-wykonywania-pracy-cudzoziemcowi-wpisane-do-ewidencji-oswiadczen-obowiazujace-od-2018-r-|access-date=2021-02-06|website=psz.praca.gov.pl}}</ref> Additionally, {{as of|2022|06|lc=y|post=,}} 11,568 [[2022 Ukrainian refugee crisis|refugees]] settled in Katowice since the start of the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion on Ukraine]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Otwarte Dane |url=https://dane.gov.pl/pl/dataset/2715,zarejestrowane-wnioski-o-nadanie-statusu-ukr |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=dane.gov.pl}}</ref> By the December 2024, the number has increased to 11,894.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Otwarte Dane |url=https://dane.gov.pl/pl/dataset/2715,zarejestrowane-wnioski-o-nadanie-statusu-ukr/resource/62802/table |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=dane.gov.pl}}</ref>

===Socioeconomics===
According to the 2021 census, 32.3% of the population aged 13 and older had a college degree, 34.3% had a high school diploma or some college, 17.9% completed a vocational secondary school, 2.4% only completed a gimnazjum, 8.4% only completed a primary school while 2.1% did not complete primary school. In 2011, in the 25–34 age group, college graduates share is 44.9%, and an additional 31.8% has a high school degree. According to [[Eurostat]] data, Katowice and its surrounding [[Silesian Voivodeship|Silesian region]] had one of the highest share of people who have attained at least an upper secondary level of education (more than 90%), and one of the lowest share of school dropouts in Europe (less than 5%).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Education and training statistics at regional level – Statistics Explained|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Education_and_training_statistics_at_regional_level#Educational_attainment|access-date=2021-02-06|website=ec.europa.eu}}</ref>

There were 120,869 households in Katowice as of the 2021 census, a drop from 134,199 in the 2011 census. Average household size was 2.33, virtually unchanged from the 2.3 reported in the previous census. 32.4% households were single-person households, 31.2% had two people, 18.5% had three people, 11.5% had four people and 6.4% had five people or more. Compared to the 2011 census, the largest difference was an increase in households with 5 and more people (from 4.9%).

As of 2022, Katowice placed third in the country among cities with the highest average salaries, at PLN 8,017.49, behind Warsaw and Kraków.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 4, 2023 |title=Wages and Salaries and Social Security Benefits. Wages and Salaries. Average monthly gross wages and salaries. |url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/dane/podgrup/tablica |access-date=August 4, 2023 |website=Statistics Poland}}</ref> Poverty rate places Katowice on average with other big cities in Poland, at 4.09% of inhabitants eligible for welfare benefits {{as of|2019|lc=y|post=.}}

===Religion===
[[Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]] is the main religion in Katowice; {{as of|pre=the|2021|lc=y}} Polish census, 60.52% (172,915 people) of Katowice residents declared to be Roman Catholic, representing a significant drop from the 2011 census when Roman Catholics were 82.43% of the population.

No other denomination had at least 1,000 followers as of the 2021 census. In the 2011 census, denominations with at least 1,000 worshippers included the [[Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland|Lutheran Church in Poland]] – 0.43% (1,336 people) and [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] – 0.42% (1,311 people). Other religions with presence and places of worship in the city include [[Judaism]], [[Islam]], and [[Buddhism]], as well as other [[Protestantism|Protestant]] denominations.

====Christianity====
[[File:At Katowice 2024 139.jpg|thumb|[[Cathedral of Christ the King, Katowice|Cathedral of Christ the King]], seat of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Katowice]]]]
Katowice is the seat of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Katowice|Roman Catholic Archdiocese]], with the suffragan bishoprics of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Gliwice|Gliwice]] and [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Opole|Opole]], and around 1,477,900 Catholics. The [[Cathedral of Christ the King, Katowice|Cathedral of Christ the King]], constructed between 1927 and 1955 in a classicist style, is the largest cathedral in Poland. There are 36 [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[Church (building)|churches]] in Katowice (including two [[Basilicas in the Catholic Church|basilicas]]), as well as 18 [[Monastery|monasteries]]. Katowice is also a seat of a diocesan Catholic seminary, as well as one of the [[Order of Friars Minor]]. Katowice Archdiocese owns several media companies headquartered in Katowice: ''Księgarnia św. Jacka'', a Catholic publishing company, and ''Instytut Gość Media'', a multi-channeled media company that owns ''Radio eM'', a regional Catholic radio, and a few magazines. [[Gość Niedzielny]], owned by ''Instytut Gość Media'' and published in Katowice, is currently the most-popular Catholic magazine in the country with approx. 120,000 copies sold weekly.
[[File:Katowice - Kościół ewangelicko-augsburski - front.JPG|thumb|Lutheran Cathedral of the Resurrection]]
Katowice is also the seat of a [[Lutheran Diocese of Katowice|Lutheran Diocese]] which covers [[Upper Silesia]], [[Lesser Poland]] and [[Podkarpackie Voivodeship|Subcarpathian region]] and has 12,934 adherents {{as of|2019|lc=y|post=.}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last=|first=|title=Rocznik Statystyczny Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej|journal=Rocznik Statystyczny Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej = Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Poland|publisher=Zakład Wydawnictw Statystycznych|year=2020|issn=1506-0632|location=Warszawa|pages=202}}</ref> Lutherans have two churches in Katowice, including a cathedral, which is the oldest church built originally in Katowice, completed on 29 September 1858. Historically, Lutheran population in Katowice was mostly [[Germans|German]], and with the expulsion of Germans from Poland after the Second World War, number of Lutherans dropped in Katowice.

Other denominations with churches or praying houses in Katowice include [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh Day Adventists]], [[Baptists]], Christ Church in Poland, [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostals]] and other [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] and Protestant groups.

====Judaism====
[[File:Katowice Synagoge.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Great Synagogue, Katowice|Great Synagogue]] was destroyed by the [[Nazi Germany|German Nazis]] during the [[invasion of Poland]] on 4 September 1939]]
Judaism has historically been present in Katowice since at least 1702.<ref name="sztetl.org.pl">{{Cite web|title=Historia społeczności {{!}} Wirtualny Sztetl|url=https://sztetl.org.pl/pl/miejscowosci/k/398-katowice/99-historia-spolecznosci/137450-historia-spolecznosci|access-date=2021-02-12|website=sztetl.org.pl}}</ref> First [[synagogue]], designed by a local architect Ignatz Grünfeld, was consecrated on 4 September 1862, while the Jewish cemetery was established in 1868. Dr. Jacob Cohn was the first [[rabbi]] of Katowice, appointed to this function on 6 January 1872 and holding it until 1920s. [[Zionism]] was strong in Katowice, and in 1884 the city was the place of the [[Katowice Conference]], the first public Zionist meeting in history. On 12 September 1900, the [[Great Synagogue (Katowice)|Great Synagogue]] was opened.

Following World War I and subsequent creation of the [[Second Polish Republic|Polish state]], most Katowice Jews, who identified with Germany, left the city and settled primarily in [[Bytom]], a nearby city that was still part of Germany. They were partially replaced by Jews moving from the East, particularly the neighboring [[Dąbrowa Basin]] region that had a large Jewish population. In 1931, 60% of 5,716 Jews in Katowice were recent immigrants from other parts of Poland.<ref name="sztetl.org.pl"/> On 1 September 1939, Poland was attacked by [[Nazi Germany]], and Katowice, a border city, surrendered on 3 September. The Great Synagogue was burned by the German army the same day, and in the following months, Katowice Jews were deported to [[Nazi ghettos|ghettos]] in Dąbrowa Basin (primarily [[Sosnowiec Ghetto|Sosnowiec]] and [[Będzin Ghetto|Będzin]]) or directly to various [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration]] and [[Extermination camp|death camps]] where most of them were murdered in [[the Holocaust]]. After the war, around 1,500 Jews were living in Katowice, but most of them left Poland and emigrated to the [[United States]] and other Western countries.

Currently, Katowice has one [[Qahal]] with approximately 200 members. It owns houses of prayer in Katowice (along with a [[Kosher foods|kosher]] cafeteria) and nearby Gliwice, and the current rabbi is Yehoshua Ellis.

====Other religions====
There are two buddhist groups in Katowice: [[Kwan Um School of Zen]], first registered in 1982, and the Diamond Road of Karma Kagyu line association. Jehovah's Witnesses maintain 13 houses of prayer and one [[Kingdom Hall]] in Katowice. Aside from Polish-language congregations, there is one for [[English language|English]] speakers and one for [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] speakers.

