Bydgoszcz encourages to invest... in sport

Sport is not only about health. It is also a way to feel better in times of the pandemic, and even to succeed in business, because everything that requires regular physical activity can translate into positive effects at work, life and running a company. Why is it worth investing in sport and how can an "active city" support its inhabitants in these activities?

Almost everyone is convinced of the positive impact of physical activity on health. However, do we see its other advantages as well, including the relationship between sport and success in running a business or developing a professional career? Contrary to appearances, these are activities that can go hand in hand for many reasons. Involvement in sport determines attitudes in people and these are extremely useful in the professional sphere. They can include boldly taking up challenges, setting goals and mobilizing to achieve them, persistence in overcoming difficulties or drawing even greater motivation from failures. Both in sport and in business, what counts is efficient operation under time pressure, striving for better quality and efficiency, and (depending on the discipline) good communication with the team. Finally, regular physical activity is great for the human body, balancing the effects of a sedentary lifestyle, relieving stress, increasing brain performance, energizing and supplying us with hormones that affect the feeling of satisfaction, which often also affects our level of job satisfaction.

According to research, people regularly engaging in healthy physical activity show better memory, and practicing sports already in youth increases the chances of subsequent higher earnings. Therefore, such a "physical investment" is a solid foundation, supporting our steps towards success in many areas of life, especially in business.

– The development of modern civilization causes the average person to experience less and less movement. It is worth finding a balance for sedentary work and living by spending free time actively. The World Health Organization recommends that adults engage in physical activity most days a week, so as to devote a total of at least 2.5 hours a week to it – says Dr. Kamila Litwic-Kaminska from the Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz. – The peak of secretion of endorphins, which positively affect our mood, is noted after about 30 minutes of exercise, so incidental action is not enough. Regular activity has a lasting effect on our body, lowering the heart rate, blood pressure, slowing down the rhythm of breathing, thanks to which we are better able to cope with everyday challenges and approach them more calmly. Physically active people also report better sleep quality and wake up more refreshed. Sleep is essential for proper regeneration and wellbeing. Moreover, sport teaches us to overcome weaknesses, to cope with difficulties, pain or fatigue, it also shapes our regularity and increases awareness of our own abilities and limitations. These are the factors that can translate into positive effects at work and running a business, they also help prevent overwork or professional burnout – explains Dr. Litwic-Kaminska.

The theory is confirmed by practice, as advocated by the Bydgoszcz professional runner and trainer Paweł Ochal, Polish marathon champion and bronze medallist of the European Championships: – I am often approached for coaching advice by people with stable lifestyles and who run their own businesses. I always ask about their purpose and motivation. They often answer that they just want to discharge themselves, they are looking for a break from everyday life or they planned to go out for jogging twice a week. After a few weeks, they themselves notice that movement works well for them. They say that they can finally get enough

Download for Android: Download for iOS: sleep and have more energy to work... How simple is it, 2–3 hours of sport a week, and the energy to act is enough for the whole 7 days. Strange to some people, they in fact begin to treat physical activity as a therapy for everyday stress. While running in the park or forest, they can free themselves from the four walls of their home or office, and they often get new ideas into the oxygenated cells, which makes them want to go further and develop even more. As it turns out, this activity not only does not interfere with their work or running a business, but on the contrary, apart from vitality, it also brings interesting solutions to other problems.

In this context, Paweł Ochal also uses an interesting experience brought from the Far East: – Having been to Japan a few times, running the alleys of Tokyo where I flew in for a competition, I have often seen people running like me. However, when we stopped for a moment at the traffic lights, these people started talking and gesticulating. It turned out they were working while jogging! For me it is a difficult art, and they while being unable to cope with something at work, found a solution precisely during physical activity. "It's normal for us," one Japanese told me then.

Sport and recreation are also important ingredients taken into account when assessing the quality of life, which, according to experts, is of increasing importance for the further development of investments, especially in the sector of modern business services. Work-life balance is an idea actively undertaken and promoted in Bydgoszcz, which for years has been a city of sport, water and greenery. On a daily basis, the City offers its residents wonderful areas to encourage physical activity, such as countless parks, including the largest municipal park in Poland – Myślęcinek, as well as riverside boulevards, sports complexes or the charming green space of the Mill Island, located in the heart of the City. Bydgoszcz is also the City where many outstanding athletes have come from or have been associated with, constantly inspiring the local community with their international successes.

