page_title: Katowice
section_title: Economy
hierarchical_section_title: Katowice / Economy
caption_attribution_description: English: Silesia City Center in Katowice (Poland). Français&#160;: Le centre commercial Silesia à Katowice, en Pologne. Polski: Wejście główne do centrum handlowego Silesia City Center w Katowicach.
context_page_description: Katowice is a city in southern Poland, the capital city of the Silesian Region, and a center of the Upper Silesia and Dąbrowa Basin Metropolis. With the population of 292,774, it is the eleventh-largest city in Poland. The wider Katowice urban area has the population of approximately 2 to 3 million people.
  Throughout the mid-18th century, Katowice had developed into a village upon the discovery of rich coal reserves in the area. In 1742 the First Silesian War transferred Upper Silesia, including Katowice, to Prussia. Subsequently, from the second half of the 18th century, many German or Prussian craftsmen, merchants and artists began to settle in the region, which had been inhabited mostly by Poles over the past hundreds of years. Simultaneously Silesia experienced the influx of the first Jewish settlers. In the first half of the 19th century, intensive industrialization transformed local mills and farms into industrial steelworks, mines, foundries and artisan workshops. This also contributed to the establishment of companies and eventual rapid growth of the city.
context_section_description: Katowice is a large coal and steel center. It has several coal mines (Wujek Coal Mine, Mysłowice-Wesoła Coal Mine, Wieczorek Coal Mine, Murcki Coal Mine, Staszic Coal Mine) organized into unions—Katowice Coal Holding company (pl: Katowicki Holding Węglowy), two steelworks (Huta Baildon, Huta Ferrum), and one foundry of non-ferrous metals (Huta Metali Nieżelaznych Szopienice).
  Katowice is a large business and trade fair center. Every year in Katowice International Fair and Spodek, tens of international trade fairs are organized. Katowice has the second largest business centre in Poland (after Warsaw Business Centre). Skyscrapers stand along Chorzowska, Korfantego and Roździeńskiego street in the centre. The newest office buildings (A-class) are the Chorzowska 50, Altus Skyscraper and Silesia Towers (under construction).
  Katowice is the seat of Katowice Special Economic Zone (Katowicka Specjalna Strefa Ekonomiczna).
  The Unemployment rate is one of the lowest in Poland, at 2% (2008). The city is still characterized by its working-class strength and attracts many people from neighbouring cities (other districts in USMU seeking jobs).
caption: Silesia City Center – a large shopping mall in Katowice. Located over former coal mine "Gottwald"
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