Poland is a singular country in Northern Europe. Wedged between Germany, Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic States, this Eastern European country is experiencing a certain renaissance and, thanks to its economic success, is becoming more and more important on the European and world scene. To discover more about this country, why not start by listing the largest cities in Poland.
The list of the largest cities in Poland
1. Warsaw, the great Polish capital
The Polish capital has almost 1.8 million inhabitants. Together with its agglomeration, Warsaw has more than three million inhabitants. The inner city covers 517 square kilometers.
Warsaw is therefore the largest city in the country but also one of the largest cities in Europe. A city with eight districts but which has the particularity of being a “phoenix” city. Indeed, Warsaw was almost 85% destroyed during the Second World War. Despite this, Warsaw managed to overcome this terrible ordeal, just as it overcame the transition to a market economy in the 90’s. A city located in the Mazovia region between the sea and the mountains. Warsaw is located three hundred kilometers from the Baltic Sea and the same distance from the Carpathian mountain range.
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2. Krakow, the cultural capital of the country
The beautiful city of Krakow, located in the south of the country, is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in Poland. The city is located in a region called Little Poland. There are about 775,000 inhabitants in Krakow.
The traces of settlement date back to the Paleolithic era. But it was around the 6th century AD that the city of Krakow was founded by a Slavic tribe. The Vislanes settled on the slopes of Wawel Hill. It was around the 9th century that the city experienced a boom with its governor, a certain Krakus. Hence the origin of the name of the city “Krakow”, which literally belongs to Krakus. In 1038, a Polish ruler, Casimir the First, even made it the capital of his kingdom. The city, located at a crossroads, came under Germanic influence before being occupied for a time by a Czech dynasty. Later on, the city was threatened by the Russians in the 16th century and was even occupied and plundered by the Swedes. In the 18th century, the Polish territory was divided for the first time between Prussia, Austria and Russia.
Beyond the wars and conflicts that have shaped the history of Poland, Krakow is above all the city of an illustrious Pole, Pope John Paul II. The Archbishop of Krakow Karol Wojtula led the Catholic Church from 1978 until 2005.
3. Lodz, one of the largest cities in Poland
This large Polish city is practically in the center of the country. Lodz is an important industrial center. Since the Middle Ages, the city of Lodz has always been a great center of textile production. This Polish city was called the “Russian Manchester”.
In almost thirty years the city of Lodz has lost more than 120 000 inhabitants. In 1988 there were 850,000 inhabitants, while in 2019 there were only 682,679 inhabitants. This constant decrease in population is due to a difficult reconversion and a lack of economic activity.
Together with its agglomeration, the city of Lodz has more than one million inhabitants.
4. Wroclaw
This Polish city in the Lower Silesia region has a population of about 642,000. As such, it ranks fourth in the list of the largest cities in Poland.
5. Poznan
This city has about 550,000 inhabitants. It is located in the central (western) part of the country, in a region that is called Greater Poland. It is estimated that the city of Poznan was founded towards the end of the first millennium.
Economically, like the city of Lodz, Poznan was a city where the textile industry played a very important role.
Nevertheless, the city of Poznan has taken advantage of the new technologies, as many flagship companies of the digital economy have settled in the city. Among them are IBM and Microsoft. More traditional industries such as Solaris, Volkswagen and Man are also located here.
6. Gdansk
This city is better known in history books as Danzig. Indeed, in 1939 when Hitler seized the Danzig corridor, France and England could not remain impassive in the face of repeated attacks by Nazi Germany. The annexation of Danzig marked France’s declaration of war against Germany. The French soldiers said on the front of the phony war “Dying for Danzig is not worth it”.
Today Gdansk is a dynamic city in northern Poland. It is a beautiful port city with almost 471,000 inhabitants living on a territory of 262 square kilometers.
7. Szczecin
This city, which is located almost on the German border, is a city with 402,100 inhabitants. Szczecin is the capital of Western Pomerania. The city covers an area of 301 square kilometers and has a population density of 1,340 inhabitants per square kilometer.
8. Bydgoszcz
This city in northern Poland is the eighth largest in the country. It covers an area of 176 square kilometers and has a population of 349,000. The population density per square kilometer is therefore 1950 inhabitants.
9. Lublin
The city of Lublin is a charming Polish city that is located in the southeast of the country not far from the Belarusian border. This city is located in the eponymous region. It has 340,000 inhabitants and covers an area of about 147.5 square kilometers.
10. Katowice
Katowice has a population of 302,397. It is a city in the south of the country, located in the Silesia region. Katowice is a large Polish city that covers almost 165 square kilometers.