Katowice International Fair ( pl, Międzynarodowe Targi Katowickie, MTK) was an international

trade fair A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and c ...

Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...

and one of the largest in Poland (the largest being the

Poznań International Fair The Poznań International Fair (PIF, pl, Międzynarodowe Targi Poznańskie, MTP) is the biggest industrial fair in Poland. It is held on the Poznań fairground in Poland. Poznań International Fair is located in the centre of the city opposite ...

). A few dozen events were organized there each year, with the participation of some 4,500 companies.

Location

The Katowice International Fair grounds are located in the

Silesian Central Park Silesian Park ( pl, Park Śląski) is a recreation complex in the center of the Upper-Silesian Metropolis in Chorzów in Upper Silesia, Poland. Silesian Park is managed by WPKiW S.A. The area of the park is 620 hectares, twice as large as the ...

, next to the

Silesian Planetarium The Silesian Planetarium also Silesian Planetarium and Astronomical Observatory ( pl, Planetarium Śląskie pl, Śląskie Planetarium i Obserwatorium Astronomiczne) is the largest and oldest planetarium in Poland. It was founded on 4 December 1 ...

, in the heart of the

Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union The Metropolis GZM ( pl, Metropolia GZM, formally in Polish Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolia) is a metropolitan unit composed of 41 contiguous municipalities in the Silesian Voivodeship of Poland. The seat of the metropolitan council is ...

. The fair features a few dozen exhibition halls, large open space area (about 24 ha), conference centers, its own hotel, etc.

History

The grounds were opened as The Center of Technical Progress in 1963. For years, the activities were mostly non-commercial in nature, for example large exhibitions presenting achievement of the Soviet Union space program, at which young people and local space enthusiasts could view and even enter various space capsules (or their real-size mock-ups) and obtain related technical information. After the 1989 transition to the market economy, they grounds took up a more commercial character.

Accident

In January 2006 the fair was the site of the

Katowice Trade Hall roof collapse On 28 January 2006, the roof of one of the buildings at the Katowice International Fair (''Międzynarodowe Targi Katowickie'') collapsed in Chorzów / Katowice, Poland. At 16:15 GMT (17:15 local time), the central section of the roof of the ha ...

Location

History

Accident

See also