==Architecture and urban design==
{{multiple image
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| width1            = 207
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| image1            = 2023-07 Katowice ul. Dworcowa 5.jpg
| caption1          = [[Neo-Renaissance architecture|Neo-Renaissance]] [[Monopol Hotel, Katowice|Monopol Hotel]] opened in 1902
| image2            = Katowice-Śródmieście N - ul. Mariacka (5).jpg
| caption2          = [[Neo-Gothic]] [[St. Mary's Church, Katowice|St. Mary's Church]] from the 19th century
}}

=== Late 19th/early 20th century ===
Unlike most other large Polish cities, Katowice did not originate as a medieval town, therefore it does not have an old town with a street layout and architectural styles characteristic to cities founded on [[Magdeburg rights]]. Katowice's urban layout is a result of expansion and annexation of various towns, industrial worker estates, and villages.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Szczypka-Gwiazda |first=Barbara |title=Urbanistyka, architektura, sztuka i nurty życia artystycznego. W: Katowice. Środowisko, dzieje, kultura, język i społeczeństwo. |publisher=Muzeum Historii Katowic |year=2012 |isbn=978-83-87727-29-1 |location=Katowice |pages=13–94}}</ref>

Katowice city centre has an axis design, along the main railway line, developed by an industrialist Friedrich Grundman in mid-19th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Adamczyk|first=S.|title=Katowice – Informator|publisher=Urząd Miasta w Katowicach|year=1993|isbn=|location=Katowice|pages=11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Szaraniec|first=Lech|title=Górny Śląsk – Przewodnik|publisher=Muza|year=1997|isbn=83-7079-875-6|location=Warszawa|pages=55}}</ref> Most of the city centre in Katowice developed in late 19th and early 20th century, when it was part of the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] and had a German-speaking majority. As a result, architectural styles of that era are similar to those in other Prussian cities such as [[Berlin]] or [[Wrocław]] (then Breslau); primarily [[Renaissance Revival architecture|renaissance revival]] and [[Baroque Revival architecture|baroque revival]], with some buildings in [[Gothic Revival architecture|gothic revival]], [[Romanesque Revival architecture|romanesque revival]], and [[Art Nouveau|art nouveau]] styles.<ref name=":0" />

=== Interwar architecture ===
{{multiple image
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| caption_align = center
| perrow = 2
| total_width = 427
| image1 = Kattowitz - Panorama 4.jpg
| image2 = Katowice - Gmach Sejmu Śląskiego 01.jpg
| caption1 = Interwar panorama of Katowice with ''Drapacz Chmur'' visible in centre
| caption2 = [[Silesian Parliament]]
}}

In 1922, Katowice and the eastern portion of Upper Silesia were reintegrated with reborn Poland, and an [[Silesian Voivodeship (1920–1939)|autonomous Silesian Voivodeship]] was established, with Katowice as its capital. This event has marked the beginning of a period of unprecedented architectural development in the city. Since most traditional styles, especially [[Gothic architecture|gothic]] and gothic revival, were perceived as connected to imperial Germany by the new Polish authorities, all new development was to be built in, at first in the [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]], and later in [[Functionalism (architecture)|functionalist]]/[[Bauhaus]] style.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Syska|first1=Anna|title=Styl gotycki wyklucza się. Międzywojenna architektura w województwie śląskim|last2=Kiełkowski|first2=Tomasz|publisher=Śląskie Centrum Dziedzictwa Kulturowego w Katowicach|year=2015|isbn=9788385871699|location=Katowice|pages=}}</ref> The city, which needed to build administrative buildings for the new authorities and housing for people working in regional administration, began expansion southward creating one of the largest complexes of modern architecture in Poland, comparable to Warsaw and [[Gdynia]] (newly built port on the [[Baltic Sea]]) only.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Bożek|first=Gabriela |display-authors=etal |title=Wojewódzki program opieki nad zabytkami w województwie śląskim na lata 2010–2013|publisher=Śląskie Centrum Dziedzictwa Kulturowego w Katowicach|year=2010|isbn=|location=Katowice|pages=79}}</ref>

The modernist district is centered around the monumental [[Silesian Parliament]] building (1923–1929), which architecture is mostly neoclassical, albeit with early modernist influences. During World War II, the building became headquarters of the [[Province of Upper Silesia|Reichsgau Oberschlesien]] and part of the interior was redesigned by [[Albert Speer]], [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]'s favorite architect, to resemble the interior of the [[Reich Chancellery]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sejm Śląski, czyli budynek Śląskiego Urzędu Wojewódzkiego w Katowicach – monumentalne arcydzieło modernizmu – Bryła|url=https://www.bryla.pl/bryla/1,85301,6677160,BRYLAnty_polskiej_moderny___parlament_w____Katowicach.html|access-date=2021-02-12|website=www.bryla.pl|language=pl}}</ref> The nearby [[Cathedral of Christ the King, Katowice|Cathedral of Christ the King]] (1927–1955, with dome lowered by 34 meters compared to original design) is also neoclassical but with an ascetic, modernist-inspired interior (including a [[tabernacle]] and a golden mosaic funded by future pope, [[Pope Benedict XVI|Joseph Ratzinger]]).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wieliński|first=Bartosz T.|date=2019-02-11|title=Zmienił projekt katedry na życzenie komunistów, ale świątynia i tak na tym zyskała|url=https://katowice.wyborcza.pl/katowice/7,165672,24447287,zmienil-projekt-katedry-na-zyczenie-komunistow-ale-swiatynia.html?disableRedirects=true|access-date=2021-02-12|website=katowice.wyborcza.pl}}</ref> Other buildings, designed in mid-to-late 1920s and 1930s, are mostly modernist or functionalist. A symbol of the city in the interwar period, [[Drapacz Chmur]] (literally: ''The Skyscraper''), was the first skyscraper built in Poland after World War I, and the first building in the country to be based on a steel frame.<ref name=":1" />

=== Post-war architecture ===
[[File:Koszutka 01.jpg|thumb|Plac Grunwaldzki in Koszutka under construction, 1950s]]
[[File:Bloki - gwiazdy z Muzeum Śląskiego - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Modernist ''Osiedle Gwiazdy'' built in late 1970s and the light cubes of the New Silesian Museum]]
After [[World War II]], Katowice again expected a period of rapid growth, particularly under the regional leadership of [[Jerzy Ziętek|Marshall Jerzy Ziętek]]. Pałac Młodzieży (''Youth Palace'') became the first major new building completed in Katowice after the war, erected in the [[Socialist realism|socrealist]] style with elements of [[late modernism]] in 1949–1951.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Redakcja|date=2011-09-21|title=Katowicki Pałac Młodzieży ma już 60 lat! Remont trwa [ZDJĘCIA]|url=https://slaskie.naszemiasto.pl/katowicki-palac-mlodziezy-ma-juz-60-lat-remont-trwa-zdjecia/ar/c13-1090361|access-date=2021-02-12|website=Nasze Miasto|language=pl-PL}}</ref> The largest development of the 1950s in Katowice was the expansion of the [[Koszutka]] neighborhood, also in the [[Socialist realism|socialist realist]] style, in early 1950s.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Semik|first=Teresa|title=Od cyrku po Spodek. Jak katowicka dzielnica Koszutka porzuciła kozy|publisher=Dziennik Zachodni|year=2015|isbn=|location=Katowice|pages=26}}</ref>

Following the death of [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]] in 1956, and the end of socrealism, Jerzy Ziętek and city authorities commissioned a group of young architects and urbanists to create a project of the new urban design of Katowice. The collective, named ''Miastoprojekt Katowice'', came up with a design heavily influenced by [[Le Corbusier's Five Points of Architecture|Le Corbusier's ideas]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Step-by-Step Guide to the Best of Katowice|url=https://culture.pl/en/article/step-by-step-guide-to-the-best-of-katowice|access-date=2021-02-12|website=Culture.pl|language=en}}</ref> The project was centered around a grand avenue (current ''Aleja Korfantego'') surrounded by simple, modern blocks and monuments, scattered in distance to each other according to modernist ideals of preserving space and light for the masses. The most important buildings from that time include:

* [[Spodek|Spodek Arena]] (1964–1971), widely considered the symbol of Katowice and ranked among the finest achievements of modern architecture in Poland;<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-12-04|title=Katowice International Conference Centre / JEMS|url=https://www.archdaily.com/778138/katowice-international-conference-centre-jems|access-date=2021-02-12|website=ArchDaily|language=en-US}}</ref> one of the first buildings in the world with a [[tensegrity]] rooftop. Arena's unique design, resembling a typical depiction of a UFO at the time, gave it its Polish name (literally meaning "a saucer", a shorthand for UFO in Polish). 
* [[Katowice railway station|Katowice Railway Station]] (1959–1972), considered to be the most outstanding example of brutalism in Poland,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Piękno brutalizmu – Sztuka architektury|url=https://sztuka-architektury.pl/article/4471/piekno-brutalizmu|access-date=2021-02-12|website=sztuka-architektury.pl|date=January 2000 }}</ref> controversially demolished in 2010 and partially rebuilt as an addition to the Galeria Katowicka shopping centre. 
* [[Superjednostka]] (1967–1972), a massive (187.5 meters length, 51 meters high) residential block heavily inspired by Le Corbusier's [[Unité d'habitation|Unite d'habitation]] in [[Marseille]]
* Osiedle Gwiazdy (1978–1985), a housing estate of eight 27-floor residential buildings on a plan resembling a star
* [[Osiedle Tysiąclecia]] (1961–1982, later expanded), a large housing estate connecting to the [[Silesian Park]], built with modernist principles (separation of foot and automobile traffic, vast green spaces, self-sufficiency in terms of schools, basic shops and healthcare). Later expansion of the estate includes Kukurydze high-rises, a group of 26-floor high residential towers inspired by [[Marina City]] in [[Chicago]]
* [[Stalexport Skyscrapers|Stalexport Towers]] (1979–1982), twin office towers with 22 and 20 floors, a prime example of early [[Postmodern architecture|postmodernism]] in Poland

=== Contemporary architecture ===
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| caption_align     = center
| perrow            = 2
| total_width       = 427
| image1            = The Scientific Information Center and Academic Library of University of Silesia in Katowice, October 2021 (1).jpg
| image2            = Downtown Katowice.jpg
| image3            = 2023-06 Katowice Global Office Park (5).jpg
| image4            = Wydział Teologiczny Uniwersytetu Śląskiego; widok od frontu.jpg
| caption1          = Scientific Information Centre and Academic Library
| caption2          = [[KTW (Katowice)|KTW]] towers (right) with Altus on the left
| caption3          = Global Office Park
| caption4          = Theology Department at the University of Silesia
}}
Following the collapse of communism in Poland and other Eastern Bloc countries, and the centrally-planned economy with it, Poland's economy suffered a downturn, and construction slowed down. One of the most significant buildings of the 1990s was the new branch of the [[Silesian Library]], in postmodernism style.

