Vision of the strategy for the city of Bielsko-Biała
The following text is the first part of a comprehensive study describing the identity of the city of Bielsko-Biała. It was created in 2021. The subsequent, unpublished section also includes conclusions and suggestions regarding the future and further development of the metropolis in the mountains. These are not confidential materials – the author is happy to share the rest of his work and invites you to interact with him.
Krakow / Bielsko-Biała, November 30, 2021
Introduction: Bielsko-Biała is a unique city—like no other. It's certainly not without its flaws, with many areas in need of improvement, and numerous untapped potential. Nobody is perfect, and perfect cities don't exist. But Bielsko-Biała is so different from all others that this should motivate us to take action to match its position during the Industrial Revolution. Bielsko-Biała is so incredible, so captivating, and so attractive, that the question arises: why doesn't anyone know about it? Why is a city that 200 years ago was among the richest and most dynamic in the world, one of the few cradles of innovation and entrepreneurship with such a modern character, in such a state today? Why is knowledge of its great, and quite recent, illustrious past only obvious to a relatively small circle of historians and enthusiasts?
It's easy to be a fan of City in the Mountains. So let's start with a critical perspective: the time for praise will come later.
Contemporary Bielsko-Biała is an anti-pedestrian and anti-cyclist city, usurped by citizens who maniacally abuse their cars. Bielsko-Biała is a city of neglected, once-beautiful tenement houses. The city's main promenade is a deserted place, the wind howling through its gloomy corners. Bielsko-Biała is a city seemingly connected—but in reality, permanently and effectively divided—by a multi-lane road brutally separating the former Bielsko from the former Biała, making it impossible for pedestrians to smoothly and pleasantly cross "to the other side." Bielsko-Biała is a city with a false identity, a community historically deceived—by an unwillingness to tell its true, multi-ethnic history. Bielsko-Biała is a decaying former industrial and workers' city, largely shaped by communism, with prefabricated housing estates developed by the now-defunct textile industry. Bielsko-Biała is a city of unnecessary contrasts, wasted opportunities, and untapped possibilities. BB is also a former provincial capital, the consequences of which are still felt today.
Is that a bad thing? No. It's a very good thing, because there are still many opportunities to be seized, the possibilities are enormous, the contrasts should be both intimidating and motivating. Bielsko-Biała is arguably the most interesting city in this part of the world. Such potential requires the ability to harness, and a truly AMBITIOUS PLAN for such a city. And an ambitious plan is to equal Bielsko and Biała from the times of the Industrial Revolution, surpassing them, transforming the contemporary city into a modern, cosmopolitan, mountain metropolis – the best place to live, work, and spend your free time. Bielsko-Biała is a city that desperately needs to be reinvented today.
I think that after many months of collaborative work by many local patriots, authorities, activists, experts, politicians, artists, enthusiasts, and finally, simply residents-citizens, we can finally say: WE HAVE IT! Thank you all for your help and cooperation, and for the opportunity to record this extraordinary story.
Mateusz the Imaginary
Co-creator – with Professor Jerzy Hausner – of the "Open Eyes Economy" concept, including the "Company-Idea" / "City-Idea" / "Brand-Culture" models, as well as the "Islands and Archipelagos" concept. Co-organizer of the annual Open Eyes Economy Summit at ICE Krakow and its Creative Director. Editor-in-Chief of Open Eyes Magazine. Expert in social communications and marketing. Pioneer of place marketing in Poland, author of dozens of brand, city, and regional strategies, as well as projects in the field of marketing for major events (including UEFA EURO 2012, EXPO 2022, as well as over 30 cities and regions, including Krakow, Warsaw, Sopot, Kołobrzeg, Bielsko-Biała, Lower Silesia, Małopolska, and Silesia). Winner of over 20 professional awards in national and international competitions (including 3 global Globe Awards). A lecturer at numerous universities and a publicist, he has authored over 200 industry publications in numerous journals on management and marketing. A traveler: in 2012, he and the Dookoła Association team were nominated for the National Geographic Traveler Award in the "Journey of the Year" category for their trans-African expedition, GloBall 2012. Together with his daughter Maria, he authored the book "Backyard Wars" (2019). He is a regular columnist for the monthly Architektura & Biznes magazine, in the "Multi-Cities" series. Since 2017, he has been a film and game scriptwriter, creating, among other things, the "Baltica" universe.
