Once a mine, soon a source of innovation. The authorities of the southern city of Katowice and the Mines Restructuring Company (SRK) have signed a letter of intent in the presence of President Andrzej Duda that will lead to the construction of a technology and gaming hub on the grounds of a former mine.

A preliminary cost analysis sets the price of the project at PLN 985 mln (EUR 227.3 mln).



The signing that took place on Saturday is a step towards the construction of the so-called New Technologies District, which is to be built on the grounds of the recently liquidated Wieczorek coal mine. The mine operated for nearly 200 years, near the historic Pułaski shaft.



The shaft will be handed over by the SRK to the city as a donation. Moreover, the company declared that it would hand over 20 hectares surrounding the shaft. This land will be used to meet the requirements of the prospective technology hub. Details of the use of the land are to be specified in another agreement.



The Katowice gaming and technology hub is to be an office and technology complex, a centre for high-technology firms, particularly for those active in computer games and e-sports sectors.



President Andrzej Duda said that he was pleased that the Polish state could transfer this facility to the city for further development, so that this historic part of the city could acquire a "new, modern face" and a "completely new spirit for the new era."



“We had a mine here and we will continue to have, albeit a much different mine – a mine of ideas, knowledge and innovation,” said President Duda.



Katowice Mayor Marcin Krupa expressed his hope that the hub will become a potent boost for economic development in this part of the city, as was the Katowice Culture Zone investment, which also stands on the territory of a former coal mine.



Both Poland’s President and the Katowice Mayor hoped that the new hub would become a trademark of not only Polish but also European new technologies.