The situation changed in the early aughts, when several new notable developments were completed:

* Chorzowska 50 (1999–2001) – first modern, A-grade office building in Katowice; currently owned and occupied by [[ING Bank Śląski]] 
* [[Altus Skyscraper|Altus]], previously known as Uni Centrum (2001–2003) – for many years the highest skyscraper in Poland outside of Warsaw, at 125 meters (410&nbsp;ft) high. 
* [[Silesia City Center]] (2003–2005), the flagship brownfield development of the era, built in place a defunct coal mine Gottwald. It remains one of the largest shopping centres in Poland, at {{cvt|86,000|m2}}, and also includes a housing estate and a chapel.
* Dom z Ziemi Śląskiej (2001–2002), a modern suburban villa, nominated to [[European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture|Mies van der Rohe Award]] in 2002
* Department of Law at the [[University of Silesia in Katowice|University of Silesia]] (2001–2003), a postmodernist building aiming to resemble industrial installations of the region 
* Department of Theology at the University of Silesia (2002–2004), built in the style resembling early Christian hermitages

Another wave of architectural revival came after Poland joined the [[European Union]] in 2004. European [[Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund|cohesion funds]], along with private capital investment, flew into the city resulting in a number of architecturally acclaimed buildings and complexes, including:

* Strefa Kultury (''Zone of Culture'', a brownfield urban redevelopment in downtown Katowice): 
** [[Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra|National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) building]] (2012–2014) contains two concert halls (for an audience of 1,800 or 300). Nominated to [[European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture|Mies van der Rohe Award]] in 2014, first prize in European Commercial Property Awards.<ref>{{Cite web|title=» Siedziba NOSPR, Katowice|url=http://en.koniorstudio.pl/projekt/siedziba-nospr-katowice/|access-date=2021-02-12|language=pl-pl}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=EUMiesAward|url=https://www.miesarch.com/work/572|access-date=2021-02-12|website=www.miesarch.com}}</ref>
** Katowice [[International Congress Centre in Katowice|International Conference Centre]] (2012–2015), the largest conference centre in Poland (capacity up to 12,000 people), connected to the Spodek Arena. The design of the centre, with a distinct canyon going through it in order to remove any obstruction from view of Spodek, has been hailed and the building was nominated to [[European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture|Mies van der Rohe award]] in 2017<ref>{{Cite web|title=EUMiesAward|url=https://www.miesarch.com/work/3657|access-date=2021-02-12|website=www.miesarch.com}}</ref>
** [[Silesian Museum (Katowice)|New Silesian Museum]] (2011–2013) located in place of a former coal mine, most of the museum is located underground, with only glass cubes that provide daylight, visible above ground. Shortlisted for Mies van der Rohe award in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|title=EUMiesAward|url=https://www.miesarch.com/work/595|access-date=2021-02-12|website=www.miesarch.com}}</ref>
* CINiBA (2009–2011) – academic library of the [[University of Silesia in Katowice|University of Silesia]] and [[University of Economics in Katowice|Katowice University of Economics]], shortlisted to Mies van der Rohe award in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|title=EUMiesAward|url=https://www.miesarch.com/work/1087|access-date=2021-02-12|website=www.miesarch.com}}</ref>
* [[Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School]] at the [[University of Silesia in Katowice|University of Silesia]] (2014–2017) – awarded with Wienerberger Brick Award in 2020,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Najpiękniejszy na świecie budynek z cegły stoi w Katowicach! To gmach Wydziału Radia i Telewizji im. Krzysztofa Kieślowskiego Uniwersytetu Śląskiego|url=https://www.elle.pl/decoration/artykul/najpiekniejszy-na-swiecie-budynek-z-cegly-stoi-w-katowicach-to-gmach-wydzialu-radia-i-telewizji-im-krzysztofa-kieslowskiego-uniwersytetu-slaskiego|access-date=2021-02-12|website=www.elle.pl|language=pl-PL}}</ref> shortlisted to Mies van der Rohe award in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|title=EUMiesAward|url=https://www.miesarch.com/work/4248|access-date=2021-02-12|website=www.miesarch.com}}</ref> Located in a decayed neighborhood, the building aims at kick-starting an urban renewal process there.
* [[KTW (Katowice)|KTW]] (2018–2022) – the taller tower, KTW II, is [[List of tallest buildings in Katowice|the tallest building in Katowice]] and [[List of tallest buildings in Poland|one of the tallest in Poland]] at {{convert|135|m}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://europaproperty.com/construction-of-ktw-ii-office-complex-in-katowice-completed/|title=Construction of .KTW II Office Complex in Katowice Completed|website=EuropaProperty.com|date=18 February 2022|access-date=22 June 2023}}</ref>
* Global Office Park (2022–2023) – mixed-use complex featuring four buildings, with two office towers reaching {{convert|104|m}}.

===Tourist attractions===
[[File:Nikisz 2013.JPG|thumb|[[Nikiszowiec]], a historic workers' housing estate]]
[[File:Katowice-Spodek (4).jpg|thumb|[[Spodek]], a multipurpose arena from 1971]]
[[File:Katowice - Kamienica na rogu Stawowej i Mickiewicza nocą.jpg|thumb|A historic tenement house in the city centre]]
*[[Market square in Katowice|Market square]] and adjacent streets: [[Warszawska Street, Katowice|Warszawska]], Teatralna, Dyrekcyjna, Staromiejska, Dworcowa, [[St. John Street, Katowice|św. Jana]], Pocztowa, Wawelska, 3 Maja, Stawowa, Mielęckiego, Starowiejska and Mickiewicza, the so-called "Great Market Square of Katowice" or "Old town of Katowice"—many historic (monument) buildings. This is a group of functional-architectural. On the market square and most of the above-mentioned streets are prohibitions or restrictions on cars. Streets: Staromiejska, [[Dyrekcyjna Street|Dyrekcyjna]], Wawelska, Stawowa and Warszawska is lined decorative [[cobblestone]] creating a [[pedestrian zone]]. The authority plans to Katowice—Quarter streets: św. Jana, Dworcowa, Mariacka, Mielęckiego, Stanisława and Starowiejska is to become so "small market square".<ref>[[Dziennik Zachodni]] Katowice – "Będą dwie Mariackie", 3 sierpnia 2007</ref>
*[[Nikiszowiec]] – historical settlement of Katowice, candidate to UNESCO
*[[Cathedral of Christ the King, Katowice|Cathedral of Christ the King]]
*[[St. Mary's Church, Katowice|St Mary's Church]]
*[[Church of the Resurrection in Katowice|Church of the Resurrection]], Evangelical-Augsburg, built in 1856–1858
*[[St. Michael's church, Katowice|Church of St Michael Archangel]], the oldest church in the city, built in 1510
*[[Drapacz Chmur]], one of the first skyscrapers in Europe
*[[Silesian Parliament]], built in 1925–1929. For a very long time, it was the biggest structure in Poland
*Modernist old town
*[[Spodek]] (a large [[sports centre]]/[[List of concert halls|concert hall]], whose name translates as the 'saucer', from its distinctive shape resembling a [[Unidentified flying object|UFO flying saucer]])
*[[Silesian Insurgents Monument]] (Polish: ''Pomnik Powstańców Śląskich''), the largest and heaviest monument in Poland. It is a harmonious combination of architecture and sculpture with appropriate symbolism: the wings symbolize the three [[Silesian Uprisings]] (1920–1921) while the names of places that were battlefields are etched on the vertical slopes. The monument, which was funded by the people of Warsaw for Upper Silesia, is considered Katowice's landmark.
*[[Silesian Theater]], built in 1907
*[[Rialto Cinetheater]], built in 1912
*[[Silesian Museum]], built in 1899
*[[Old train station in Katowice]], built in 1906
*The [[Goldstein Palace]]
*The [[Załęże Palace]]
*[[Parachute Tower Katowice|Parachute Tower]], a {{convert|50|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall lattice tower was built in 1937 for training parachutists. It was used in the first days of World War II and is the only parachute tower in Poland.

Other:
*[[Franciscan Monastery in Panewniki]]
*[[Church of St. Joseph in Katowice|Church of St Joseph]] (Załęże)
*[[St. Stephen's Church (Katowice)|St Stephen's Church]]
*[[Church of Christ Resurrection in Katowice|Church of Christ Resurrection]]
*The Monument to Marshal [[Józef Piłsudski|Piłsudski]] by Croatian sculptor [[Antun Augustinčić]], 1937–39. It was commissioned in 1936 but brought to Poland in 1991
*[[Monopol Hotel, Katowice|Monopol Hotel]]
*[[Jerzy Ziętek Rondo|Katowice Rondo]], the large [[Town square|square]]/[[roundabout]], reconstructed recently, with the semi-circular Galeria Rondo Sztuki in the centre.

