Sosnowiec is a city county in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland and also part of the Silesian Metropolis municipal association. Located in the eastern part of the Upper Silesian Industrial Region, it is one of the cities of the Katowice urban area – a 2.7-million-person conurbation – and within a greater Upper Silesian metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people. Allegedly its name comes from Polish word sosna, referring to the pine forests which were common prior to 1830. It was originally known as Sosnowice.
Sosnowiec is characterised by its urban dynamics, economic activity, and care for both, its cultural heritage and natural environment. In recent years, Sosnowiec was further transformed from an industrial center with mainly mining and heavy industries into a hub of trade and services. Nevertheless, it still operates several important coal mines, steel factories and other heavy industrial plants.