Bydgoszcz's past and present has been influenced by its particularly favourable location, within close proximity to several rivers and the construction of Bydgoski Canal, thanks to which the city became one of the country's major inland ports. From the 19th century on, it has also played a role as an important railway junction.

Bydgoszcz is first of all an industrial city specialising in wood products, textiles, metal goods and chemicals, but the service and trade sectors are also intensely developing. Having lured several serious foreign investors like Coca-Cola, AT&T, Samsung and Unilever, it grew into a major economic centre of north-central Poland.

The city itself has around 357,000 inhabitants, but is sometimes regarded as a metroplex together with Torun, which is only 45 km from Bydgoszcz (the total number of inhabitants is over 600,000). Both cities are the capitals of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian province, sharing between themselves the main institutions.

Bydgoszcz takes pride in the local Philharmonic, an institution recognised all over the world for its long traditions and a spacious concert hall providing excellent acoustics. Another famous musical site is Mozg (lit. Brain), the club known as the cradle of Polish yass – contemporary trend in jazz music.

Although Bydgoszcz is not a tourist destination, there are several interesting monuments, like Bydgoszcz Venice with its picturesque granaries and bridges. Bydgoszcz’s surroundings can be a great place to visit, and especially worth attention are Bory Tucholskie National Park, Lake Koronowski and the historical sights of Ostromecko, Lubostron, Biskupin and Torun.