Sister cities of Katowice

Katowice /ˌkætəˈviːtsə/ (Polish: [katɔˈvit͡sɛ]; German: Kattowitz; Silesian: Katowicy) is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers (tributaries of the Oder and the Vistula respectively). It is in the Silesian Highlands, about 50 km (31 mi) north of the Silesian Beskids (part of the Carpathian Mountains) and about 100 km (62 mi) southeast of the Sudetes Mountains. It is the central district of the Silesian Metropolis, a territorial entity operating on the principle of metropolitan municipality, with a population of 2 million.

Katowice is the center of science, culture, industry, business, trade fair/exhibitions and transportation in the Upper Silesia region and southern Poland. It is the main city in the Upper Silesian Industrial Region. Katowice lies within an urban zone, with a population of 2,746,460 according to Eurostat, and also part of the wider Silesian metropolitan area, with a population of 5,294,000 according to the European Spatial Planning Observation Network. Today, Katowice is rapidly growing city and emerging metropolis. It is the 16th economically powerful city by GDP in the European Union with an output amounting to $114.5 billion.

Katowice has been the capital of the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999. Previously it was the capital of the Katowice Voivodeship, the Silesian Voivodeship, and the Province of Upper Silesia in Germany.