What are the largest cities in Poland? Investment Monitor
Poland ten largest cities are Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz, Wrocław, Poznan, Gdańsk, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Lublin and Białystok. Here we profile each of them and examine the areas in which they excel.
1. Warsaw
Population: 1.79 million inhabitants
Warsaw East Poland capital and it is located in the center-east of the country. Undoubtedly the most economically important city of all the Central and Eastern Europe regionWarsaw has become a hub for foreign direct investment in the decades following the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. As befits any major city, the Polish capital is a hub of tourism and education, while many of its citizens are employed in its government offices . In Soviet times, Warsaw had a reputation as a city of heavy industry, but is now best known for excelling in high technology, electronics, chemicals, cosmetics, construction, film and media, food processing, printing, metallurgy, machinery. and retail.
2. Krakow
Population: 780,000
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Krakow is located in southern Poland, about 50 km from the border with Slovakia. The city is dotted with monuments that have made it a tourist hub in Poland, as well as a popular destination for students. Its economy has shifted towards business services in recent decades, although traditional sectors such as manufacturing, steel and tobacco are still important to the city. High-tech sectors such as life sciences are also booming in Krakow as the city’s start-up scene grows.
3. Lodz
Population: 672,000
Lodz is located in the very center of Poland, where the country’s two main roads – the E30 east-west and the E75 north-south – meet. As such, the city (located 140 km from the capital Warsaw) is a logistics hub. However, Lódz has many industrial strengths. It was built around the textile industry, but in recent years it has become a hub for advanced technologies, white goods and business process outsourcing. The city is also making a concerted effort to become an AI knowledge hub.
4. Wroclaw
Population: 642,000
Equal distance from Warsaw and Prague, the Czech capital, Wrocław in southwestern Poland is known as the “City of Bridges”. This picturesque backdrop makes the town a tourist hub, but it’s also a favorite spot for students. Economically, Wrocław’s economy is divided between the manufacturing and service sectors. For the first, the city specializes in automotive, white goods, mechanical engineering and chemical and pharmaceutical production. When it comes to services, Wrocław excels in IT services, e-commerce, business process outsourcing and Poznan is located in western Poland, on the E30 road that connects Warsaw to the German capital of Berlin. Although it is the fifth largest city in Poland in terms of population, it has the second largest economy in the country. It is known for its universities and the impressive stream of mathematics graduates it has produced over several decades. Poznań’s economy is based on high-tech manufacturing, automotive, food and pharmaceutical manufacturing, and more recently has diversified into business process outsourcing, IT and research and development (R&D ).
5. Poznan
Population: 532,000
Poznan is located in western Poland, on the E30 road that connects Warsaw to the German capital of Berlin. Although it is the fifth largest city in Poland in terms of population, it has the second largest economy in the country. It is known for its universities and the impressive stream of mathematics graduates it has produced over several decades. Poznań’s economy is based on high-tech manufacturing, automotive, food and pharmaceutical manufacturing, and more recently has diversified into business process outsourcing, IT and R&D.
6. Gdansk
Population: 472,000
Gdańsk is one of three cities that make up the Tricity metropolitan area, along with Gdynia and Sopot. Located on the northern coast of Poland on the Baltic Sea, they have a combined population of around 1.5 million. Gdańsk became internationally known in the 1970s and 1980s when its striking shipyard workers (as well as those in Szczecin) took steps that would contribute to Poland’s independence from the Soviet Union, and the city’s port still plays an important role in its economy through shipbuilding. industry. However, this economy has diversified since Soviet times and Gdańsk now holds strengths in areas such as automotive, chemical and food preparation, electronics, telecommunications, computer engineering, pharmaceuticals and renewable energies. The Tricity area is also a popular tourist destination.
7. Szczecin
Population: 398,000
Szczecin is located in the northwest of Poland, near the German border, the Baltic Sea and about 150 km from Berlin. It is a major seaport and a key university town in Poland, with many educational institutions specializing in the sciences and the arts. It is also known as an important industrial center in the country, with sectors such as warehousing, business process outsourcing, shared service centers, ICT, maritime industry, biotechnology and communication technologies. health.
8. Bydgoszcz
Population: 347,000
Bydgoszcz is located in northern Poland, between Poznań and Gdańsk, and in recent years has become a central and eastern European hub for the finance and insurance sectors. It houses the headquarters of Bank Pocztowy and is also home to over 70 financial services companies. It also excels in chemical production and IT, and is a major cultural center in Poland.
9. Lublin
Population: 340,000
Lublin is located in eastern Poland, halfway between Warsaw and the Ukrainian border. It has been popular with foreign investors in recent years due to its reputation for profitability, which has seen it attract IT and automotive companies, as well as those in the service sector. More recently, it has seen investments from energy companies such as Polska Grupa Energetyczna and retail giants such as Carrefour.
10. Bialystok
Population: 298,000
Białystok in northeastern Poland is about 50 km from the Belarusian border. Its industrial strengths have always been based on light industry, but in recent years it has become a national hub for food processing, beverage, electrical engineering, developed machinery industry, plastic processing, textiles and wood processing.
Katowice ranks 11th in terms of population among Polish cities, but its metropolitan area covers around 2.7 million people. The city, located in southern Poland near the Slovak border, was historically one of the main mining centers in the country, but in recent years it has become known for services, IT and tourism, while by producing a high number of university graduates.
All population figures are based on Central Statistical Office of Poland January 2021 figures.
See also: Investment Monitor‘The future of Polish cities’ coverage, profiling Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz, Wrocław, PoznanGdansk and Katowice.
