Śródmieście, Katowice

Śródmieście [ɕrudˈmjɛɕt͡ɕɛ] ('city centre', German: Innenstadt) is the central district (dzielnica) of the city of Katowice in southern Poland. It is located in a complex of downtown districts, between Dąb, Koszutka, Bogucice, Zawodzie, Osiedle Paderewskiego-Muchowiec, Brynów-Osiedle Zgrzebnioka, and Załęże, on the Rawa river. It has an area of 3.81 km² and in 2020 had 25,320 inhabitants.

With over 50% of its area covered by buildings, Śródmieście is the most urbanized part of Katowice. The history of Śródmieście is closely linked to the history of Katowice, first mentioned in the 16th century. Since then, especially since the 19th century, with the arrival of the railway, industrial development, and the incorporation of neighboring towns, Śródmieście has transformed into the administrative and service center of Katowice. The district is home to Silesian Parliament, the headquarters of the Silesian Voivodeship Sejmik, the Metropolitan Office of Metropolis GZM, and the Katowice City Hall, as well as a number of institutions, including the Silesian Museum, Silesian Library, the University of Silesia, the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music, Silesian Theatre, and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Katowice. There are also international companies like ING or Citibank. There are several consulates in the city centre, as well as the headquarters and branches of state and local government administration bodies.

The master plan of Central Katowice was designed by Friedrich Grundmann in the second half of the 19th century.

Extensive city growth took place during the Industrial Revolution. The centre has the finest examples of Modernism such as International Style and Bauhaus. Central Katowice also contain a significant number of Art Nouveau (Secesja) buildings along with the Communist Era giants such as Spodek or Superjednostka.

• Skyline
• 19th century buildings in Central Katowice
• Map of Central Katowice