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Voivodeship of Poland
Photo: MichalPL, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Silesian Voivodeship (Polish: Województwo śląskie) is one of the 16 provinces or voivodeships of Poland, in the south of the country bordering the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Much of it is industrial and densely populated, with a total of around 5 million, but there are also scenic rural uplands and mountains. Even the industrial areas are worth visiting, for the mining heritage and the mansions and churches funded by rich industrialists.
By train
Katowice is the hub, with trains from Gdańsk, Warsaw, Kraków, Berlin, Wrocław, and from Prague, Vienna and Budapest via Ostrava.
By road
Principal highways are E75 from Gdańsk via Łódź (joined by E67 from Warsaw), E40 from Berlin via Wrocław and continuing east to Kraków and Lviv, and A1 from Brno via Ostrava.
By train is usually the best inter-city option, with frequent services and subsidised fares. An extensive tram network links the towns around Katowice.
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Katowice is a large city in the Silesian Voivodeship (województwo śląskie) in the south of Poland. In 2021 it had a population of 315,000; it's the central city of Metropolis GZM (population 2.3 million) which in turn is part of Upper Silesian-Moravian metropolitan area sprawling across the Czech border.
Będzin is a county town in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, in the Zagłębie Dąbrowskie region, on the Czarna Przemsza river. It is part of the Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolis and lies between Sosnowiec, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Czeladź, Wojkowice and Psary.
Bytom is an industrial city in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland. With a population of 161,139 in 2021, it's part of the Silesian Metropolis centred on Katowice 7 km southeast.
Chorzów is an industrial city in the Silesian Voivodeship of southwest Poland, with a population of 105,628 in 2021. Many of its attractions are in the Culture Park along the boundary with Katowice.
Czeladź is a town in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, on the Brynica River. It is part of the Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolis and lies between Będzin, Sosnowiec, Katowice, Siemianowice Śląskie and Wojkowice.
Dąbrowa Górnicza is a city in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland. Standing 300 m above sea level, it's post-industrial, with a population of 117,000 in 2021.
Gliwice is a city in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland, with a population of 175,102 in 2021. It's part of Metropolis GZM centred on Katowice and is industrial.
Pszczyna is a small town in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland, known for its palace/castle.
Ruda Śląska is an industrial city in the Silesian Voivodeship of southwest Poland, with a population of 135,008 in 2021. It's part of the Upper Silesian metropolis, centered around Katowice.
Sosnowiec is a city in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland, in the historic Dąbrowa Basin, about 10 km east of Katowice. It has about 186,000 residents and forms part of the Metropolis GZM, the large urban area of Katowice and neighbouring cities.
Tarnowskie Góry is a city in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland, with a population of 61,842 in 2021. It's part of the Katowice metropolis and is the site of the beginning of the industrial revolution in Silesia.
Tychy is a city in the Silesian Voivodeship in the south of Poland. With a population of 125,781 in 2021, it's part of the Katowice metropolis.
Zabrze is a city in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland, part of a metropolis centred on Katowice. It's industrial, with a population of 168,946 in 2021.
Częstochowa is a city in the Silesian Voivodeship in the south of Poland; it's industrial and had a population of 214,342 in 2021. It's best known for the monastery of Jasna Góra, holding the Black Madonna icon, and is a major pilgrimage site for Roman Catholics.
Ogrodzieniec is a town in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland, in the Ojców mountains 62 km northwest of Kraków. It's famous for its Gothic-Renaissance ruined castle, 2 km east in the village helpfully called Podzamcze, which means "by the castle".
Pilica is a market town in the Silesian Voivodeship in southwest Poland. With a population of 1900 in 2019, it's the administrative centre for a straggle of villages in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, the limestone hills also known as the "Polish Jura".
a small historic town with a medieval street layout,
Cieszyn is a town in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland, with a population of 33,500 in 2021. It stands on the River Olza on the Czech border.
Bielsko-Biała is a city in the Silesian Voivodeship of southwest Poland, with a population of 170,000 in 2020. It's post-industrial but has many interesting old buildings and museums, and sits at the foot of the Beskidy mountains.
Ustroń is a mountain resort in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland, 82 km south of Katowice, with a population of 16,000 in 2022. Poland's largest river, the Wisła or Vistula, arises nearby in these Beskids mountains.
Wisła is a mountain resort in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland, 90 km south of Katowice. In 2019 its population was 11,000.
Szczyrk is a winter sports resort in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland. The town is at an elevation of 500-600 m in the Beskids mountains, and the highest local peak is Skrzyczne at 1257 m.
Żywiec is a town in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland, 85 km south of Katowice. It's best known for its brewery and is a resort town, with a large lake, and winter and summer leisure activities in the nearby Beskids mountains.
The Beskids are a long series of mountains, with over a dozen constituent ranges, that form part of the Carpathian Mountains. With peaks seldom exceeding 2000 m, they lie for the most part in southern Poland, crossing Silesia, Małopolskie and Podkarpackie Provinces.
Auschwitz-Birkenau is the generic name given to the cluster of concentration, labour and extermination camps established by the Nazis during the Second World War and located near the towns of Oświęcim and Brzezinka in southern Poland, some 60 km from Kraków. The camps have become a place of pilgrimage for survivors, their families and all who wish to travel to remember the Holocaust.
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