Powerful economic center
Krakow is one of the fastest-growing metropolises in Poland. It is a modern city where over a million people live and are employed. Krakow is a cultural, tourist, congress and scientific center – 150,000 students and 23 colleges can be found there, along with more than 200 international corporations in the modern business services sector, employing nearly 80 thousand people in the IT, services, research and development, business analytics and finance sectors. The city is at the forefront of the most attractive locations for the development of business services, offering one of the best conditions in the country to invest and to develop one’s own business. This is due to the constant presence and development of Polish companies and international corporations, the availability of highly qualified staff, the activity of the scientific community, research infrastructure, attractive living conditions and convenient geographical location.
Krakow bases its sustainable development on intelligent management as well as energy and creativity of the inhabitants.
High quality of life of residents
Our main goal is to constantly improve the quality of urban space and standards of public services, which directly affects the quality of life of residents. As for the whole country, the challenge remains to fight smog, which has already brought important results – thanks to the pioneering efforts of Krakow to eliminate solid fuels from heating. Innovative solutions are implemented in all the city’s areas of operation, e.g. intelligent technologies in traffic and public transport management, energy-saving urban lighting, electromobility, an energy-passive sewage treatment plant or an eco-incineration plant. The quality of water supplied by Krakow waterworks places it at the top of the world. We are constantly expanding the area of green areas and improving the quality of places of rest and recreation. Thanks to the varied sports infrastructure, both the Orlik pitch estate facilities, the wide range of sports clubs, to games at large city stadiums and great sports performances at the Tauron Arena Krakow, residents can actively spend time and admire world-class sports stars. We care for the parents of the youngest residents of Krakow, running a network of Parent’s Clubs, as well as for seniors for whom the network of Senior Activity Centers operates. Krakow is also a place of activity for many non-governmental organizations that, thanks to the activity and commitment of their members, carry out very important social projects – for example, for charity, support for excluded groups, recreation for children and youth, and civic education.
Powerful academic and research and development center
Krakow is at the lead in terms of investment of companies from knowledge-based industries, which is due the availability of highly qualified staff. The use of the city’s asset, academic environments and research infrastructure, in conjunction with the activity of the local business environment, attracting advanced technologies, translates into significant city development. Transforming Krakow into a research center, with innovation and modern technologies at the highest world level is a process that is already underway and is supported by the city – focusing on tripartite cooperation with universities and business.
Krakow attracts business and scientific staff as well as students from around the world thanks to its high level of education, access to research at the highest level, extensive international cooperation and unique fields of education.
In recent years, the dynamic development of Krakow’s universities in terms of infrastructure and science has been visible, e.g. Prometheus – a supercomputer of the AGH University of Science and Technology, the first Solaris synchrotron in Poland constructed at the Jagiellonian University, the Malopolska Energy Saving Construction Laboratory – a unique scientific and research center at Krakow University of Technology, a modern campus of the Jagiellonian University, under construction is the Center of Innovation and Health and Safe Food Research of the Agricultural University.
Innovation
Even though it might seem so, tourism is not the only or the most important branch of the Krakow economy. Its obvious significance cannot be discussed; however, the city is trying to diversify the areas of market activity in its area, following the principle of sustainable development enshrined in strategic documents. Therefore, industry, construction and the dynamically developing market of business-related services and the creative industries branch have a significant share in the city’s revenues. In recent years, the startup environment has been dynamically developing near Wawel, there are already more than 300 such entities, and the universally understood industry brings together several thousand people. It is estimated that approximately 10 companies operating in the city have brought to Krakow a total of over 120 million € in investments. Krakow startups employ hundreds of people, produce solutions used all over the world and are gaining more and more international recognition – we can mention such recognizable brands as Estimote, Brainly, Callpage, Synerise or Silvair.
Young and creative people in Krakow are given a chance to start and use their talents and skills, companies strive to expand their activities, and new players are joining the building of the Krakow economy.
