Wałbrzych: A Microcosm of Post-Communist Transition

Abstract

This article focuses on Wałbrzych as a microcosm of post-communist transition, taking inspiration from Microcosm: Portrait of a Central European City by Norman Davies and Roger Moorhouse, which focused on Wroclaw. The research questions are what problems the city faced in the post-communist transition and how the city tackled these problems. The city faced my challenges, not least its deeply problematic reputation and being unfashionable. This, as well the city’s competitive disadvantage, drove outward migration, both to other cities in Poland and abroad. Moreover, the city’s industrial, developed according to communist ideals, was ill suited to the modern era and had also led to a misskilled labour force. In attempting to tackle these issues the city relied on tactics such as special economic zones, which may themselves lead to further problems in the future. While the percentage of unemployed remained higher than the rest of Silesia and Poland, the city did succeed in cutting it to a very reasonable level, as well as attracting migrants from abroad, mainly Ukraine. Despite managing to tackle some of the issues it faced, Wałbrzych will never be as popular or prestigious as some cities, which is exactly what makes it such an interesting case study – as many cities across the post-communist space face issues and increasingly seem to be finding similar responses.