Gliwice
Introduction
Gliwice is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. It sits in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river.
Before you go
Gliwice sits in a borderland that has changed hands more than once, and that history shapes what you'll see. For much of the past two centuries it was Gleiwitz, part of Prussia and then Germany, and after World War I it voted to stay German alongside Zabrze and Bytom while nearby Katowice joined Poland. The town's name comes from a Slav particle meaning "soggy bog", and medieval Gliwice channelled its river into a defensive moat, though the ground was firm enough for a trading route to run through. Brewing and textiles came first, then a boom in the 19th century built on mining, steel-making and metal trades. In August 1939 the town became the flashpoint for World War II when Germany staged a fake Polish attack on its radio station as a pretext for invasion; being already German offered no protection from what followed. Post-war Silesia returned to Poland, and today the steelworks are gone, replaced by large automobile and machine engineering sectors. That layered past is worth keeping in mind as you plan. Expect a place where German and Polish strands sit side by side, and where the industrial story - from brewing to steel to car plants - runs through the town's identity.Getting there
Katowice Airport (KTW) is usually the most convenient way in, with budget flights from across Europe. Bus M14 runs hourly and direct from the airport to Gliwice; otherwise take a bus into Katowice and change there. Kraków John Paul II Airport (KRK) has more flights, but the transfer is longer, requiring changes in Kraków city centre and Katowice.
Trains from Katowice run every 20 minutes and take about 30 minutes via Chorzów and Zabrze, and some start further afield from Częstochowa, Dąbrowa Górnicza, or as far as Przemyśl on the Ukraine border via Kraków. From Wrocław, trains run hourly and take two hours via Opole, with one per day direct from Berlin; for Warsaw and other long-distance destinations, change at Katowice. Gliwice Railway Station sits at the northwest edge of the city centre and is clean and modern. Flixbus runs four times a day from Berlin, taking seven hours via Berlin Airport (BER), Wrocław, Brzeg and Opole, continuing to Katowice and Kraków, plus one or two daily services from Vienna and Brno via Olomouc and Ostrava, and one from Prague, also heading for Katowice and Kraków. The bus station is Centrum Przesiadkowe, just north of the railway station and likewise clean and modern; the old site south of the railway station still appears on some maps but has been demolished.
Getting around
Gliwice sits at the western edge of the Upper Silesian conurbation, but its centre is compact, so walking is the simplest way to cover the Old Town core. The preserved Old Town, the castle and city walls, the old churches and the railway station all sit within easy reach of one another on foot. Once you head further out, the city spreads and you will want to switch to public transport.
Buses and trams are run by ZTM Metropolia, which operates across the forty-some cities of the conurbation under a unified ticket system — the same tickets work across the network, so a journey beginning in Gliwice and ending in a neighbouring city is covered by the same fare structure. Check ticket options and where to buy them against the ZTM system as a whole rather than as a Gliwice-only matter. Trams have run here since 1892 and remain part of how the city moves; buses fill in the areas beyond the centre, with well-served stops along main arteries such as Kozielska, Chorzowska, Toszecka, Pszczyńska and Rybnicka, so most parts of the city are reachable even where trams do not run.
- Gliwice Railway Station sits at the northwest edge of the centre, is clean and modern, and is close enough to walk in. Trains from Katowice run frequently, take about half an hour and call at Chorzów and Zabrze; some start further afield, from Częstochowa, Dąbrowa Górnicza or Przemyśl via Kraków. Trains from Wrocław run hourly via Opole, with one direct service a day from Berlin. For Warsaw and other long-distance destinations, you generally change at Katowice.
- Long-distance buses use Centrum Przesiadkowe, just north of the railway station. Flixbus serves Gliwice several times a day, including services from Berlin, Vienna, Brno and Prague heading on towards Katowice and Kraków. The old bus station site south of the railway station still appears on some maps but has been demolished — head for Centrum Przesiadkowe instead.
- Katowice Airport is usually the most convenient, with bus M14 running hourly and directly to Gliwice; otherwise take a bus into Katowice and change there. Kraków John Paul II Airport has more flights but a longer transfer, involving changes in Kraków city centre and again in Katowice.
