Silesia the Prosperous

In January of this year, Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita named Wroclaw's region of Silesia (also home to the city of Katowice) as the region with the highest standard of living in the country. With unemployment down to 6.7% and the average monthly wage at around 3 900 PLN, Silesia is also an attractive spot for foreign investors. Wroclaw itself is home to many major international corporations such as Whirlpool, Volvo, Siemens, Nokia, Hewlett Packard and Google.

For visitors this means that Wroclaw is visibly at a higher standard in comparison to many other cities of its size in Poland. Its healthy cultural institutions, modern facilities, and well-maintained public areas make the city a particular pleasure for tourists who can enjoy big city amenities in a relatively small place accessible largely by foot. Wroclaw also boasts an impressive selection of lifestyle and nightlife options rivaling even Warsaw for fine dining, clubbing, live music, and shopping.

Let's hope 2009 allows Silesia and Wroclaw to maintain its prosperity despite the downturn within the international economy.