2010
CityInvestPoland
to re-assert region’s power The Katowice train station - long the black sheep in Poland’s rail-station family - has entered into a major redevelopment plan with Spain’s Neinver to transform the station from shame to fame. Due to re-open in spring 2012 - just before the Euro 2012 football championships - the station’s redevelopment plans include a complete rebuild of the passenger station, development of modern retail services, and erection of a major modern office building.
land’s largest water park, and the Museum of Silesia, continue to expand its appeal to families and young professionals. The city of Katowice has initiated a major city-centre re-development scheme, due to start in 2011, and transform the city centre into a pedestrian-friendly zone. And the city of Dabrowa Górnicza is also focused on converting antiquated sites into leisure projects - the city plans to construct a 60-metre pier into a major local lake, and will include a
Metropolia Silesia
The region’s road infrastructure is probably the best in Poland - and the rail and air links are developing quickly. The TransEuropean Corridor III (Berlin-Wroclaw-Katowice-Krakow-Lvov) (A4 in Poland) passes through the region from west to east, and the TransEuropean Corridor IV (GdanskKatowice-Zylina-Bratislava-Vienna) (A1) runs south to north, linking Vienna to the Baltic sea port of Gdansk. The raw numbers support the theory that the region is becoming a major transportation
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corridor - cargo transport at the Katowice International Airport has grown 95% in the last two years. Passengers can connect to 34 international destinations on 170 flights per week. Cities in the Silesia region are increasingly recognizing the value of their industrial heritage, and are planning to redevelop large, post-industrial sites. For example, in Bytom, the property of the former “Powstancow Slaskich” coal mine, on an area of 298,000 square metres, is a prime candidate for development. “Our post-industrial mining properties, once a complicated issue for Silesian governments, are now a bargaining card in attracting investors, due to their advantageous locations and available utilities”, said Piotr Koj, mayor of Bytom.
The region’s cities, the Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia, and the Katowice Special Economic Zone are supporting development, through a combination of tax subsidies and incentives, and intensive support of investors who create jobs and opportunities for the region. The Katowice Zone was established in 1996, and many automotive, computer, and building companies, such as GM Opel, NGK Ceramics and TRW Braking Systems have their offices in this tax-advantaged zone, and its sub-zone in Gliwice. Local authorities recognize that quality-of-life translates into better long-term profits. The region’s initiatives, such as plans to build Po-
huge playground and volleyball courts. While Warsaw’s residents lament the distance to sea or mountains, Silesia’s citizens can be climbing the Carpathians within an hour of leaving the office. Lastly, the supply of modern office space is set to double in the next two years, as Swedish, Dutch, and domestic developers recognize the region’s demand for quality offices. New A-class office projects that are being developed, in stages, include Atrium (11800 GLA square metres), Reinhold Center (44000 sm), Centrum Biurowe Francuska (21500 sm), Katowice Business Point (17500 sm), Silesia Towers (76200 sm), and Silesia Business n Park (41000 sm).