A Spry Hundred Year-old with Grand Prospects

The year 2002 will be a special date for Sosnowiec: at that time the city will celebrate the  centenary of its being granted a town charter. Settlements in the region date back to the origins of Poland, and the first written record of the village Zagórze, now a district of Sos-nowiec, dates back to 1228.
The settlement often   changed hands during the time of the partition of Poland. The town was finally incorporated into the Polish Kingdom under Russian supervision. In 1902, Tsar Nicholaus II issued a ruling that Sosnowiec was to be given a town charter. The Silesia Uprisings and WWII have been recorded in history as tragic and impressive periods of resistance and fighting occupation.
Industrial development has constituted a distinct chapter in the history of Sosnowiec. The city has always been associated with the mining of minerals. Coal mines, steelworks, and many other plants have been established there. The most rapid development of the steel, metal and textile industries occurred after the opening of a branch line of the Warsaw-Vienna Rail Road.
Modern Sosnowiec is fa-vorably located in the center of the Katowice province, at the crossing of major transportation routes. The city has a well-developed infrastructure and many construction sights. The architecture and character of the town is rapidly transforming from a strictly industrial to an advanced commercial and service center.
Well-educated human potential and efficient research centers are an added advantage of the city. The Timken, Foster Wheeler and Madneti Marelli companies have

confirmed that Sosnowiec is an attractive city to invest in. The fact has been also validated in the 'City      Guide' for businessmen. What's more, Sosnowiec has been incorporated into the Katowice Special Economic Zone.
A hundred years in the    history of a town may not seem a very long period, but it has proved enough to make the region a place friendly to its residents, visitors and investors.
Changes introduced to the city have been facilitated by the fact that since the early nineties local authorities can independently decide about such transformation. Reconstruction of the city center, which will unify its architectural system and give it a unique character, is the largest investment planned for the near future. What is more, all buildings will be made fully accessible to the handicapped.
At the same time, the qua-lity of customer service will improve thanks to the projects related to the modernization of the rail station. The investment will create about 500 new jobs.  A winter sports center will be also built in the Środula Park for the benefit of the town and region's inhabitants.
The municipality will be-come more attractive and affluent thanks to reconstruction of the city center. Municipal bonds issue worth PLZ 95 mln. is a favorable form of gaining capital,.

much better than taking out a loan from a bank, which would probably be more expensive by 2%. A consortium of Powszechny Bank Kredytowy and Górnośląski Bank Gospodarczy will manage the emission and sale of the municipal bonds.  It should be added that the reconstruction will be conducted in cooperation  with the General Management of Polish Rail in Warsaw.
Another enterprise worth mentioning is the Center for Pediatrics, a modern and well-equipped hospital in Sosnowiec-Klimontowo. In recent years, the municipality has also allotted considerable means for investments in cultural and sports facilities. Among these investments is the reconstruction of the hundred year-old Zagłębie Theater, a swimming pool in the Sielec district, a winter sports stadium, and sports halls in Zagórze and Milowice.
In 1997, an office of the Sosnowiec-Dąbrowa Sub-zone of the Katowice Economic Zone was opened in Sosnowiec. The territories of the sub-zones are located in various points of the city, thanks to which investors can choose the most appropri-ate place for them. The principal aim of the zone is to create favorable conditions for investments, and consequently, new jobs. In order to participate in the zone, a potential investor needs to have at least 2 mln. ECU or guarantee to create at least 100 new jobs. Preference is given to companies contributing high-tech technology jobs. They must also deal in manufacturing, so they cannot open assembly facilities or ware- houses. Smaller scale investors are also welcome in the zone. The conditions for the admittance are similar, yet they are given the opportunity to invest for a longer period of time.
All these

 and future activities, as well as transformations in economic and industrial, town planning, cultural and tou-rist and recreational domains, have changed the city to such an extent that those coming to Sosnowiec after several years' time may not recognize the city. Sosnowiec has become more prosperous and impressive