Tychy

Tychy (Polish pronunciation: [ˈtɨxɨ] ; ) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Katowice. Situated on the southern edge of the Upper Silesian industrial district, the city borders Katowice to the north, Mikołów to the west, Bieruń to the east and Kobiór to the south. The Gostynia river, a tributary of the Vistula, flows through Tychy. Since 1999, Tychy has been located within the Silesian Voivodeship. Tychy is also one of the founding cities of the Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia, a pan-Silesian economic and political union formed with the eventual aim of bringing the most populous Silesian areas under a single administrative body. Tychy is well known for its brewing industry and the Tyskie brand of beer, which dates back to the 17th century. Since 1950, Tychy has grown rapidly, mainly as a result of post-war socialist planning policies enacted to disperse the population of industrial Upper Silesia. The city is also known as the home of the accomplished ice hockey club GKS Tychy.