==Economy==
Katowice has been classified as a [[Global city|Gamma – global city]] by the [[Globalization and World Cities Research Network]]<ref>{{cite web |title=The World According to GaWC 2020 |url=https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html |access-date=3 September 2020 |website=GaWC - Research Network |publisher=Globalization and World Cities |archive-date=24 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824031341/https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and is considered as an emerging metropolis.<ref>[http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/official/reports/coheter/coheter_en.pdf Interim Territorial Cohesion Report] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130423165806/http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/official/reports/coheter/coheter_en.pdf|date=23 April 2013}} – Preliminary results of ESPON and EU Commission studies</ref> Katowice's metropolitan area is the [[List of cities by GDP|16th most economically powerful urban area]] in the [[European Union]] by GDP, with an output amounting to $114.5&nbsp;billion.<ref name="Brookings">{{cite web |title=Global city GDP 2011 |url=http://www.brookings.edu/research/interactives/global-metro-monitor-3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605135349/http://www.brookings.edu/research/interactives/global-metro-monitor-3 |archive-date=5 June 2013 |access-date=26 December 2012 |publisher=Brookings Institution}}</ref> The city is one of the major industrial, commerce and financial hubs of Poland and has successfully transformed its economy from heavy industry-based to knowledge-based one.

=== Employment and incomes ===
[[File:Global Office Park Katowice.jpg|thumb|ING Hubs, an IT subsidiary of [[ING Group]], is headquartered in Global Office Park in Katowice]]
As of August 2024, 252,841 people are employed in Katowice, which makes the city the 7th largest job market in Poland, slightly ahead of [[Gdańsk]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=GUS |title=Pracujący w gospodarce narodowej w Polsce w sierpniu 2024 r. - Tablice |url=https://stat.gov.pl/obszary-tematyczne/rynek-pracy/pracujacy-zatrudnieni-wynagrodzenia-koszty-pracy/pracujacy-w-gospodarce-narodowej-w-polsce-w-sierpniu-2024-r-tablice,28,20.html |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=stat.gov.pl |language=pl}}</ref> Main sectors include professional services (including the IT sector and finance) at 15.8%, retail (13.7%), and government (12.6%). Unemployment rate is extremely low at 1%, as of June 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=GUS |title=Obwieszczenie w sprawie przeciętnej stopy bezrobocia w kraju oraz na obszarze powiatów stan na dzień 30 czerwca 2024 roku |url=https://stat.gov.pl/sygnalne/komunikaty-i-obwieszczenia/lista-komunikatow-i-obwieszczen/obwieszczenie-w-sprawie-przecietnej-stopy-bezrobocia-w-kraju-oraz-na-obszarze-powiatow-stan-na-dzien-30-czerwca-2024-roku,284,11.html |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=stat.gov.pl |language=pl}}</ref>

Median monthly income for residents of Katowice stood at PLN 7,220.00 while median monthly income for those employed in Katowice was higher at PLN 8,053.30 as of August 2024, both above the country's median of PLN 6,697.52.<ref>{{Cite web |last=GUS |title=Rozkład wynagrodzeń w gospodarce narodowej w sierpniu 2024 roku |url=https://stat.gov.pl/obszary-tematyczne/rynek-pracy/pracujacy-zatrudnieni-wynagrodzenia-koszty-pracy/rozklad-wynagrodzen-w-gospodarce-narodowej-w-sierpniu-2024-roku,32,8.html |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=stat.gov.pl |language=pl}}</ref>

=== Business and commerce ===
Katowice is a large business, convention and [[trade fair]] centre. As of 2012, 44,050 businesses were registered in Katowice. 13 of them are traded on the [[Warsaw Stock Exchange]], with ING Bank Śląski being the largest one by far,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lista spółek Giełdy Papierów Wartościowych w Warszawie |url=https://gpw.pl/spolki |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=Giełda Papierów Wartościowych w Warszawie}}</ref> while 11 are traded on the NewConnect floor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lista spółek giełdy NewConnect |url=https://newconnect.pl/spolki |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=Giełda Papierów Wartościowych w Warszawie}}</ref> 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Name
!Industry
!Market cap (PLN millions)
!Stock exchange
|-
|[[ING Bank Śląski]]
|Financial services
|39,420.30
|[[Warsaw Stock Exchange]]
|-
|[[Tauron Polska Energia]]
|Energy
|7,669.16
|Warsaw Stock Exchange
|-
|Grenevia
|Renewable energy
|1,336.13
|Warsaw Stock Exchange
|-
|Introl
|Industrial engineering
|226.71
|Warsaw Stock Exchange
|-
|Artifex Mundi
|Gaming
|208.35
|Warsaw Stock Exchange
|-
|Farmy Fotowoltaiki Polska
|Renewable energy
|145.75
|[[NewConnect]]
|-
|Bumech
|Mechanical engineering
|137.43
|Warsaw Stock Exchange
|-
|Centurion Finance
|Financial services
|80.11
|NewConnect
|-
|Polskie Towarzystwo Wspierania Przedsiębiorczości
|Publishing
|69.29
|Warsaw Stock Exchange
|-
|Energoinstal
|Industrial engineering
|48.42
|Warsaw Stock Exchange
|-
|Energoaparatura
|Industrial engineering
|48.40
|Warsaw Stock Exchange
|-
|Fasing
|Manufacturing
|39.77
|Warsaw Stock Exchange
|-
|JWW Invest
|Energy
|34.10
|Warsaw Stock Exchange
|-
|Binary Helixs
|Professional services
|18.62
|NewConnect
|-
|GKS Gieksa
|Sports club
|15.76
|NewConnect
|-
|Telemedycyna Polska
|Healthcare
|14.74
|NewConnect
|-
|Moj
|Manufacturing
|13.76
|Warsaw Stock Exchange
|-
|Incuvo
|Gaming
|12.77
|NewConnect
|-
|Jujubee
|Gaming
|10.33
|NewConnect
|-
|Hornigold REIT
|Real estate investing
|6.92
|NewConnect
|-
|Tax-Net
|Professional services
|5.86
|NewConnect
|-
|Berg Holding
|Real estate development
|4.83
|NewConnect
|-
|Regnon
|Information technology
|3.79
|Warsaw Stock Exchange
|-
|Iron Wolf Studio
|Gaming
|1.72
|NewConnect
|}
Largest private corporations headquartered in Katowice include Polska Grupa Górnicza (coal mining and energy), Farmacol (pharmaceuticals), Famur (mining equipment manufacturing), Mistal (steel products manufacturing), Emiternet (renewable energy systems).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Śląskie. Przemysłowa historia |url=https://www.forbes.pl/diamenty/2024/artykuly/diamenty-forbesa-2024-wojewodztwo-slaskie-przemyslowa-historia/b8qljhj |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=Forbes.pl |language=pl}}</ref> Major international corporations with regional headquarters in Katowice include [[IBM]], [[Unilever]], [[PwC]], [[Deloitte]], [[Groupon]], [[Eurofins Scientific|Eurofins]], [[Capgemini]], [[Sopra Steria]], [[Accenture]], [[Fujitsu]], [[Citibank]], [[HSBC]], [[KPMG]], [[RSM International|RSM]], [[Baker Tilly International|Baker Tilly]], and others.

Katowice is also the seat of [[Katowice Special Economic Zone]] (Katowicka Specjalna Strefa Ekonomiczna).

=== Heavy industry and manufacturing ===
Since its creation, Katowice's development was tightly connected to heavy industry, especially coal mining, steelworks and machine production. In 1931, 49.5% of inhabitants worked in industry, and 12.5% in coal mining alone. In 1989 industry accounted for 36% of all jobs in the city (112,000 employees). As of 2018, 34,294 people worked in industry in Katowice, 20.4% of total, below the national average.

The first reported coal mine in Katowice (''Murcki'' coal mine) was established in 1740, and in 1769 construction on ''Emanuelssegen'' mine started. As the demand for coal kept rising in the [[Kingdom of Prussia]], further mines were opened: ''Beata'' (1801), ''Ferdinand'' (1823), ''Kleofas'' (1845). Later in 19th and early 20th century additional mines were opened: ''Katowice'', ''Wujek'', ''Eminenz'' (later renamed ''Gottwald'' and merged with ''Kleofas''), ''Wieczorek'', ''Boże Dary'', ''Staszic'' and renewed ''Murcki''. Currently only one (''Murcki-Staszic'') remains in operation. Katowice is also the seat of [[:pl:Polska Grupa Górnicza|Polska Grupa Górnicza]], the largest coal mining corporation in Europe. Metallurgy was another important part of Katowice's economy. In 1863 a dozen zinc metallurgy facilities were reported in Katowice, with ''Wilhelmina'' (founded in 1834) being the largest. In early 1900s, ''Wilhelmina'' (later renamed ''Huta Metali Niezależnych Szopienice'') was enlarged and became the largest Silesian producer of [[non-ferrous metal]]s and world's largest producer of [[cadmium]]. Two major steelworks existed in the city: ''Huta Baildon'', established in 1823 by the Scottish engineer and industrialist [[John Baildon]] (declared bankruptcy in 2001), and ''[[FERRUM SA|Huta Ferrum]]'', established in 1874 and operating to this date in limited capacity.

