Industrial heritage in the landscape of the upper silesian agglomeration

The Upper Silesia Agglomeration (Poland) arose as the result of dynamic industrial development in the coal basin at the turn of the 20^th century. The area of the Agglomeration covers ca. 1200 km² and its population is 2,5 million. It constitutes a polycentric conurbation consisting of several towns. The characteristic mixture of industry, brownfields and housing is dominated by coal-mines and heavy industry. In this disordered structure, there are places that stand out from the surroundings. These are historical industrial developments and old industrial settlements - workers' estates - which at the time of the downfall of the Silesian traditional industry became evidence of its regional identity and its close connections with the European industrial culture. Nowadays, during the restructuring of traditional Silesian industry and the renewal of urban structure of the Agglomeration, the beauty and the value of this industrial heritage have been appreciated. In their identity architects, in accordance with the Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities, can see an opportunity to renew the image of the region and to realise new creative city spaces. Paper describes the changes that became in the urban landscape of Upper Silesian Agglomeration after the renewal of some postindustrial areas and historical industrial buildings and their significant influence on the sustainable development and quality of the built environment.