WBJ: What is the status of the three strategic urban development projects in Kraków ?

Jerzy Muzyk: "Kraków Nowa Huta of the Future" (Kraków Nowa Huta Przyszłości) is a strategic project that will affect the functioning of the entire region. It assumes the implementation of four separate investment projects: the "Branice" Science and Technology Park, the "Ruszcza" Logistic-Industrial Center, the "Błonia 2.0" Large-Scale Outdoor Cultural Events Center, and the "Przylasek Rusiecki" Recreation and Leisure Center. The project's assumptions are based on the synergy of these areas, which will be connected not only spatially but also ideologically by the Nowa Huta Przyszłości Trail. 

The "Wesoła" project concerns the creation of a multifunctional urban area, providing new spaces for residents and public life. The project's goal is to preserve the area's unique values, protecting the cultural and landscape environment, creating an attractive public space, and increasing the diversity and quality of the service program. One of the first buildings constructed in this area will be the headquarters of the Kraków Library, which will include both workshops and reading rooms. 

The "Kraków Fast Tram" (Szybki Tramwaj) is part of the fourth stage of expansion and assumes the construction of a line connecting the loop in Mistrzejowice with the intersection of Meissner and Lema streets (the 4.5-kilometer route will be completed by the end of 2025 and will shorten travel time to the center by about 12 minutes). The entire investment is worth PLN 1.92 billion and will be implemented under a public-private partnership model. 

Kraków is highly developed in terms of business service centers and R&D. How many people are employed in this sector, and how many of them are foreigners?

For several years, Kraków has been a European leader in attracting modern business service centers and, more recently, R&D centers. During the global crisis in 2007-2009, while others were losing, the capital of Malopolska was gaining more investors, showing increases not only in the number of companies but also 

in the number of employees. The same can be said about the difficult pandemic period, which did not weaken the potential of Kraków's companies but actually accelerated the development of innovation-based businesses operating in a highly competitive environment. 

According to data collected annually by the industry association ABSL, there are more than 260 business service centers in Kraków employing over 92,700 people (including 43,100 in SSC/GBS, 17,900 in IT, and 19,000 in BPO). These numbers show that Kraków has been an employment leader for years (showing a 23.2% share of employment in the sector overall). Every fifth employee in these business service centers is a foreigner. That adds up to already more than 20,000 people from 50 countries. According to forecasts for 2023, further employment growth in this sector is anticipated.

Kraków is well-known for being a university city. What is the local government doing to promote education and attract students to Kraków ? 

In 2021, following the conclusion of an agreement for a common goal between the Kraków Science and Academic Center and the Municipality of Kraków, a Council of Partners was established with the intent of making Kraków the most recognizable scientific and academic center in Central and Eastern Europe, attracting the best students and scientists from around the world.

The partners declared the intention to undertake actions aimed at creating new job opportunities, including for those with the highest professional competencies, through the development of student internships and professional internships in cooperation with academic career offices. In addition, the goal of the partners is to create scholarship programs for high school students, university students, and young scientists with outstanding academic achievements. These actions will be implemented in cooperation between the City of Kraków, higher education institutions, and businesses. 

We are working on creating an electronic platform called iKONA, where information about competitions and scholarship programs for students and graduates of Kraków 's universities will be posted, among other things. The iKONA platform will also be a place to publish job and internship offers.

Many important business events take place in Kraków. Which ones are particularly important for the city? 

It is important for Kraków to develop local business and promote the city as a modern center for research and development. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the next ABSL Summit will be held in our city. It is one of the most important socio-economic events in Central and Eastern Europe, bringing together over 1,000 business leaders representing the largest companies in the world, representatives of public administration and academia, experts, and scientists. 

This year also brings one of the most important congress events in Poland – the Copernicus World Congress. It is also the most important event of the Kraków part of the 550th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus. The congress will focus the attention of Poland and the world directly on Kraków, where our greatest astronomer lived, worked, but above all, studied. The congress, held on 23-26 May 2023, will host the world's leading scientists. In 2023, the International Biennale of Architecture (MBA Kraków 2023) will also be held at the ICE Kraków Congress Center, organized by the Association of Polish Architects, Kraków Branch. As every year, we will also continue successful cyclical events, such as the Open Eyes Economy Summit, which deals with responsible business, and Digital Dragons - the largest gaming industry conference in this part of Europe.

I recently visited Kraków and noticed many Ukrainians on the city streets. How many Ukrainians currently live and work in Kraków, and how have they and the city adapted to this new situation?

Currently, there are just over 30,000 refugees from Ukraine living in Kraków, and almost 10,000 refugees living in the immediate vicinity of the city (Kraków County) (data from the Border Guard as of January 2023). The growth rate of the foreign population is high, as seen, for example, in educational institutions: year-on-year, the number of foreigners has increased more than fourfold (from 4,120 in 2021 to over 17,000 in 2022) - 85% are Ukrainians.

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, estimates indicated that there were around 70,000 Ukrainians in Kraków, which would have meant that as of January 2022, Ukrainian immigrants accounted for almost 10% of the city's population. If the refugees who have stayed in Kraków  will stay "longer," one can expect an increase in the share of foreigners in the city's population, even up to 20%.

The presence of refugees in Kraków  is not only a major challenge for the housing, education, healthcare, and other systems, but also necessitates the accelerated development of a comprehensive policy for the integration of foreigners in the city, and thus for Kraków itself. 

Jerzy Muzyk

Deputy Mayor of Krakow, responsible for Sustainable Development. He has a background in law, having worked in the insurance industry from 1991 to 2003. In 2003, he joined the City Hall of Krakow as the Director of the Architecture and Urban Planning Department. Following this, he ran his own legal counsel practice from 2006 until 2018.