The Czechs turned their attention to the Polish city. They called Poland an “economic tiger”
Czech journalists called Poland an “economic tiger”, emphasizing that in some areas its development is faster than in the Czech Republic. This includes: for the construction of highways, the pace of which in Poland is downright shocking from the point of view of our southern neighbors. Architecture, ambitious infrastructure projects and investments in facilities important from the point of view of society are also important. To compare two countries, Czech Television used two cities, similar in many respects, each on a different side of the Czech-Polish border: Katowice and Ostrava.
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Katowice – large airport, modern architecture
Both cities are located close to each other, approximately 100 km away. Both have a similar number of inhabitants – approximately 280,000. Both Katowice and Ostrava are important industrial centers, for many years concentrated in, among others, on the mining industry. However, they differ, among others, in: the fact that there is still an active mine in Katowice, while coal has not been mined in Ostrava for years. This segment of the industry has already been completed throughout the Czech Republic, and the last symbolic wagon reached the surface at the beginning of February this year.
Comparing Ostrava with Katowice, Czech Television journalists pointed out, among others, attention to important objects in both cities. Czech urban planner Pavel Rihak cites examples in the program that show the faster development of the Silesian city.
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This includes: Katowice's Spodek, the International Congress Center, a former mine building that houses the Silesian Museum and the concert hall of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. All these buildings are examples of architectural designs that were created as a result of competitions and implemented by renowned studios. They have definitely changed the image of the capital of Upper Silesia over the last decades. But that's not all – Czech Television also draws attention to the fact that the airport in Katowice boasts ten times more traffic than in Ostrava, and a new football stadium has also been put into use.
In turn, the airport in Ostrava is still a small airport, and the football stadium requires modernization. Many buildings have been renovated, but they are not modern, designer investments like in Katowice. “Poles – unlike us – have a long-term, strategic plan for large investments,” emphasize the authors of the program, quoted by “Gazeta Wyborcza”.
