Piła

Piła (Polish: [ˈpiwa] ; German: Schneidemühl) is a city in northwestern Poland and the capital of Piła County, situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. Its population as of 2025 was 68,762, making it the third-largest city in the voivodeship after Poznań and Kalisz and the largest city in the northern part of Greater Poland. Piła is Poland's largest city without powiat rights. Founded in the 14th century, Piła was a royal city of Poland, whose prosperity came from crafts and trade. The city is located on the Gwda river and is famous for its green areas, parks and dense forests nearby. It is an important road and railway hub, located at the intersection of two main lines: Poznań–Szczecin and Bydgoszcz–Krzyż Wielkopolski. Piła is the center of light industry, culture and education in northern Greater Poland, and is particularly known for motorcycle speedway racing.