==Culture==
{{multiple image
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| image1 = Katowice 05.15 NOSPR 2.JPG
| caption1 = [[Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra]] building
| image2 = Wielka Sala Koncertowa NOSPR.jpg
| caption2 = [[Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra|The Main Concert Hall]]
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}}

Vibrant and progressive artistic communities, particularly around musical arts, make Katowice one of the leading cultural spots in Poland.<ref name="auto2">{{cite web|url=http://en.invest.katowice.eu/people/27/culture.html|title=Culture: People: Invest in Katowice.|first=Media Partner Sp.|last=j.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325024546/http://en.invest.katowice.eu/people/27/culture.html|archive-date=25 March 2017}}</ref> Since mid-2000s, Katowice has established a strategy to redevelop the post-industrial areas using culture – the pinnacle of which was a massive development on the site of a former coal mine known as [[:pl:Strefa Kultury (Katowice)|Strefa Kultury]] (the "Zone of Culture"), where numerous cultural and convention institutions are located.

=== Performing arts ===
[[File:2023-07 Katowice Kinoteatr Rialto (4).jpg|thumb|Kinoteatr Rialto]]
Katowice's status as the UNESCO [[City of Music (UNESCO)|City of Music]], designated when Katowice joined [[UNESCO]] [[Creative Cities Network]] in 2015,<ref>{{cite news |title=Katowice – a city of music |url=https://www.polska.pl/arts/music/katowice-city-music/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801004215/https://www.polska.pl/arts/music/katowice-city-music/ |archive-date=1 August 2018}}</ref> comes from a long and rich history of musical arts. Katowice is the seat of an internationally renowned [[Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music]], whose faculty and graduates created the nationally important informal group called the Silesian school of composers. [[Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra]] has been located in Katowice since 1945 and has gotten a new internationally acclaimed concert hall in 2014, built on a site of a former coal mine near Katowice's city center. The [[Silesian Philharmonic]] also has its seat in Katowice. The city is a venue for numerous classical concerts and festivals, such as: the International Festival of Young Music Competition Laureates, [[Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors]], Chamber Music Festival, Ars Cameralis Festival and Katowice's opera, operettas and most of all ballet.

There are currently 6 theater buildings in Katowice, and some theater groups without a permanent location. [[Silesian Theatre|Teatr Śląski]] is the oldest still-functioning theater in Katowice, first opened for audience in 1907 and located on the main square. It was the first theater to give plays in [[Silesian language|Silesian dialect]] of Polish. Every first Monday of the month, the [[Silesian Opera]] singers from nearby [[Bytom]] give a performance there, as Katowice does not have an opera house of its own. Teatr Ateneum is an important puppetry theater, while Teatr Korez was one of the first non-public theaters in post-war Poland.

Katowice is home to many nationally and internationally renowned popular music festivals. [[Rawa Blues Festival|Rawa Blues]], named after a stream that passes through Katowice's city center, is one of the largest blues festivals in Europe. Electronic music's [[Mayday (music festival)|Mayday Festival]] takes place every year in early November and is a sister event to its namesake in [[Dortmund]]. [[Off Festival|OFF Festival]], dedicated to alternative music, moved to Katowice in 2010 and has been held every August. Tauron Nowa Muzyka festival, oriented more towards dance and techno has been named one of the major European festivals to attend.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Festival Tauron Nowa Muzyka |url=https://crackmagazine.net/article/live-reviews/tauron-nowa-muzkya/ |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=Crack Magazine}}</ref> Other music festivals, such as the Silesian Jazz Festival, KatoHej (dedicated to chants and touristic music), and Gardens of Sound, are also organized. In 2019, 475,806 people attended various big cultural events such as concerts and festivals, which gave the city the third place in Poland, behind Warsaw and Kraków. Nearby [[Chorzów]], with the [[Stadion Śląski|Silesian Stadium]] right across the street from Katowice, gathered another 319,783 attendees.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 4, 2022 |title=Kultura – Organizacja imprez masowych – Liczba uczestników imprez. |url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/dane/podgrup/tablica |website=Bank Danych Lokalnych}}</ref>

=== Museums and art galleries ===
{{multiple image
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| image1 = Katowice nowe Muzeum Śląskie.JPG
| caption1 = New complex of the [[Silesian Museum]] with an original [[Headframe|mine headframe]]
| image2 = 02015 Schlesische Museum in Kattowitz.JPG
| caption2 = Museum exhibition hall
| total_width = 
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}}
[[File:Katowice Korfantego 3.jpg|thumb|Old building of Silesian Museum]]
The [[Silesian Museum]] is the largest and most-important museum in Katowice. It originally opened in 1929, and its radically modern, [[Bauhaus]]-style new building was demolished immediately after the Nazis seized Katowice in 1939, considering it too degenerate and too Polish. The museum has been placed in temporary buildings with its collections dispersed until 2015, when a new, mostly underground building has been constructed in the Zone of Culture. The museum exhibits works by famous and renowned Polish artists like [[Józef Chełmoński]], [[Artur Grottger]], [[Tadeusz Makowski]], [[Jacek Malczewski]], [[Jan Matejko]], [[Józef Mehoffer]] and [[Stanisław Wyspiański]].<ref name="auto2" /> It is also well known for its collection of [[naïve art]] paintings, including local coal miners from Katowice area. The museum has a number of sketches of globally recognizable artists such as [[Albrecht Dürer]] and [[Rembrandt]].

The City History Museum of Katowice exhibitions include: immersive typical urban apartments from early 20th century, [[naïve art]] paintings from local artists and the history of Katowice from a village to an industrial center. Other museums in Katowice include Museum of the History of Computers and Informatics and the Museum of Smallest Books in the World.

The BWA Contemporary Art Gallery in Katowice, established in 1949, is a notable institution concerning the [[Contemporary art]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://culture.pl/pl/miejsce/galeria-sztuki-wspolczesnej-bwa-w-katowicach|title=Galeria Sztuki Współczesnej BWA w Katowicach – Miejsce – Culture.pl|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325024529/http://culture.pl/pl/miejsce/galeria-sztuki-wspolczesnej-bwa-w-katowicach|archive-date=25 March 2017}}</ref> Every three years, it is responsible for organizing the Polish Graphic Art Triennial. Several other galleries feature exhibitions of the works by artists from abroad along with film screenings, workshops for children and public fairs.

===Media===
:''TV stations:''
*[[TVP 3 Katowice]]
*[[TVS (Poland)|TVS]] (TV Silesia)
*[[TVN24]] – department Katowice (TVN24 – oddział Katowice)
:''radio stations:''
*[[Radio Katowice]]
*[[Antyradio]]
:''newspapers:''
*[[Dziennik Zachodni]]
*{{Lang|pl|[[Gazeta Wyborcza]]}} – Katowice section
*[[Fakt]] – Katowice section
*[[Metro International]] – Katowice
*Nowy Przegląd Katowicki

===Festivals and events===

*[[File:Tauron nowa muzyka fot marta ferens.jpg|thumb|Tauron New Music Festival]] [[Rawa Blues Festiwal]] – [[Spodek]]
*[[Metalmania]] – Spodek
*[[Off Festival]]
*[[Mayday (music festival)|Mayday]] – Spodek
*International Competition of Conductors by Fitelberg
*[[International Cycling Film Festival]]
*International Festival of Military Orchestras
*International Exhibition of [[Graphic arts]] "Intergrafia"
*[[Esports]] tournament [[ESL One Katowice 2015|ESL One Katowice Tournament]] in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailydot.com/esports/counter-strike-esl-fnatic-nip/|title=3 things we learned from ESL Katowice's Counter-Strike event|work=The Daily Dot|access-date=18 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220013653/http://www.dailydot.com/esports/counter-strike-esl-fnatic-nip/|archive-date=20 December 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*Esports tournament [[Intel Extreme Masters]] World Championship, one of the biggest esports events in the world<ref>Fortune Magazine (3 March 2016) ''Poland Is Home to the Biggest eSports Event in the World'' {{cite web |url=http://fortune.com/2016/03/03/poland-is-home-to-the-biggest-esports-event-in-the-world/ |title=Intel Celebrates 10 Years of eSports |access-date=25 July 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714044509/http://fortune.com/2016/03/03/poland-is-home-to-the-biggest-esports-event-in-the-world/ |archive-date=14 July 2016 }}</ref>
*Poland hosted the 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC [[2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference|COP24]]), with the meeting held in Katowice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cop24.gov.pl/|title=COP24|website=cop24.gov.pl|access-date=1 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428180844/http://www.cop24.gov.pl/|archive-date=28 April 2018}}</ref>
*[[Wikimania|Wikimania 2024]] was held at the [[International Congress Centre in Katowice|International Congress Centre]] August 7–10, 2024.

===Parks and squares===
:[[File:Dolina Trzech Stawów.jpg|thumb|[[Valley of Three Ponds]]]]''parks:''
*[[Silesian Park]] (Wojewódzki Park Kultury i Wypoczynku)
*[[Kościuszko Park]] (Park im. Tadeusza Kościuszki)
*[[Forest Park of Katowice]] (Katowicki Park Leśny)
*[[Valley of Three Ponds]] (Dolina Trzech Stawów)
*[[Zadole Park]]

:''squares:''
*[[File:Katowicki rynek 02.jpg|thumb|Palms on [[Katowice market square]] during summer holidays]] [[Katowice market square]] (Rynek w Katowicach)
*Freedom Square (Plac Wolności)
*Andrzej Square (Plac Andrzeja)
*Miarka Square (Plac Miarki)
*Council of Europe Square (Plac Rady Europy)
*Alfred Square (Plac Alfreda)
*A. Budniok Square (Plac A. Brudnioka)
*J. Londzin Square (Plac J. Londzina)
*A. Hlond Square (Plac A. Hlonda)

==Nature reserves and ecological areas==
[[File:Las Murckowski.jpg|thumb|Las Murckowski]]
*Nature reserve Las Murckowski
*Nature reserve Ochojec
*Szopienice-Borki
*Źródła Kłodnicy
*Staw Grunfeld
*Stawy Na Tysiącleciu
*Płone Bagno

==Education and science==
[[File:Biblioteka Slaska.jpg|thumb|right|[[Silesian Library]] in Katowice]]
{{main|List of schools of higher education in Katowice}}
[[File:Wydział Teologiczny Uniwersytetu Śląskiego; widok od frontu.jpg|thumb|Silesian University – Faculty of Theology]]
Katowice is a large scientific centre and has been designated as the European City of Science 2024 by [[EuroScience]] (ESOF). It has over 20 schools of higher education, at which over 100,000 people study.

