Upper Silesian Industrial District (GOP) - the largest industrial district of Poland. It includes industrial units in the central-eastern part of the Śląskie Voivodeship. Contrary to its name, it covers the areas of both the eastern part of Upper Silesia and the western part of Małopolska (the so-called Zagłębie Dąbrowskie and part of the Kraków Basin).
The district includes the largest cities concentrated in the central part of the Silesian Voivodeship, i.e. the Upper Silesian conurbation and the surrounding industrialized areas.
The GOP includes: mining industry, metallurgical industry, transport industry, energy industry, machine industry, coke industry, chemical industry.
In recent years, the cities of GOP have begun to implement many changes aimed at creating an industrial and residential area with numerous natural landscape elements, as a result of which many new green areas are created. It also affects the industry, which unfortunately reduces the number of jobs.
Position
The Upper Silesian Industrial District is located in the Silesian Upland and the Oświęcim Basin, in the Silesian Voivodeship and partially in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in the basin of the upper Vistula and Oder rivers. Geologically, the GOP is located in the northern part of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin.
Economy
Since 1996, 3 subzones of the Katowice Special Economic Zone have been operating in the area of GOP, with a dozen or so complexes. A free customs zone has been established in the port of Gliwice.
The biggest cities
| No. | name of the city | Voivodeship | Population (2014) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katowice | Silesian | 303.314 |
| 2 | Sosnowiec | Silesian | 210.249 |
| 3 | Gliwice | Silesian | 184.993 |
| 4 | Zabrze | Silesian | 177.815 |
| 5 | Bytom | Silesian | 172.762 |
| 6 | Ruda Slaska | Silesian | 141.090 |
| 7 | Tychy | Silesian | 128.698 |
| 8 | Dąbrowa Górnicza | Silesian | 123.774 |
| 9 | Chorzow | Silesian | 110.538 |
Attractions
The main attractions of GOP are:
- Castle in Bedzin
- "Sztygarka" Mine-Museum in Dąbrowa Górnicza
- Pogoria Lakes in Dąbrowa Górnicza
- The Firefighting Museum in Mysłowice
- Spodek in Katowice
- Tyskie Browary Książęce
- Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park i WPKiW in Chorzów
- Marian sanctuary in Piekary Śląskie
- Guido mine in Zabrze
- Monuments from the UNESCO World Heritage List in Tarnowskie Góry
- The Piast Castle, the Palm House and the Radio Station Tower in Gliwice
Castle in Bedzin
Pier over the Pogoria III reservoir
Spodek in Katowice
Tyskie Brewery
Ethnographic open-air museum in Chorzów
Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Piekary Śląskie
The Piast Castle in Gliwice