In recent years, dozens of sports events in various disciplines, both for professionals and amateurs, have been held regularly in Bydgoszcz, already renowned nationally and even in Europe. The City also became the initiator of the national competition for the Cycling Capital of Poland Cup. Inspired by the project of the European Cycling Challenge from a few years ago, Bydgoszcz did not let this idea go into oblivion and threw up a new challenge. Since 2019, it has been organizing a nationwide city competition for the Cycling Capital of Poland Cup. This year's edition will run throughout June, and the rules are simple – cyclists download a free app designed for the competition, which records the routes travelled and their lengths. Thanks to the joint commitment, users

Active Cities (in Polish: Aktywne Miasta) is a multifunctional, free mobile application, useful for everyone who practices sports. It offers several disciplines, measures time and distance travelled, calories burned, and the routes travelled are marked on the map. Each kilometre travelled is converted into coins, and these can be exchanged with project partners, e.g. for discounts or gifts. Complete statistics with training history are available in one place. The initiator of the project is the City of Bydgoszcz.

The Active Cities application also allows you to set your own goals. Each training session or goal can be published on social media, to share your achievements with friends. By downloading the application, you also gain access to many useful functions and have an opportunity to take part in the national competition for the Cup of the Cycling Capital of Poland. Monthly bicycle struggles are a fantastic adventure for all lovers of two wheels, as well as a form of promoting a healthy lifestyle and ecological transport in cities. The next edition will take place in June 2021. Details are available at www.aktywne.miasta.pl.

Photo: Bydgoszcz City Hall.

Inspired by the project of the European Cycling Challenge from a few years ago, Bydgoszcz did not let this idea go into oblivion and threw up a new challenge. Since 2019, it has been organizing a nationwide city competition for the Cycling Capital of Poland Cup. This year’s edition will run throughout June.

contribute to the mass implementation of the "smart city" idea, and motivate each other to healthy, sport competition, promoting an active lifestyle. The winning city will receive the Cup of the Cycling Capital of Poland, and the added value for the authorities will be the detailed statistics of journeys, the so-called "heat map", i.e. data on the most frequently used routes, useful in planning and designing bicycle infrastructure.

Today, in the era of the pandemic, physical activity has assumed slightly different, more individual forms, and sports competition on a mass scale has moved mainly to virtual space. The City of Bydgoszcz is also moving in this direction, taking up the technological challenge and setting a new trend in encouraging physical activity and building a spirit of positive competition, not only on a local but also national scale. their users, offer discounts to partners from the region or post local sports and recreation information.

People are the most important aspect for both business and city development, and quality of life indicators will be increasingly important for further investment development.

Based on the previous experience of running the Bydgoszcz sports portal Active Bydgoszcz and the organization of the Cycling Capital of Poland, this year, on the initiative of Bydgoszcz, there has been created a new project called Active Cities. It is an internet portal and a sports app, which is a multifunctional tool dedicated to people who spend their time actively. The app not only measures kilometres in several different disciplines, but also gives an access to other useful functionalities that make it easier to set and achieve sports goals and encourage friends to do so. What's more, all cities that will take part in the Cycling Capital of Poland will have access to a wider version of this application. This will enable them, for example, to create city games, share routes with Bydgoszcz sees great value in cultivating the idea of work--life balance, ensuring both the growth of the local economy and the creation of a convenient space for living, sports and recreation. It boldly goes even a step further and, using new technologies, encourages residents of other Polish cities and towns to spend their time actively.

More information:

4C Unii Lubelskiej Street 85-059 Bydgoszcz Phone: +48 52 585 88 23 e-mail: barr@barr.pl www.barr.pl

Two glassworks, world tycoons: Stoelzle and Guardian Glass, have settled in Częstochowa for good. In the context of the sales market, they do not compete with each other, but they will certainly compete in the labour market over time. The local government of Częstochowa has already acted here, which took care of profiling classes in technical schools and supporting the creation of a new field of study at the Częstochowa University of Technology.

The Stolzle Glassworks in Częstochowa started a new investment in the Katowice Special Economic Zone on Wednesday, March 9. Later this year, a modern logistics centre will be built at Rząsawska Street. And this is not the end of the company's plans.

