History of Katowice

The construction of the flying saucer-like Spodek between 1964 to 1971 had a significant impact on the city. The Millennium Housing Estate on the border of Katowice and Chorzów, along with the Paderewski Estate to the east of the city, the Południe Estate in the suburbs of Kostuchna, Piotrowice, Ligota, and the Roździeński Housing Estate all contributed in shifting the character of Katowice to an ideal, urban socialist workers city. The fall of communism in 1989 and the economic changes that followed would significantly alter the city again towards the end of the 20th century.

Currently, Katowice is going through yet another transformation, complete with a massive refurbishing of the city's historic downtown core, new investments in buildings and transportation, and a large burst of growth in the service and commercial industries