Katowice Travel Forum

Hi,

I'm coming to Katowice this coming weekend (4-6 April) and have the following questions:
- Any cultural events this weekend?
- Clubs (jazz, rnb,...) to recommend?
- I'm staying at Qubus Prestige, is it walking distance to attractions?
- I'm black; any safety precautions (I've read somewhere of skinheads in this part of Poland)?

Thanks and cheers!

for concerts: Check www.independent.pl also in English.Katowice is only a part of bigger urban area of Slask.
I havn't been in a black dominant country, but I can imagine that my different skin colour could be a bit sensational (exotic) there.
You can meet sometimes different race tourist/students/sport's men/expats here, and few native Polish with different continents roots in my area.
But generally you will look as a stranger.
Once due to my clothes I was also a stranger in Tajikistan.
Some people like strangers others afraid of it (it's an atitude).Personally I'm often curious towards strangers.
Some people find strangers attractive (which bothers others).
As a black person on the street- you likely to be a forigner (and tourist) here-it means also likely richer (which implies sometimes advantages but also sometimes disadvantages).
On the other hand we as Slave think that hospitality is our custom.Is it true in reality (I often doubt, as people are different towards guests everywhere no matter of skin colour)?
Mind you also that as officially more papist (christian and catholic) nation than the pope itself we should be more hospital than avereage (which we should have common with muslims).
Apropos skin- I havn't heard or seen skinheads in Poland here.It's more probable to see Gypsy beggars on the street than skinheads.

Maciek, hello again. I do hope you meant 'we as Slavs' not 'we as Slaves...' :) As for the treatment of black colour in white Poland I would advise caution. Poles are generally hospitable towards strangers, but as any society we are not free from racial prejudice. I'm sure there's nothing to be afraid of in broad daylight in public places (except for pickpockets, that is) but I'd say avoid unfrequented areas and try to stay in a group, especially if you go out at night. On the other hand that's exactly what I would do myself, being white. It's better to be safe than sorry. Hope you'll enjoy Poland and meet only nice people here. Best of luck!

Oops, I confused the dates, got carried away by that 'Slave' thing :)Anyway, hope you had a nice time in Poland.

Betaka,
Thanks for your comment.I know. I do many sometimes mistakes here.I usually see them after sending a post (hahaha).Altough suprisingly for me people seem to understand my writing (hahaha). Specially in this case Slav and slave come probably from the same root.As one Russian guy said: must learn, learn and learn (hahaha).This is also my aim to write here.So once again Betaka thanks for your help.

I also wonder how our friend CoolB enjoyed Katowice.I always believe in his common sense (which probably also works in Norway or elswhere else).I regret that you don't.
I'm waiting unpatiently on his kind of report about his trip (hahaha).

I have also to admit that a common sense is one of many other things which I havn't got at all (hahahaha).

Hi Maciek & Betaka,

Had a very nice time in Katowice despite most people I met out there telling me that I should have gone to Cracow instead. Cracow is my destination next time I visit southern Poland. Maciek pointed me to a site where I learnt that they had a jazz festival that particular weekend in Katowice, and it did make all the difference for me. I was at the Hipnoza club both fri and sat. On sat I was at the music academy where they had students performing in a big band doing compositions by a very extrovert-type yankie jazz composer. I didn't have a ticket for the show but some very friendly students managed to sneak me in backstage. I learnt also that the academy is the best in Poland when it comes to jazz and some of the students I saw there were evidence to this.
Stayed at the Qubus hotel. Very nice with views of the whole city when it wasn't foggy. Walked around a lot during the day and got a few stares here and there but didn't experience anything negative. In the evenings I usually took taxis, safer that way I suppose. Katowice itself is very run-down and I would think a bit of renovating here and there would go a long way to lift spirits up. Maybe some EU monies will come their way some time in the future.
All in all, a nice weekend. Warsaw next.
Cheers!

I always believe in you and sometimes in Polish people and their hospitality.We (Poles) are hopefully not so bad, as we think sometimes.Hahaha.
Have a nice next trip here.
Maciek

Glad to hear that :) Hope you'll enjoy Warsaw too. And it makes sense to leave Krakow for dessert, it's a cherry on top of the Polish cake (well, having lived in Krakow I may be slightly biased) :)
Have you considered visiting Wroclaw and Gdansk? These are two other pearls we Poles are proud to boast (although we owe some of the architectural splendor to Germans here).