mazowieckie

Mazowsze is the most rapidly developing region in the country and at the forefront of the national transformation. The rapidity of the Polish transformation is most clearly visible here. It’s the largest Polish region in terms of the population, with a young and well qualified workforce and with the lowest percentage of unemployment. In this, the most heavily populated voivodship, the largest Polish and international firms have located their headquarters and there are presently almost half a million firms trading here. Warsaw – the region’s major city and Poland’s capital is the headquarters of 43 of the top hundred Polish companies, with almost 30% of foreign corporations choosing it as their location. The prevalent economic sectors in Mazowsze are trade, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, IT, the motor industry and petrochemicals. Warsaw is striving to become one of the leading regional business centres of Europe, by developing its transport and communications links. Warsaw’s Okęcie airport already handles over 80% of the passengers arriving in Poland by air. Most of the region’s population lives in towns, with their greatest concentration being in the Warsaw agglomeration, although the voivodship also has the largest rural population in Poland, with one in four people working in agriculture. In Mazowsze 30% of the country’s total acreage of orchards can be found, i.e. every third fruit tree in Poland. Mazowsze’s culture has been formed due to many diverse and traditional influences and the region has been a melting pot where different visions, trends and national cultures have met. Both Warsaw and her surrounding towns and villages have been birthplaces for various artists. In XVI^th century in Czarnolesie, Jan Kochanowski, the father of Polish poetry wrote his works, whereas Żelazowa Wola was the birthplace of Poland’s most famous composer Frederick Chopin. Today Mazowsze is the region that offers the fullest participation in the nation’s culture, both historically and contemporarily. The artifacts displayed in the voivodship’s museums enable the past to be remembered, while in the Warsaw galleries of: Zachęta and the Contempoary Arts Centre, today’s artists’ works are displayed; there is also a rich choice in classical music concerts: e.g. the Mozart Festival, Warsaw’s Musical Autumn and the Jazz Jamboree.

Mazowsze is the voivodship with the greatest potential in Poland, with the ambition to take a significant role among the European regions.

• A large concentration of business entities,
• Nationwide the highest income levels,
• A location on the trans-European transport corridors; a well developed rail network and the country’s largest airport which all ensure connections to the major cities and countries of Europe and the world,
• The greatest level of innovation (investment in R&D is among the highest in the country),
• The most frequently visited region by tourists; the development of the tourist sector is aided by a good network of communications with European cities, a high standard of hotel services, telecommunications and financial services,
• The position of the voivodship is largely dictated by the position of Warsaw, the state’s and the region’s capital, a city of international importance. Warsaw is characterised by the most dynamic economic changes, large reserves of well qualified personnel and a high rate of privatisations from the public to the private sectors,
• The Warsaw Stock Exchange – is a centre for business capital for Central and Eastern Europe.

The favourable central location of the voivodship at the junction of important international communications routes, the capital’s status, the highest national level of GDP, large numbers of well trained staff with various different qualifications are available, a favourable demographic situation and a predominance of young people, are all factors which enable the voivodship to become the country’s economic leader.

The high level of education available, including the country’s highest ratio of graduates, large amounts invested in science and research activities and in development, a high rate of activity and industriousness among the citizens’ of Warsaw and the closeness of (Poland’s second largest city – synergy effect) means that the region and particularly Warsaw could become a major centre in the BPO sector.

The availability of large numbers of workers, the availability of the essential raw materials for the building industry, the central location at the junction of important international communications routes, a favourable geography and climate, together with a high level of demand generated by the higher levels of wealth - for both private as well as business developments, have all meant that for many years the Mazowsze voivodship has been the leading region for the building sector.

Centuries old traditions, very well located, the high level purity in the natural environment which all favours agricultural production and the economy’s high rate of absorption on the market has meant that the region has developed well in the food sector. The industry here is likely to carry on developing well over the coming years.