About Poland

Silesia and Myszkow

Why Silesia?

Silesia is made up of some 4,830,000 inhabitants over an area of 12,300km2. It has the highest population density in the country with 398 people per km2 (national average 124 people per km2). It is the largest industrial district in Poland with 13.7% of Gross National Product produced there. The most important regional industries are: mining; iron, lead and zinc metallurgy; power industry; engineering; automobile; chemical; building materials; textile.

The region is rich in numerous natural resources that, among others, comprise: hard coal; zinc and lead deposits; methane; natural gas beds; marl; limestone; natural aggregate deposits; healing, thermal and mineral waters. On the basis of the existing raw material base, an industrial district, the largest in Poland, has been established here. There are 38 active hard coal mines in the region, 25 steel-works and metallurgical works, 21 powers plants and heat & power stations. Besides hard coal mining, metallurgy is the predominant sector.

Currently, the region is undergoing restructuring processes in the iron and steel, and coal mining industries. This has resulted in a decrease in the employment in these industries from 243,000 people in 1997, to 131,000 in 2003.

Silesia is also the second largest producer of electric energy in Poland (19.7 % of the national production) and its largest recipient. Its economy consists of about 323,000, mostly small and medium-sized, enterprises employing over 3 million people. The mining industry is the most distinctive employer in the region with some 160 mining companies employing almost 558,000 employees. 97.5% of all firms operating in the region belong to the private sector while some 12.5% of all direct foreign investment projects in Poland are in Silesia.

The region boasts high investment attractiveness due to its location in the centre of Europe, a well-developed transport and telecommunication infrastructure network, high concentration of academic centres, high supply of qualified workforce, a sales market of almost 5 million inhabitants, and huge opportunities for co-operative and commercial collaboration.

Why Myszkow?

Located in the Silesian Voivodeiship, the Myszkow Shire is made up of 71,000 inhabitants covering an area of 478km2. Economic development in the Myszkow shire belongs to one of the lowest in Silesia. To narrow the gap between Myszkow and the other shires in Silesia, the local government has identified the need for an intensified development in the economy.

The shire possesses superior communication networks which can in the future provide substantial economic growth. For example, running through the shire is the Katowice to Warszawa railway line, plus the national road DK-1 from Cieszyn to Gdansk.

The Myszkow economy has been linked with metallurgy for hundreds of years. In the 18th century steel works were present due to iron ore deposits in the region. Even today there exists a steel works producing parts for rail transport, mining and shipping docks employing some 300 people.

However, there is no major industry in the shire. Besides the steel works, the other major employers in the region are electrical machinery manufacturing employing 300-400 people, and a paper mill employing 150 people.

The Myszkow shire has an elevated unemployment rate registered at some 16.2% in 2007 (Silesia 9.2%, Poland 9.6%). Furthermore, 65% of unemployed are under the age of 44 and over 25% of unemployed remain without work for longer than 24 months.