The centre, which is being built near the existing Stoelzle plant in Wyczerpy district, will be one of the largest facilities of this type in Częstochowa. This summer, on an area of over 20 thousand square metres, a hall will be built. The construction of it will cost almost PLN 25 million. The whole thing will be modern and more ecological thanks to a system for obtaining energy from renewable sources.

– This construction is a response to the evergrowing demand for glass packaging and the company's development. The new facility will increase production efficiency and shorten loading and delivery times. The centre will be the largest facility of this type in the entire CAG holding, of which Stoelzle is a part. Although other companies are located in several European countries and the USA, it was decided to invest in Częstochowa. That shows how enormous potential and capital for the entire holding company is the Częstochowa company – says the president of Stoelzle Częstochowa, Artur Wołoszyn.

The construction of the new centre takes place in the area of the Katowice Special Economic Zone, which is related to, among others, with additional discounts for the implementation of investments and with an increase in employment by several dozen people (currently the plant in Częstochowa has about 1,000 people, the entire CAG holding company has 8,300 employees).

– It is extremely important for us that another large employer wants to develop in our city and create new jobs. As a local government, we try to support such activities, both in the area of logistics, communication and education – through cooperation with entrepreneurs in terms of adapting Częstochowa's educational offer to the needs of the labour market – emphasizes the mayor of Częstochowa, Krzysztof Matyjaszczyk. – Getting to the start of this investment cost a lot of work. Together with the company and the city, it was also carried out by the Katowice Special Economic Zone. Thanks to the cooperation with the Zone management, over 30 companies have invested in Częstochowa so far. It is over one billion six hundred million PLN of private capital investment in various ventures. Besides, thousands of workplaces – he adds.

As the management board of Stoelzle emphasizes, the construction of the centre is not the only investment that will be implemented in Częstochowa. At the beginning of next year, the company plans to build a new glass bath which costs over PLN 135 million. This project will also be associated with increasing employment.

Stoelzle Częstochowa is the largest of the seven companies belonging to the Stoelzle Glass Group. The company supplies prestigious glass packaging for the world's largest brands in the spirit, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and food industries. The factory in Częstochowa offers the highest quality glass decoration services. Stoelzle Częstochowa, its construction and design area, provide customers with individual creation of glass products of the highest quality and in line with current trends. The company has quality certificates: ISO 9001 and BRC / IoP standards for food packaging.

The history of glassmaking in Poland is as long as the history of our statehood. The oldest glass products found come from the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries. In 16th-century, there were about thirty steel mills. Their placement was determined by geographical and geological location.

The location of the glassworks once depended on natural conditions, and above all, on the resources of raw materials such as glass sands, technical clays, limestone and firewood. Due to the firewood, glassworks were established in

The development trend on the market is also due to the growing revenues, the total value of which accounts for 40% of the market value, and the largest recipients are European Union countries - they account for almost 80% of total exports. One can risk a statement that Częstochowa lamps hang in salons all over Europe. in the construction industry contributes to significant energy saving, reduction of pollutant emissions, including greenhouse gas emissions. Poland has good quality raw materials, educated human resources, a central location and an insatiable market, which gives great potential for the development of the glass industry. Częstochowa occupies a rather prominent place on this map. Today, two large glass processing plants operate in the city: a tycoon in the production of float glass – Guardian Glass and Stolzle Częstochowa.

wooded areas, which provided them with two essential raw materials: fuel and ash. Historical sources indicate that 93 steel plants operated in Poland from the beginning of the 14th to the mid-17th century.

In the 19th century, one of the most modern model glassworks in the country, established in 1897 by Izydor Geisler, the "Paulina" glasswork was established in Częstochowa (to secure the needs of the planned alcohol bottling plant). It employed 725 workers who lived in factory houses, and there was also a school for 140 students. At that time, it was not difficult to find specialists to work in glasswork because between Gidle and Radomsko glass was smelted in small manufactories, and steelworkers were considered itinerant specialists, which was determined by the specificity of the industry. When the bottling plant turned out to be too small as a sales source, the glasswork exported its production to Russia, to the Caucasus and Persia, which is today's Iran.

