It all started with coal

the fate of the land called upper Silesia was decided 330 million years ago when lush vegetation of the Carboniferous tropical forest covered vast areas of europe. With the passage of time, gigantic trees and ferns turned into the greatest riches of upper Silesia – hard coal.

But it was huge zinc and lead ore deposits that brought early entrepreneurs to this region. Zinc and lead-bearing strata conveniently overlie coal seams. To smelt zinc one needed coal, so zinc and coal mining developed together. the abundance of coal attracted steel-makers and soon upper Silesia became one of the most industrialised regions of the world. today, while coal is still an important commodity of the Silesian economy, heavy industry is being replaced by high-tech enterprises. It is the entrepreneurial energy of well-educated young Silesians that directs the future of the region.

Janusz Janeczek, Prof. PhD hab. Mineralogist, geologist Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice Rector of the University of Silesia 2002–2008 Chairman of the Council of National Science Centre – a government agency, supervised by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education