[[File:Katowice - UŚ - WPiA.jpg|thumb|right|[[University of Silesia in Katowice]] – Faculty of Law and Administration]]
* [[University of Silesia in Katowice]]
* [[University of Economics in Katowice]]
* [[Medical University of Silesia]]
* [[Silesian University of Technology]]
* [[University of Social Sciences and Humanities]]
* [[Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music]]
* [[Akademia Lospuma Training Institute]]
* [[Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Katowicach|Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice]]
* [[Academy of Physical Education im. Jerzy Kukuczka in Katowice]]
* [[Higher Silesian Seminary in Katowice]]
There are also:
*around 80 [[High school (upper secondary)|high school]]s
*around 35 [[Gymnasium (school)|gimnasia]]
*around 55 primary schools
*around 50 [[Library|libraries]], including the [[Silesian Library]]

==Transportation==
===Public transportation===
[[File:Pesa Twist Step Katowice 1.JPG|thumb|[[Pesa Twist]] tram in Katowice]]
The public [[Transport network|transportation system]] of the Katowice consists of commuter and long-distance trains, trams, buses and city bikes. Around 38 percent of people in Katowice use trams and buses on their daily commute (40 percent if counted those using the park-and-ride facilities), 10 percent walk, 4 percent cycle, and 2 percent takes the train, according to a 2020 report.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=administrator |date=2020-05-28 |title=Polacy chcą lepszego transportu zbiorowego i mniej aut w miastach – badanie |url=https://polskialarmsmogowy.pl/2020/05/polacy-chca-lepszego-transportu-zbiorowego-i-mniej-aut-w-miastach-badanie/ |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=Polski Alarm Smogowy – Razem o czyste powietrze |language=pl-PL}}</ref> There are also three park-and-ride centers in Katowice with over 1,000 parking spaces.

==== Tram and bus lines ====
The transit authority of the [[Metropolis GZM]], [[Zarząd Transportu Metropolitalnego]] (ZTM), operates the city trams and buses.

The [[Silesian Interurbans|Silesian Interurban]] tram system is one of the largest and oldest in Europe, in operation since 1894 and covering over {{convert|200|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} of rails, including {{convert|62|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} in Katowice proper. The network in Katowice is mostly located in the northern part of the city has a star-like shape, with most lines converging on the Rynek square and expanding to all directions. There are 13 tram lines in Katowice, all but 2 expanding into neighboring cities. 116 tram stops are located in Katowice proper, as of 2020. A new tram line is planned to the southern suburbs since 2016. 
[[File:WK14 Katowice kielichy.JPG|thumb|[[Katowice railway station]]]]
In addition to trams, bus lines are organized by ZTM. There are currently 63 regular lines in Katowice (including night lines), and additional 10 express metropolitan lines, with 609 bus stops as of 2020. ZTM organizes a bus line to their airport as well, which runs every 30 minutes between 4am and 9:30pm and every hour at night.

==== Commuter trains ====
[[Koleje Śląskie]] (Silesian Railways), a regional railway authority, connects Katowice with its suburbs and other major cities in [[Silesian Voivodeship|Silesian]] and [[Lesser Poland Voivodeship|Lesser Poland voivodeships]]: [[Gliwice]], [[Rybnik]], [[Częstochowa]], [[Bielsko-Biała]], [[Kraków]], and [[Oświęcim]], among others. It operates 9 regular lines and 1 tourist weekend line (to [[Zakopane]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Schemat linii {{!}} Koleje Śląskie – regionalny przewoźnik kolejowy |url=https://www.kolejeslaskie.com/rozklad_jazdy/schemat-linii-komunikacyjnych/ |access-date=2022-08-03 |language=pl-PL}}</ref>

[[Polregio]] operates commuter trains from Katowice to cities and towns in [[Lesser Poland Voivodeship|Lesser Poland]] and [[Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship|Świętokrzyskie]] voivodeships: [[Trzebinia]], [[Olkusz]], and [[Kielce]], among others.

==== Long-haul trains ====
Katowice is the main railway hub in southern Poland. Katowice's main railway station is the fifth-busiest train station in Poland as of 2019 (and third outside Warsaw), with 17.6 million passengers and growing 47 percent since 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kolejowego |first=Urząd Transportu |title=Wymiana pasażerska w 2019 r. |url=https://utk.gov.pl/pl/raporty-i-analizy/analizy-i-monitoring/analizy-i-opracowania/16709,Wymiana-pasazerska-w-2019-r.html |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=Urząd Transportu Kolejowego |language=pl}}</ref> 16% of the passengers travelled on [[PKP Intercity]] train, the main long-distance train operator in Poland.

Katowice has a direct [[High-speed rail in Poland|Express Intercity Premium]] (high-speed) connection to [[Warsaw]] through the [[Grodzisk Mazowiecki–Zawiercie railway|Centralna Magistrala Kolejowa]], with a run time of 2 hours 21 minutes. [[PKP Intercity]] also offers direct standard connections to Kraków (under 1 hour), [[Wrocław]], Kielce and [[Ostrava]] (under 2 hours), Warsaw, [[Rzeszów]], [[Olomouc]], and [[Łódź]] (under 3 hours), [[Poznań]] (under 4 hours), [[Brno]], [[Vienna]] and [[Bratislava]] (under 5 hours), as well as [[Prague]], [[Budapest]], and [[Berlin]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Niećko |first=Dorota |date=2021-09-06 |title=Pociągiem z Katowic w podróż do miast Europy w kilka godzin i bez przesiadek. Jak kupić bilet na kolejowe połączenie międzynarodowe |url=https://dziennikzachodni.pl/pociagiem-z-katowic-w-podroz-do-miast-europy-w-kilka-godzin-i-bez-przesiadek-jak-kupic-bilet-na-kolejowe-polaczenie/ar/c7-15788918 |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=Dziennik Zachodni |language=pl-PL}}</ref> 
[[File:2024-07 Katowice CP Zawodzie (5).jpg|thumb|''Metrobike'' bicycles in Zawodzie district]]

==== Long-haul coach lines ====
Katowice has a modern international bus station located close to the city center. There are over 400 connections on a typical weekday,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rozkład jazdy |url=https://mdakatowice.pl/rozklad-jazdy/ |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=MDA Katowice – Międzynarodowy Dworzec Autobusowy Katowice |language=pl-PL}}</ref> with the most-popular ones being domestic destinations in Poland and cities in [[Ukraine]].

==== Cycling, walking and other ====
Cycling is becoming a more popular mode of transportation in Katowice. As of 2021, the city had {{Convert|92.6|km|mi|abbr=on}} of dedicated bicycle lanes, up from {{Convert|60|km|mi|abbr=in}} in 2015. [[Metrorower|The metropolitan bicycle system]] is operated by [[Nextbike]] and has 924 stations with over 7000 bicycles in Katowice and in surrounding cities.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=The Metrobicycle has started. The system of city bicycles rental stations, the biggest in Poland, and the third in Europe, is already available · ZTM |url=https://www.metropoliaztm.pl/en/s/metrorower-wystartowal-najwiekszy-w-polsce-i-trzeci-w-europie-system-wypozyczalni-miejskich-rowerow-juz-dostepny |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=www.metropoliaztm.pl}}</ref> Rides under 30 minutes costs PLN 1, less than 1 hour costs PLN 2.50 and each additional hour becomes more expensive.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pricelist |url=https://metrorower.transportgzm.pl/en/cennik/ |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=Rower Metropolitalny |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Bolt (company)|Bolt]] and Blinkee operate commercial systems of scooter share. Traficar and Panek Car Share operate commercial carshare systems.

===Freeways, roads and streets===
[[File:Katowice - ul. W. Roździeńskiego (Novotel i Gwiazdy).JPG|thumb|Drogowa Trasa Średnicowa (DK79) exiting the tunnel below Katowice city center]]
Katowice has an extensive network of freeways, roads and streets, totaling over {{convert|1120|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} in length.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MSZ-KIIP Miejski System Zarządzania – Katowicka Infrastruktura Informacji Przestrzennej – Mapa akustyczna |url=https://emapa.katowice.eu/mszkiip/geoportal-obslugi-obywatela/mapa-akustyczna?start=3 |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=emapa.katowice.eu}}</ref> The well-developed network supports over 200,000 cars registered in Katowice, and 49 percent of commuters that drive alone, a high share compared to other major cities in Poland.<ref name=":2" /> Several freeways in Katowice are among the busiest in Poland: [[Expressway S86 (Poland)|expressway S86]] between [[Sosnowiec]] and Katowice's city center and [[A4 autostrada (Poland)|highway A4]] between Murckowska and Mikołowska interchanges both see over 100,000 cars passing each day.

