Poland Guide
Upper Silesia
Long thought of as the heartland of Polish heavy industry, Upper Silesia remains an area of stark contrasts. At its centre stands a huge conurbation of towns which rejoices in the collective name of GOP (Górnośląski Okręg Przemysłowy, or Upper Silesian Industrial District). With two million inhabitants, this is the most densely populated part of the country. To the south, however lies some of the most bewitching countryside in Poland, in the form of the fir-clad Silesian Beskid Mountains that make up the province's border with the Czech Republic.
The once-mighty coal and steel industries of the GOP went into steep decline after 1989, but with factories becoming art galleries and mines being redeveloped as tourist attractions, there's plenty in the way of industrial heritage to enjoy. Having both an international airport and a major international railway junction, the GOP's main city, Katowice, is your most likely entry point to the region, although it's a gritty place best treated as a gateway to the more appetizing areas beyond. A train ride away lie two of the most important spiritual sites in Poland: to the north, Częstochowa is the site of mass pilgrimages inspired by the miracle-working icon known as the Black Madonna; while to the west the hilltop village of Góra świętej Anny is an altogether more rustic, restful spot associated with the cult of St Anne. South of Katowice, rolling farmland rises gently to meet the pine-cloaked Beskids, providing a surfeit of attractive hiking territory. Ranged around the foothills, the Baroque palace at Pszczyna and the delightful town of Cieszyn are the main targets for travellers.
Highlights
1 Park of Culture and Rest, Katowice This mammoth-sized city park boasts fairground rides, rose gardens, a folk museum and more.
2 Góra świętej Anny Both a pilgrimage site and a former battlefield, "St Anne's Hill" is of great symbolic significance to Silesian Poles.
3 Częstochowa Home to the enigmatic holy image known as the Black Madonna, this is Poland's most important place of pilgrimage.
4 Pszczyna One of the finest palaces in the country, surrounded by bison-grazed parkland.
5 The Silesian Beskids Rippling pine-covered hills criss-crossed by hiking trails, accessed from the mountain resorts of Ustroń, Wisła and Szczyrk.
6 Cieszyn A charming historic market town straddling Poland's frontier with the Czech Republic.