A late 1950s photograph of the main theatre in Katowice, Upper Silesia, Poland.

A selection of old images from our archive showing the city of Katowice through time.

A tram on ulica Warszawska in the centre of Katowice, Poland, c.1960.

Five things you may not know about Katowice:

1 – Katowice has eight railway stations and is one of the biggest railway junctions in Poland.

A photograph of Korfantego Avenue in Katowice, Poland, c.1970.

2 – Katowice is something of a centre of music in Poland with many live concerts and several annual festivals.

The Rynek (Market) area of Katowice, Poland, during the mid 1970s communist period.

3 – Katowice has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Poland. Right now only 2%! Workers here are on average also paid more than anyone else in Poland. Higher even than those of Warsaw.

A milk bar (bar mleczny) and a Syrena car in the middle of Katowice, Poland, c.1977.

4 – In 1953 Katowice was renamed Stalinogród (Stalin’s City). The name never stuck and it was dropped in 1956.

An animated central Katowice, Poland, c.1982. The milk bar shown in the previous photograph is also visible here.

5 – The city of Katowice currently has a population of more than 300,000. Making it the 10th largest city in Poland. However, the city lies at the centre of an extended metropolitan area with a population of almost three million!

Related content on Polish Poland: Pre-war images of Kattowitz / Katowice.