Piła - a City with Perspectives

Piła is a successful, green city with a population of 77 thousand, located on the crossing of major transportation routes (linking the Baltic Sea coast with Germany and  Szczecin with Warsaw), which stresses sustainable economic growth, maintaining relations with cities abroad and the development of recreation and tourism.
In 1999, the Research Institute on the Market Economy in Warsaw ranked Pila as the second most attractive city to invest in Poland (out of 260 county capitals in Poland). An excellent social climate for Polish and foreign investors, the absorptive power of the local market, a quality job market, transportation accessibility, and its business and technical infrastructure were among the features that helped Piła to win over other cities in Poland. Eleven investments (each worth over a million dollars), 7800 business entities (operating mainly in the field of services and other modern sectors), 20 outlets of largest Polish banks and insurance companies that serve well developed and still expanding sectors of industry - these are numbers that guarantee stability and reliability for businessmen. Investors in electronics, printing, food processing, services and tourism can especially be sure of success.  Comprehensive overhaul of the city center, the ecological development of the Koszyce water reservoir, and the rapid expansion of the Agora and Winkowski sp. z o.o. printing houses please not only local residents, but also potential investors, who are convinced that effective city economic policy  also creates opportunities for them.
In addition, the city cares about the education of its human resources. Even schools of higher education prepare young people to work in the local market. Seven junior colleges, and 57 schools of higher education (11 schools for adults) provide education to those who in the future will constitute the economic pillar of the city on the Gwda River. A School of Business, divisions of schools

 (Technical University, University of Economics) with seats in Poznań, Kraków, and Olsztyn allow young people to educate and tie their future to the main urban center of northern Wielkopolska. The youngest residents of Piła can start their educational adventures at 14 primary schools (including a school of music), 18 nursery schools and 2 kindergartens.
 Among the strong points of Piła are its relations with cities abroad. Bilateral agreements with city of Chatellerault in France, Kronshstad in Russia, Schwerin and Cuxhaven in Germany provide for cooperation in the fields of education, sports, and culture, and allow for optimism about the future. The youth of Piła visit their peers in France, Germany and Russia, and international friendships are established thanks to the Piła 2000+ program that has been initiated by city authorities. These relations have already brought fruitful results. One of the best proofs of this is the festival of German Culture, annual "Meetings with France"  held regularly in Piła.
 The economy is not the only main strength of Piła. Two champion volleyball clubs from the Nafta-Gaz company and the speedway section of the TS Polonia-Ludwik club are sports phenomena thanks to the hard work of sponsors and city authorities.
Piła also offers places to relax. Untarnished natural beauty spots (lush woods, moraine hills, postglacial lakes and picturesque trekking paths) constitute a true tourist paradise. A well-developed tourist infrastructure allows one to admire the natural beauty and increases the attractiveness of Piła, which is a city with perspectives.