Where to stay
Gliwice's accommodation is concentrated in the centre, within easy reach of the Rynek and the station. For a smart stay near the market square, Hotel Royal on Jana Matejki offers spacious rooms. Hotel Diament Plaza sits midway between the Rynek and the station, comfortable enough though the rooms are small, and its sister property, Hotel Diament Economy, is nearer the station with little difference in price or quality. Qubus Hotel on Dworcowa is clean, modern and central, again with small rooms, while Hotel Silvia Gold on Studzienna is clean and friendly, though rooms in the roof space are tiny.
Budget options are limited. Hostel Gliwice on Jana Siemińskiego is dingy and more like a workers' flop-house, so it suits only those watching every złoty.
Food & drink
For eating, the market square is the natural place to start. Momo combines a restaurant with a wine bar, while Desa Gastro Bar sits at another Rynek address. Dobra Kasza Nasza serves traditional Polish and other East European cooking on the square, and Club Hemingway, also on Rynek, focuses on steaks and similar fare. Just off the square you'll find Moja Gruzja, a Georgian restaurant, and a little further out are TitoTito, an Italian place north of Rynek, and Pattaya, which serves Thai food and sushi near the square's south corner. For a stylish, relaxing cafe, head to Nowa Prowincja behind the Qubus Hotel. Drinking is concentrated on Rynek itself, where the bars include Koneser, Takk, Lux, Dom Alchemika, Ministerstwo, Business Pub, Warka and IBU Craft Beers.What to see and do
Start at the Rynek, the market square at the heart of the centre, where you'll find the Town Hall, the Neptune fountain and a run of townhouses that have been retro-restored. From there, the city's sights fan out within easy reach. Piast Castle is a tower built into the old city walls, with an armory building alongside it, and now houses a branch of the Gliwice Museum. The medieval walls and moat that once ringed the city were demolished in the 19th century, and only fragments survive at plac Rzeźniczy beside All Saints Church, at ul Dolnych Wałów and at ul Grodowa. All Saints itself is a stout brick Gothic church, and the Black Gate nearby is a partly reconstructed brick archway and wall set below the present street level. Gliwice Cathedral, completed as the Church of Sts Peter and Paul, became a cathedral when the city gained a diocese. Other churches worth a look include the plain Armenian Catholic Holy Trinity Church, the neo-gothic redbrick St Bartholomew, and the older, fortified Old St Bartholomew beyond the former walls, which is seldom open. Villa Caro, an industrialist's 1880s mansion, is visited on the same ticket as the castle. For greener ground, head to the Palm House in Fryderyk Chopin Park, a 19th-century glasshouse holding thousands of specimens, some very old. The Upper Silesian Jews House of Remembrance occupies a former funeral home beside the Jewish cemetery and tells the history of the region's Jewish community. The Gliwice Radio Tower is the city's icon: a towering wooden mast, the target of the 1939 false-flag attack that served as the pretext for the German invasion, and now part of the museum with old equipment and a film about the events. The Artistic Foundry Museum displays bronze and iron castings in the engine room of a former coal mine. For entertainment, Piast Gliwice play top-flight football at their municipal stadium northeast of the centre, Teatr Miejski stages performances southwest of the cathedral, and you can catch a film at Amok near the Rynek or at Cinema City by the railway station. Arena Gliwice is a large multi-purpose venue for music and sport.Three days in Gliwice
Day one: Base yourself in Gliwice, the westernmost city of Upper Silesia in Poland, set on the Silesian Highlands and watered by the Kłodnica. The city grew as Gleiwitz, first under Prussia and later Germany, and the events that opened World War II unfolded here, so the German and Polish layers of the place sit close together. Start with the centre, then look towards Zabrze and Bytom, the neighbouring towns that share this industrial corner of the region.
Day two: Turn east to Katowice, the hub of the conurbation, and use it as your springboard for Chorzów, Częstochowa and Dąbrowa Górnicza. The Slav and brewing threads of the area are worth following, and in August the calendar fills with events. Expect warm, sometimes humid summer days and cold winters, so pack for the season you find.
Day three: If you are heading onward, Katowice Airport (KTW) serves the region, while Kraków John Paul II Airport (KRK) in Kraków is another option within Europe's reach. Buses and trains connect Chorzów, Częstochowa, Dąbrowa Górnicza and Przemyśl towards Ukraine, and from Wrocław the rail links run west. Post-war Silesia is a place of movement, so plan your departure around the connections that suit you.