Bielsko-Biała used to be an important center of the textile industry. As it is known, the economic changes after 1989 drastically altered this situation. However, it turned out that the former voivodeship city (this is another of the changes that influenced the change of status of many centers in Poland) found its place in the free market economy, expanding not only what could be saved from its economic past, but also actively operating in new fields.