Leisure
&Sport
Katowice is a green and one of Poland’s most ‘sporty’ cities.
Valley of 5 Ponds in Katowice | Photo by UM Katowice
Leisure
Contrary to appearances, industrial Katowice is remarkably green. There are numerous squares and parks in the city: Park Kościuszki, Park Zadole, Park Giszowiec, Park in Murcki, and Park Śląski located in Chorzów. Dolina Trzech Stawów (Valley of Three Ponds), a part of the Katowice Forest Park located near the city centre, is particularly appealing to young people.
You can take a break at the market square in Katowice | Photo: University of Silesia archive
It is full of clubs and restaurants providing food, music and entertainment. Water sports enthusiasts can rent boats, canoes, pedal boats, surfboards and SUPs here. For those who do not enjoy water activities, there is also one of the best rollerblading and biking routes in Poland. During the summer months, every weekend in the Dolina Trzech Stawów area is devoted to yoga classes on the grass and other activities organised by local sports clubs and gyms. People spending their free time in Katowice can use the ‘Katowice City Break’ app, which will help them explore the city effortlessly. The application, available in English and Polish, displays Katowice’s attractions and walking routes, including The Modernism Route or the Route of Murals. The app also has an audio guide function. One of the interesting attractions is the Beboks Route, consisting of 45 figurines placed in 40 locations. ‘Bebok’ means ‘monster’ in Silesian, but the figurines created by Grzegorz Chudy, an artist from Katowice, arouse more sympathy than fear. Like the Wrocław Dwarfs, the Beboks in Katowice encourage you to walk around the city and familiarise yourself with its culture.
Sport
In 2023, Katowice took 5th place in the ranking of the most ‘sporty’ cities in Poland. According to data from the Statistics Poland, the city has 5 stadiums, 21 football pitches, 14 basketball courts, 13 handball pitches, 4 volleyball courts and 13 universal sports stadiums, 7 sports halls, 20 gymnasiums, 20 tennis courts, 8 indoor swimming pools, 1 shooting range, 4 artificial ice rinks and 2 skate parks. It's also worth mentioning the horse riding facilities and the Katowice-Muchowiec sports airport.
Katowice has been a frequent host and co-host of many significant regional, national and international sports events. The construction of the ‘Spodek’ entertainment and sports arena has enabled the organisation of world-class sports games. Some of the notable sports events held in Katowice include Tour de Pologne, Silesia Marathon, European Men’s Basketball Championship 2009, European Volleyball Women’s Championship 2009, European Basketball Women’s Championship 2011, Men’s Volleyball World League Tournament 2007, Men’s Volleyball World Championships 2014 and 2022 and Men’s Volleyball World Championships Men’s Handball Championship 2023.
The sports icon of Katowice is the multi-section sports club GKS Katowice.
Katowice is a city with a wide range of sporting activities | Photo by UM Katowice
