Katowice is the main city of the Upper Silesian Industrial Area.
The area around Katowice, Upper Silesia, was inhabited by ethnic Poles since the 10th century.
Katowice's rynek is the old center and marketplace of the city. Unfortunately many old buildings were demolished the in 1950s to make place for communist modern buildings. Today the communist designs are considered ugly and there are plans to demolish them and rebuild the old, classic town center.
Several streets around the rynek and the rynek itself are now closed to traffic and have been made into a shopping promenades.
Forest reserve "LAS MURCKOWSKI" in Katowice-Murcki,was established in 1953 and subsequently enlarged in 1989 - a mixed, natural-like forest. The objective is to preserve the fragments of the beech forest growing on the hill "Wzgorze Wandy" with monumental beeches and oaks. Over 100 animal species, one third of which are legally protected species, 80 species of insects, 210 species of vascular plants, protected fungi species.