Bydgoszcz is one of the biggest cities in Poland, with 400.000 inhabitants. It is located in the northern part of the country. Bydgoszcz in 1346 was granted municipal rights by Casimir III the Great. Polish and foreign tourists admire not only Bydgoszcz's architecture, famous for art nouveau, but also beautiful and mysterious green places. The city is a significant Polish center of culture, science and economy. What is more, Bydgoszcz is a seat of numerous branches constituting well-known international concerns, such as: Lucent Technologies /USA/ Bell Laboratory, Tyco Electronics /USA/, Jabil Circuit /USA/, Atos Origin /France–Netherlands/, Unilever - /The Netherlands, UK/ and many others.

Thanks to the World Youth Track and Field that took place in the last summer, Bydgoszcz is regarded also as a sport center. Over 2000 young athletes from about 170 federations appeared in the 'Łuczniczka' sports hall and at the Krzyszkowiak Municipal Stadium.

Since 1992 the Rowing Race in Eights - Great Rowing Brda Cup takes place in Bydgoszcz. In 2004 and 2005 the home team of eight from Kazimierz Wielki University competed with crews from University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. The hosts won against both English teams.

Bydgoszcz with its picturesque location is very attractive for tourists and inhabitants. 'MYSLECINEK' the FOREST PARK OF CULTURE AND LEISURE, one of the largest green areas in the city, offers a lot of open air concerts, especially in summertime. Moreover, it makes the Botanic Garden, the Polish Fauna Garden ZOO and the Rock Garden available to tourists.

Tourism enthusiasts will surely find here lots of different opportunities, bicycle lanes and an extremely charming lagoon called Zalew Koronowski. The most interesting tourist attraction in Bydgoszcz is undoubtedly the waterway – over 700 kilometers of water routes formed already in the Middle Ages by the Brda and the Vistula rivers. To this day, it is a well – known route (Berlin – Krolewiec – E-70) that connects Eastern and Western Europe.

While on the waterway one is able to admire original landscapes and an island in the heart of the City, which is popularly called the Venice of Bydgoszcz. The opportunity of a canal boat cruise should not be missed by these visitors who crave for unbelievable sights.

Bydgoszcz is not only a gem of architecture but also a perfect place to acquire a taste for music. The Pomeranian Philharmonic, the Opera Nova, the Academy of Music as well as clubs, streets and squares are all full of resounding tunes. The Bydgoszcz's stage played host to many world - famous artists like Artur Rubinstein, Benjamin Britten, Witold Małcużyński, Luciano Pavarotti, Shlomo Mintz, Mischa Maisky, Kevin Kenner, Kurt Masur, Kazimierz Kord, Jerzy Maksymiuk and Antoni Wit. Throughout the last few years the city hosted outstanding orchestras such as BBC Radio Symphony Orchestra, Polish Radio National Orchestra to name just few.

Various music festivals that are so often organized in Bydgoszcz present music of Polish and world – famous artists. Pianist Rafał Blechacz, student of the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz won the Chopin competition - the world's most prestigious event of this kind.

One can also find here three dynamically developing universities: Kazimierz Wielki University, Jedrzej and Jan Sniadeccy University of Technologies and Life Sciences as well as Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music. At these universities (altogether) study about 43.000 young people from the whole world.

Taking into consideration the modernity and the openness of inhabitants, Bydgoszcz won recognition of an appropriate place for the prestigious NATO training center - The Joint Force Training Centre.

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