Old towns & squares

Market Square in Katowice

The Market Square is the historic heart of Katowice and the point where the city's most important streets converge: Warszawska, 3 Maja, Aleja Wojciecha Korfantego and św. Jana among them. For decades the vast square served cars first and foremost, but after a thorough modernization it has turned back to pedestrians — today it is a broad promenade with a multimedia fountain, space for events and a view of the Silesian Theatre stage.

A square that spent years as a car park

The square's story mirrors that of the city: Katowice grew from a village into an industrial town only in the 19th century, so it has no medieval townhouses like Kraków or Wrocław. In the second half of the 20th century the square became one giant car park — and until recently that was its main function. The new layout, built on wide pedestrian surfaces and redesigned streets around the square, reversed that process.

What to see around the square

The Silesian Theatre named after Stanisław Wyspiański, built in 1906–1907 in a mix of Vienna Secession and historicist styles, towers over the space. Add the interwar and post-war townhouses, the Silesian Press House (the former Skarbek department store) and the multimedia fountain, which in summer becomes a playground for children. Together they show how a Prussian provincial settlement turned into a modern city.

Planning your visit

The square is the best starting point for exploring Katowice: the cathedral, Spodek arena and the KTW zone are all a few minutes' walk away, and from here it is easy to continue on to historic Nikiszowiec or Silesian Park. Come early in the evening, when the fountain lights up and the promenade fills with locals.