After World War II, the steelworks was nationalized, but manufacturing did not start. At that time, the warehouses of the Chemical Central were located in Wyczerpy district. Częstochowa Glassworks, which also managed other glassworks in the city of Częstochowa, began to build a new factory at Warszawska Street in 1959, in the area of the former "Paulina". It was put into service in 1963, and in 1970 new packaging was introduced: bottles for foodstuffs such as "Winiary", bottles for baby nutrients, vodka miniatures and perfume bottles, which still constitute a significant part of today's production in "Stolzle Częstochowa" – a branch of the Austrian glass factory, which is a tycoon in the industry.

The glass industry in Częstochowa is not only "Paulina". Apart from historical conditions, a prime requirement for the development of this industry was the demand for glass products, considering the need for devotional articles, including bottles for the miraculous water from the spring at St. Barbara.

The Barbara Glassworks operated from 1909 at Ciemna Street (now Sikorski Street). It was grinding glass spools for silk and the production of glass stoppers for perfume bottles. The larger plant was Zacisze Glasswork. It was established in 1922, later renamed "Stradom". When Barbara was closed in 1962, the workers moved to the "Stradom" glassworks, but after eight years it was also closed and the entire glass production in Częstochowa was concentrated in the former "Paulina" in Wyczerpy district.

The glass industry in Poland consists of over 100 companies. They deal with the production of flat glass and their products, lighting glass, glass blocks. The products of the Polish glass market are also excellent insulation materials (glass and mineral wool). The use of them The production of glass is also related to the aforementioned production of devotional items, to meet the needs of the pilgrimage tourism in the city, stained glass windows and a widely represented lighting industry. That is a good time for Polish lighting producers. The development trend on the market is also due to the growing revenues, the total value of which accounts for 40% of the market value, and the largest recipients are European Union countries – they account for almost 80% of total exports.

One can risk a statement that Częstochowa lamps hang in salons all over Europe, which is a reference to the 15th or 16th century, when Polish glass reigned on European tables, just like mirrors. Likely, the fact that many companies from the lighting industry operated in the city is also because since 1886 Częstochowa was the second fully electrically lit city in Europe (the first was a small district town of Darkehmen in East Prussia, in which several arc lamps were installed). The development of road lighting was preceded by a few years before the development of lighting for industrial plants in the city and its immediate vicinity.

Author: A. Tymoshenko Translation: M. Wytrzymała

More information:

Investor Assistance Center Department of European Funds and Development City Hall of Częstochowa Waszyngtona 5 Street, 42-217 Częstochowa Phone: +48 34 3707 212, +48 34 3707 213 e-mail: coi@czestochowa.um.gov.pl, fer@czestochowa.um.gov.pl www.czestochowa.pl

Fot.: Dron4Pic.

An underwater stroll surrounded by stingrays and sharks, several dozen oriental species, and thousands of plants from Southeast Asia are supposed to attract even up to 1.5 million tourists to Łódź per year – when the COVID-19 pandemic finally ends, that is. The Orientarium at the Łódz Zoo will be ready soon. Its closest direct competitor is located in... the UK.

It promises to look insanely good. Imagine a 6 meter deep pool filled with more than 2.5 million liters of salt water. There’s a tunnel at the bottom of this pool, 25 meters in length and 2.4 meters in height. Acrylic walls are 12 centimeters thick and allow visitors to feel completely safe as well as provide them with an unparalleled chance to admire the marine fauna and flora from the perspective normally reserved exclusively for scuba divers in Southeast Asia. And trust us, there will be a lot to admire at the Łódź Orientarium. We’ll return to the stories about a coral reef stretching right before us and exotic vegetation a little bit later; for now, let’s focus on what truly grips our imagination the most – the sea creatures swimming around us.

Stingrays are among the species to be present. These cartilaginous fish take different shapes and colors, depending on the specific species. They may not look threatening, and their presence does not result in an adrenaline rush comparable to that generated by a shark, but let's take a moment to appreciate the acrylic barrier. Mother Nature has equipped some stingrays with lethal weapons – tails with venomous spinal blades, which may be dangerous to humans, too. It was a stingray that pierced the heart and led to the immediate death of the famous ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin. The Łódz Orientarium will also be home for rare guitarfish and some of the largest predatory sharks – the feared great white sharks, which, not quite fairly and with great detriment to their population, have been labeled “man-eaters”. At the bottom of the pool there will be... a replica of a WWII airplane.

