November 15, 2019
Bielsko-Biała is in no way inferior to large urban agglomerations, but, unlike them, it can be proud of its beautiful landscapes. Located at the foot of the Silesian and Lesser Beskid Mountains, it is both a good place to live and work, as well as being a great base for lovers of mountain tourism.
The city has around 170,000 inhabitants. It is not, therefore, a large metropolis. Owing to its compactness, and also a well-developed infrastructure, it offers a high standard of living. It is a city with energy and potential, cosy and safe.
The automotive industry plays a leading role in the city. It is represented by such international concerns as: FCA Powertrain, Eaton Automotive Systems, Hutchinson and TI Automotive. It is worth noting that investors such as GE Industrial Solutions and ZF have recently set up science and research and engineering centres which employ mainly people with a technical education. An important branch of the city’s economy is also the IT industry, which offers many jobs for young IT specialists and programmers.
The inhabitants of Bielsko-Biała need not worry about work as the unemployment rate here is extremely low, standing at only 1.8%. People with both basic and vocational education, as well as secondary and higher education, can find employment in the local labour market. Employers are most often looking for production workers in various industries – construction, trade and service, and engineers. The high quality of life of its inhabitants has placed Bielsko-Biała at the forefront of “Europolis” foundation’s ranking of best Polish cities.
Bielsko-Biała is not only a dynamically developing economic centre in the country, but also an important location on the cultural, sports and tourist map of Poland.
Bielsko-Biała’s rich and diverse cultural events can be the envy of many Polish and foreign cities. Audiences from all over the region, country and even from abroad come to Bielsko-Biała for performances of world-class stars seldom seen elsewhere in Poland. Tickets for concerts for festivals such as the LOTOS Jazz Festival Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa (Bielsko Jazz Blizzard) and for Jazzowa Jesień (Jazz Autumn) must be booked well in advance.
There are many cultural institutions here: art galleries, museums and two theatres, as well as twelve community centres, which offer a wide range of activities for both children and adults. In addition, there are numerous cultural events held in the city every year. Everyone, regardless of age and sphere of interest, will find something to their taste.
As many as 107 sports organizations operate in Bielsko-Biała, including 69 sports clubs. Three Bielsko teams play at the highest level – the Rekord indoor football team, the BKS women’s volleyball team and the BBBTS men’s volleyball team. We also have three representatives in premier leagues – the Podbeskidzie football team, the BISTS table tennis players and the Konstanta bridge players.
Bielsko-Biała is a city focused on the development of sports infrastructure. The Enduro Trails cycle paths are a great attraction of the city, drawing many mountain biking enthusiasts from all over Poland. If you lead an active lifestyle take a look at the longest (800 m) roller-skating route in Poland. Are you passionate about winter fun and skiing? Bielsko-Biała is the largest city in Poland located in the mountains. Within a radius of 30km you will find around 50 ski runs, the best known being those in Szczyrk, Wisła and Korbielów.
A very popular, self-service bike rental system has been operating since 2014.
For many years now the largest part of the city’s budget has been dedicated to education. This is more than repaid by the achievements of Bielsko-Biała primary and secondary school students, who once again proved to be unrivalled in the Silesian Voivodeship during final exams. The city is also a growing academic centre in the region with 9,500 students in higher education. The University of Technology and Humanities in Bielsko-Biała, with almost 6,500 students, is a leading educational centre. Five non-public colleges and one church university add to the number of educational establishments already on offer. More than 2,500 high school students graduate every year.
As you can see the city offers many opportunities to combine career-related ambitions with a wide range of recreational activities.