Invited to take part in the historic 160th Anniversary of Being Granted Municipal Rights, the Kaohsiung City Government delegation, led by Deputy Mayor Lo Ta-sheng, visited the Polish city of Katowice from 11 to 12 September. During the visit, Deputy Mayor Lo, on behalf of Kaohsiung, and Mayor Marcin Krupa of Katowice signed a Declaration of Friendship. In addition, Renwu Senior High School in Kaohsiung officially entered into a sister-school agreement with Katowice’s long-established Third Secondary School (III Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Adama Mickiewicza w Katowicach), marking the start of substantive youth education exchanges.
Located in southern Poland, Katowice is the capital of Silesia Province. Historically known for coal mining and heavy steel industries, the city earned the nickname “Coal Capital of Poland” and remains one of Europe’s key industrial hubs, with a metropolitan population of around two million. In recent years, Katowice has transformed into a major hub for technology, culture, and international conferences and exhibitions. The Katowice Special Economic Zone (KSSE) is Poland’s largest special economic zone in terms of the volume of business investment projects, while the city is home to the Katowice International Conference Centre and the Spodek Arena. UNESCO has also designated Katowice a City of Music under its Creative Cities Network. Exchanges between Kaohsiung and Katowice began in this July, when Deputy Mayor Jarosław Makowski visited Kaohsiung and expressed a strong intention to engage in exchanges and cooperation. Since then, the two sides have engaged in close and diverse communication.
On 12 September, Kaohsiung and Katowice signed their Declaration of Friendship. Mayor Krupa attended the signing in person, joined by representatives from Silesia Province and the Silesian Metropolis as witnesses. Deputy Mayor Lo remarked that he was pleased to pay a return visit to Katowice, noting that both Kaohsiung and Katowice are successful examples of urban transformation and expressing his hopes for wide-ranging cooperation. Mayor Krupa warmly welcomed the Kaohsiung delegation and recalled his 2023 visit to Taiwan and Kaohsiung, when he was impressed by the city’s industrial transformation. He expressed his wish that the Declaration of Friendship would bring the two cities closer and establish a long-term, stable partnership.
City diplomacy also extended to international education cooperation. On 11 September, the Kaohsiung delegation visited Katowice’s Third Secondary School, facilitating its sister-school partnership with Kaohsiung’s Renwu Senior High School, marking a new milestone in Taiwan–Poland educational cooperation. Established in 1871, the Third Secondary School is a well-known institution in Silesia Province and has been authorized since 2013 to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. At the signing ceremony, students presented their school’s features in English, demonstrating their diplomatic skills and global outlook. Deputy Mayor Lo expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and voiced his hope that teacher and student exchanges, joint courses, and cultural activities would strengthen friendship and broaden international learning opportunities for young people. Education Bureau Director Wu Li-sen added that the partnership not only expands Kaohsiung’s educational cooperation in Europe but also creates valuable opportunities for students, helping to deepen Kaohsiung’s international education efforts.
The delegation also engaged in industrial exchanges, meeting with representatives of the Katowice Special Economic Zone and the Katowice Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Both sides introduced their industrial development policies and held in-depth discussions. Mariusz Jankowski, Director of the Investors Assistance Department, presented plans for the city’s largest-ever investment project, a gaming and technology hub. Kaohsiung shared its experiences in smart city development and digital innovation industries, sparking lively dialogue on policy-driven regional industrial upgrading. Deputy Mayor Lo emphasized that Kaohsiung has in recent years actively promoted high-tech industries as part of its urban transformation. With Katowice showing strong interest in Kaohsiung’s development, Deputy Mayor Lo invited the city to participate in next year’s Kaohsiung Smart City Summit & Expo, with the aim of building closer ties and advancing industrial development and sustainable urban construction through regular visits and joint projects.
Chang Yen-ching, Director-General of the Department of Administrative and International Affairs, noted that signing the Declaration of Friendship on the occasion of Katowice’s 160th anniversary carried special significance. During the visit, the Kaohsiung delegation held in-depth exchanges with Mayor Krupa and his team, and also met with representatives of the Silesia Provincial Government and the Silesian Metropolis to learn about Katowice’s cooperation with neighboring cities. Looking ahead, Kaohsiung will continue to foster close interaction with Katowice across multiple fields, with educational cooperation in particular, enabling young people from both Taiwan and Poland to learn about each other’s cultures and deepen cross-border friendships.