Katowice has a ring around its city center, consisting of highway A4, Murckowska freeway, [[Drogowa Trasa Średnicowa]] (a freeway-style road connecting downtowns of cities in the Katowice urban area) that partly goes in a tunnel underground and Bocheńskiego road. Many of the roads and freeways in Katowice expand radially from the city center and replaced old local roads.

==== Main roads ====
[[European route E40]] passes through Katowice as [[A4 autostrada (Poland)|highway A4]]. It enters the city from Chorzów and continues eastward, with three lanes in each direction on the main road and two to three lanes in parallel access roads. It meets Bocheńskiego road and continues towards Mikołowska interchange, which is one of the only [[Interchange (road)|combination interchanges]] in Poland and the main exit towards the city center. After that interchange, the highway loses its access roads due to lack of space in the dense urban area and continues east with four lanes in each direction. Access roads appear again (only on the south side, though) after around 500 meters and there is an exit towards Francuska Street. After another 1.5 kilometer, access roads appear again on the north side, too, and there is a tight exit towards Pułaskiego Street. The highway then runs into Murckowska interchange, before exiting the city.

[[National roads in Poland#List of national roads|National road 79]] (DK79) enters Katowice from [[Chorzów]] and separates the [[Silesian Park]] and [[Osiedle Tysiąclecia]] in Katowice. It then merges with Drogowa Trasa Średnicowa (DTŚ) at the junction with Bocheńskiego road and Złota Street. It continues with DTŚ through the Katowice city center and descents into a tunnel under the Rondo roundabout. It then emerges overground again, right before an interchange with DK86. The road continues eastward as a freeway with exits towards [[Zawodzie, Katowice|Zawodzie]] and [[Szopienice-Burowiec|Szopienice]] neighborhoods for several more kilometers, before entering [[Mysłowice]] and becoming a standard-access road.

[[National roads in Poland#List of national roads|National road 81]] (DK81) enters Katowice from [[Mikołów]] and runs through the southern residential neighborhoods as an arterial road with two lanes in each direction, named [[Tadeusz Kościuszko|Kościuszki]] Street. In the Brynów neighborhood, Kościuszki Street continues towards Katowice's city center while NR 81 turns east, to run through the forest towards the interchange with DK86.

[[National roads in Poland#List of national roads|National road 86]] (DK86) enters Katowice from [[Sosnowiec]] as expressway S86 up until Roździeńskiego interchange where it meets DK79 and loses its expressway status. It then continues south as Murckowska freeway east of the city center. It meets highway A4 and then passes by [[Giszowiec]] neighborhood and continues through the woods southward, with exits towards [[Murcki]] neighborhood (from which it gets its name) and [[Kostuchna]]. It bypasses Murcki from the east and continues south towards [[Tychy]].

==== Tempo 30 Zone ====
In 2015, Katowice designated most of its city center as a {{Convert|30|km/h|mph|abbr=in}} zone, in an effort to curb traffic fatalities and crashes. Within 3 years of operation, the number of accidents dropped by 41 percent, including 37 percent drop in accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists. The accidents are also less severe: there was a 55 percent drop in injured pedestrians and cyclists.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Strefa tempo 30 |url=https://katowice.eu/dla-mieszka%C5%84ca/transport-w-mie%C5%9Bcie/strefa-tempo-30 |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=katowice.eu}}</ref>

===Airports===
[[File:Terminal A outside.jpg|thumb|[[Katowice Airport]]]]
Located approximately {{convert|30|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of the city center, [[Katowice Airport]] is the main airport serving Katowice. The airport is a focus city for [[LOT Polish Airlines]], [[Ryanair]] and its subsidiary [[Buzz (British airline)|Buzz]], [[Wizz Air]], [[Smartwings Poland|Smartwings]], and [[Enter Air]]. The busiest routes are: [[London]], [[Dortmund]], [[Antalya]], [[Eindhoven]], [[Warsaw]] and [[Frankfurt]]. Katowice is the largest leisure travel airport in Poland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistics by origin airports – FPR |url=https://www.ulc.gov.pl/en/market-regulation/statictics-and-analysis-of-air-transport-market/3974-statistics-by-airports |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=www.ulc.gov.pl}}</ref> [[Long-haul flights]] are operated from Katowice to [[Varadero]] in [[Cuba]], [[Bangkok]] in [[Thailand]], [[Cancún]] in [[Mexico]], [[Malé]] in [[Maldives]] and to [[Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic|Puerto Plata]] as well as [[Punta Cana]] in [[Dominican Republic]]. Katowice is also the second-largest cargo airport, after Warsaw Chopin. The airport is accessed through a metropolitan express bus line, running every 30 minutes between 4am and 9:30pm and every hour at night. A new train station at the airport is under construction, scheduled to be operational in 2023.

Katowice is also within an hour drive from [[Kraków John Paul II International Airport|Kraków Airport]], which offers additional destinations and airlines such as [[Amsterdam]] ([[KLM]]), [[Paris]] ([[Air France]]), [[Helsinki]] ([[Finnair]]), [[Chicago]] and [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] ([[LOT Polish Airlines]]), [[Copenhagen]] and [[Stockholm]] ([[Scandinavian Airlines|SAS]]) and [[Zürich|Zurich]] ([[Swiss International Air Lines|Swiss]]). The airport can be accessed through scheduled buses leaving from Katowice bus station every 30–60 minutes.

==Sports==
[[File:Panorama stadionu.jpg|thumb|[[Stadion Śląski]]]]
Katowice has a long sporting tradition and hosted the final of [[EuroBasket 2009]] and [[1975 European Athletics Indoor Championships]], [[1975 European Amateur Boxing Championships]], [[1976 World Ice Hockey Championships]], 1957, 1985 [[European Weightlifting Championships]], 1974, 1982 [[FILA Wrestling World Championships|World Wrestling Championships]], 1991 World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships, [[2011 Women's European Union Amateur Boxing Championships]], [[2014 FIVB Men's World Championship]] and others.

The [[Stadion Śląski, Chorzów|Stadion Śląski]] is between Chorzów and Katowice. It was a [[national stadium]] of Poland, with more than 50 international matches of the [[Poland national football team]] played here and around 30 matches in [[UEFA]] competitions. There were also a [[Speedway World Championship]], [[Speedway Grand Prix of Europe]] and many concerts featuring international stars.

Tourists can relax playing tennis or squash, doing [[Watersport|water sports]] also sailing (for example—in [[:pl:Dolina Trzech Stawów|Dolina Trzech Stawów]]), horse-riding (in [[:pl:Wesoła Fala|Wesoła Fala]] and [[Silesian Park]]), cycling or going to one of numerous excellently equipped fitness clubs. Near the city centre are sporting facilities like swimming pools (for example "Bugla", "Rolna") and in neighbourhood—[[Golf]] courses (in [[Siemianowice Śląskie]]).

===Sports clubs===
*[[GKS Katowice]] – men's [[Football in Poland|football]], [[ice hockey]], [[volleyball]], [[Women's association football|women's football]] [[Sports club|club]] ([[Ekstraklasa|Polish Football League]] '''Runners-Up (4):''' 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994 [[Polish Cup]] '''Winners (3)''': 1986, 1991, 1993; [[Polish SuperCup|Polish Super Cup]] '''Winners''' '''(2)''': 1991, 1995; [[Polska Hokej Liga|Polish Ice Hockey League]] '''Champions''' '''(8)''': 1958, 1960, 1962, 1965, 1968, 1970, 2022, 2023; [[Ekstraliga (women's football)|Polish Women's Football League]] '''Winners''' '''(1)''': 2023, '''Runners-Up (1)''': 2024, [[Polish Cup (women's football)|Polish Women’s Cup]] '''Winners (1)''': 2024.
*[[1. FC Katowice]] - men’s and women’s football club
*[[AZS AWF Katowice]] – various sports, women's [[Handball in Poland|handball]] team playing in [[Polish Ekstraklasa Women's Handball League|Polish Women's Handball Superleague]], men's [[basketball]] team playing in the second league, fencing section – many medals in the Polish Championship
*[[Naprzód Janów]] Katowice – hockey club playing in [[Polish Hockey Superleague]], vice-champion of Poland (5x): 1971, 1973, 1977, 1989, 1992; bronze medal (7x): 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1987; Polish Cup (1x): 1970.
*AZS US Katowice – various sports, many medals in the Polish Championship in various sports
*HKS Szopienice – various sports, many medals in the Polish and Europe and World Championship in [[Olympic weightlifting|weightlifting]]
*[[Silesia Miners]] – [[American football]] club playing in [[Polish American Football League]], Polish champion in 2009, vice-champion in 2007
*Jango Katowice – [[futsal]] club playing in Polish Futsal Superleague; Polish Cup (1x): 2007; bronze medal Polish Championship (2x): 2001, 2007
*[[Rozwój Katowice]] – football club playing in [[Polish Third League]]
*MK Katowice – football club playing in [[Polish Fourth League]]
*Hetman Szopienice – chess club, many medals in the Polish Championship
*Sparta Katowice – various sports, many medals in the Polish Championship in various sports
*[[Policyjny Klub Sportowy Katowice]] – various sports, many medals in the Polish Championship in various sports
*AWF Mickiewicz Katowice – basketball club
*Silesian [[Flying club]] (Aeroklub Śląski)

Defunct sports clubs:
*[[Diana Kattowitz]] – football club
*[[1. FC Kattowitz]] – football club, vice-champion of Poland: 1927; champion of Upper Silesia: 1907, 1908, 1909, 1913, 1922, 1932, 1945
*[[Germania Kattowitz]] – football club
*KS Baildon Katowice – various sports, many medals in the Polish Championship in various sports
*Pogoń Katowice – various sports, many medals in the Polish Championship in various sports