Such aircrafts flew over the Coral Sea back in 1942 when the combined fleets of the United States Navy and the Royal Australian Navy fought the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Water was pumped into the pool at the beginning of March this year, and the first lucky visitors were already taking a walk down the acrylic tunnel – without the merry company of sharks and stingrays thus far because the water pumped in at the moment is there for the purpose of leaching the tanks, that is, to get rid of all dangerous compounds. Leaching takes 6 to 8 weeks and only after draining the temporary water and a thorough cleaning of the tank, the pool will be filled with proper salt water to be be stocked with fish.

The Lodz Orientarium will be an sophisticated breeding and exhibition complex. People who have had the opportunity to take a stroll around the Zoo located at Konstantynowska Street will immediately understand the size of the current investment upon hearing this – the Orientarium will occupy half of the present Zoo area! Pavilions, enclosures, and aviaries for animals extend over an area larger than 10 full-size football pitches. Guests will also have at their disposal an entrance and conference area, as well as recreational and catering facilities with an area of approx. 20 thousand square meters.

– The construction of the Orientarium will enable connecting the exhibitions with each other, meaning spacious enclosures and aviaries will be created. Such solutions make it possible to keep animals in large spaces, and also have different species alongside one another in a varied environment. This, in turn, allows the animals to behave in an unconstrained way, and grants visitors the opportunity to observe animals in conditions closely resembling their natural habitats. In addition, the new facility will be available to visitors all year round thus the animals will not have to be moved to breeding facilities during the cold season– said Tomasz Jóźwik from the Municipal Zoological Garden. Around 50 different species of animals from Southeast Asia will live under the roof and in open enclosures of the Orientarium. Better living conditions will be enjoyed by all – both the present inhabitants of the Łódź Zoo, such as langurs (primates belonging to the Old World monkey family) and binturongs (predatory mammals living in the dense forests of South and Southeast Asia), as well as species that have not been here before. Orangutans, clouded leopards, Malay bears, gibbons, hornbills, Bali starlings, will be among those brought to the Municipal Zoological Garden; and, after a bit of a break, the Indian elephants will return, too.

Transports are arriving from all around the world. Gharials (reptiles belonging to the crocodile family) were found nearby – Czech Republic is where these large specimen (measuring up to several meters) were found. Indian elephants will be brought from the Netherlands and France. Plants, shrubs, ivy, and grasses that will be planted in the Orientarium are vegetation ordinarily found in and around

Laos, Hong Kong, India, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines. They will arrive at the Orientarium from crops in the Netherlands – there will be approx. 20 thousand plants in total, including some rare varieties. Most of them have already arrived in Poland. Around 14 thousand potted plants are stored in a greenhouse near Łódź – one of the selection criteria applied was their color, in order to have them match the interior of the Łódź Orientarium. Plants will also cover a large part of the Orientarium roof. Stonecrop was chosen for the roof. It should withstand both extended periods of drought and heavy rainfall. Soil is composed of elements which will absorb excess water and release moisture on hot days; this, in turn, doesn’t require much maintenance work around the stonecrop.

The Orientarium is one of the most important investments in the history of the Łódź Municipal Zoological Garden. Ever since the Zoo was established on the very last patch of the Łódź Forest and a deer named ‘Boruta’, caught in the Reymont Square, was brought there and became its first inhabitant, there has been no investment that had the potential to attract so many new visitors.

– Our estimates show that the project will cost approx. PLN 270 m. We concluded that the "design and build" formula suits this type of project the most. I am convinced that having the Orientarium constructed in the Łódź Zoo will be a real hit among tourists and will boost the city’s attractiveness, the same way it happened in Wrocław – said Arkadiusz Jaksa, chairman of the Łódź Zoo management company.

How exactly did the Wrocław scenario play out? After the Africarium was built there, the number of visitors grew from 440 thousand to 2 million per year. Łódź has focused on the Orient, where there is no shortage of interesting, extremely rare species.

– Our hope is that the Orientarium will act as a strong impulse for the development of tourism. Łódź is further rewarded by its central location within Poland and excellent transport communication links. We expect to welcome visitors from Poland and from all over Europe. Our closest competitor – the only other Orientarium in Europe – is located in the UK – remarked Hanna Zdanowska, the Mayor of Łódź.

More information:

Piotrkowska 104a Street, 90-926 Lodz Phone: +48 42 638 59 39 Fax: +48 42 638 59 40 e-mail: boi@uml.lodz.pl