===Sports events===
[[File:Spanish Fans (3936293638).jpg|thumb|Spanish fans at the [[EuroBasket 2009]] in Katowice]]
[[File:Spodek Liga Światowa 2012 (2).jpg|thumb|[[2012 FIVB Volleyball World League]] match in Katowice]]
*[[1975 European Athletics Indoor Championships]]
*[[1976 World Ice Hockey Championships]]
*[[FIVB World League 2001]]
*[[FIVB World League 2007]]
*[[Eurobasket 2009]]
*[[Tour de Pologne 2010]]
*[[BNP Paribas Katowice Open]]
*[[EMS One Katowice 2014]] ([[Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major Championships|CS:GO Major Championship]])
*[[Intel Extreme Masters Season IX – World Championship|IEM World Championship Katowice 2015]]
*[[ESL One Katowice 2015]] ([[Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major Championships|CS:GO Major Championship]])
*[[Intel Extreme Masters Season X – World Championship|IEM World Championship Katowice 2016]]
*[[IEM Katowice CS:GO Championship 2017|IEM World Championship Katowice 2017]] 
*[[Overwatch World Cup 2017]] Qualifier
*[[Intel Extreme Masters Season XII – World Championship|IEM World Championship Katowice 2018]] 
*[[Intel Extreme Masters Season XIII – World Championship|IEM World Championship Katowice 2019]] ([[Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major Championships|CS:GO Major Championship]])
*ESL One Katowice 2019<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.esl-one.com/dota2/katowice-2019/|title=ESL One New York 2018 – Where CS:GO Legends Are Made|website=ESL One Katowice 2019|language=en-US|access-date=10 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110183411/https://www.esl-one.com/dota2/katowice-2019/|archive-date=10 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
*BWF World Senior Badminton Championships 2019<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bwfbadminton.com/news-single/2017/11/16/katowice-to-host-world-seniors|title=KATOWICE TO HOST 'WORLD SENIORS'|access-date=5 December 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205194739/http://bwfbadminton.com/news-single/2017/11/16/katowice-to-host-world-seniors|archive-date=5 December 2017}}</ref>
*IEM Katowice 2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=IEM Katowice 2020|url=https://www.hltv.org/events/4901/iem-katowice-2020|access-date=2021-09-28|website=HLTV.org|language=en}}</ref>
*IEM Katowice 2021<ref>{{Cite web|title=IEM Katowice 2021|url=https://www.hltv.org/events/5552/iem-katowice-2021|access-date=2023-04-20|website=HLTV.org|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Intel Extreme Masters]] Season XVI – Katowice<ref>{{Cite web|title=IEM Katowice 2022|url=https://www.hltv.org/events/6136/iem-katowice-2022|access-date=2022-03-12|website=HLTV.org|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Intel Extreme Masters]] Katowice 2023<ref>{{Cite web|title=IEM Katowice 2023|url=https://www.hltv.org/events/6809/iem-katowice-2023|access-date=2023-04-20|website=HLTV.org|language=en}}</ref>
*[[ESL Pro League]] Season 24 Finals<ref>{{cite news |last1=Županič |first1=Žan |title=Katowice's Spodek Arena to host EPL S24 Finals |url=https://www.hltv.org/news/42427/katowices-spodek-arena-to-host-epl-s24-finals |access-date=12 August 2025 |work=[[HLTV]] |date=12 August 2025}}</ref>

==Notable people==
[[File:HD.3A.050 (10481713035).jpg|thumb|160px|[[Maria Goeppert Mayer]]]]
[[File:Wojciech Kilar 2.jpg|thumb|160px|[[Wojciech Kilar]]]]
[[File:Festiwal Gwiazd 2006 Kazimierz Kutz 2.jpg|thumb|160px|[[Kazimierz Kutz]]]]
{{Main|:Category:People from Katowice}}
*[[Hans Sachs (serologist)|Hans Sachs]] (1877–1945), serologist
*[[Kurt Goldstein]] (1878–1965), neurologist
*[[Erich Przywara]] (1889–1972), priest
*[[Hans Mikosch]] (1898–1993), general
*[[Hans Källner]] (1898–1945), general
*[[Franz Leopold Neumann]] (1900–1954), politician
*[[Willy Fritsch]] (1901–1973), actor
*[[Hans Bellmer]] (1902–1975), surrealist photographer
*[[Hans-Christoph Seebohm]] (1903–1967), politician
*[[Maria Goeppert-Mayer]] (1906–1972), physicist, Nobel Prize winner
*[[Kurt Schwaen]] (1909–2007), composer
*[[Rudolf Schnackenburg]] (1914–2002), priest
*[[Georg Thomalla]] (1915–1999), actor
*[[Ernst Wilimowski]] (1916–1997), football player
*[[Ernst Plener]] (1919–2007), football player
*[[Anneli Cahn Lax]] (1922–1999), mathematician
*[[Richard Herrmann]] (1923–1962), football player
*[[Chaskel Besser]] (1923–2010), [[Rabbi|Orthodox rabbi]]
*[[Gwendoline Jarczyk]] (1927–2021), philosopher and historian
*[[Kazimierz Kutz]] (1929–2018), film director and politician
*[[Waldemar Świerzy]] (1931–2013), artist, illustrator and cartoonist
*[[Wojciech Kilar]] (1932–2013), classical and [[Film score|film music]] composer<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://culture.pl/en/artist/wojciech-kilar |title=Wojciech Kilar |website=culture.pl |access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref>
*[[Henryk Górecki]] (1933–2010), [[List of classical music composers|classical composer]]
*[[Władysław Masłowski]] (1933–1986), journalist and press researcher
*[[Janusz Sidło]] (1933–1993), javelin thrower
*[[Tadeusz Strugała]] (born 1935), orchestra conductor
*[[Josef Kompalla]] (born 1936), ice hockey player and referee
*[[Jolanta Wadowska-Król]] (1939–2023), pediatrician
*[[Henryk Broder]] (born 1946), journalist
*[[Krzysztof Krawczyk]] (1946–2021), singer, guitarist and composer
*[[Jerzy Kukuczka]] (1948–1989), alpine and [[high altitude]] climber
*[[Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska]] (born 1963), politician
*[[Elżbieta Bieńkowska]] (born 1964), politician
*[[Robert Konieczny]] (born 1969), architect
*[[Anna Kańtoch]] (born 1976), writer
*[[Alicja Kwade]] (born 1979), contemporary visual artist
*[[Jan P. Matuszyński]] (born 1984), film director 
*[[Grzegorz Kosok]] (born 1986), [[volleyball]] player
*[[Zuzanna Bijoch]] (born 1994), fashion model
*[[Mateusz Musiałowski]] (born 2003), footballer

==International relations==
===Consulates===
{{multiple image|align=right|caption_align=center|perrow=2|total_width=280
| image1 = Willa ul. Stalmacha 17 Katowice.jpg
| image2 = Katowice ul. Opolska 15 001.jpg
| footer = Honorary consulates of Peru and Slovenia}}
There are 15 honorary consulates in Katowice, of [[Austria]], [[Belarus]], [[Benin]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Chile]], [[France]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Peru]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovenia]] and [[Ukraine]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.pl/web/dyplomacja/misje-dyplomatyczne-urzedy-konsularne-i-organizacje-miedzynarodowe-w-polsce|title=Misje dyplomatyczne, urzędy konsularne i organizacje międzynarodowe w Polsce|website=Portal Gov.pl|language=pl|access-date=20 September 2024}}</ref>

===Twin towns – sister cities===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland}}
Katowice is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Miasta partnerskie|url=https://www.katowice.eu/czas-wolny/o-mie%C5%9Bcie/miasta-partnerskie|publisher=Katowice|language=pl|access-date=25 June 2023}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Cologne]], Germany
*{{flagicon|NED}} [[Groningen]], Netherlands
*{{flagicon|SVK}} [[Košice]], Slovakia
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Lviv]], Ukraine
*{{flagicon|HUN}} [[Miskolc]], Hungary
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], United States
*{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Opava]], Czech Republic
*{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Ostrava]], Czech Republic
*{{flagicon|CRO}} [[Pula]], Croatia
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Saint-Étienne]], France
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Shenyang]], China
*{{flagicon|TWN}} [[Kaohsiung]], Taiwan <ref>{{Cite web |title=Katowice and Kaohsiung have become sister cities - Polish Office in Taipei - Gov.pl website |url=https://www.gov.pl/web/taiwan/katowice-and-kaohsiung-have-become-sister-cities|date=2026-03-21 |access-date=2026-03-29 |website=Polish Office in Taipei |language=en-GB |archive-date=2026-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260329092233/https://poland.tw/web/taiwan/katowice-and-kaohsiung-have-become-sister-cities |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{div col end}}


==See also==
{{Portal|Poland|European Union}}
* [[List of mayors of Katowice]]
* [[List of tallest buildings in Katowice]]
* [[Wojciech Korfanty Avenue, Katowice|Wojciech Korfanty Avenue]]
* [[Balkan railway]]
* [[Architecture of Katowice]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Katowice|voy=Katowice}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070623135218/http://www.um.katowice.pl/en/index.php The Municipal Council of the City of Katowice]
* [https://portal.katowice.pl/portal-katowice-in-english Katowice Portal in English]

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