TYCHY

town, Katowice wojewdztwo (province), southern Poland. It lies on the Bielsko-Biala rail line on the southern edge of the Upper Silesia industrial district surrounded by the Pszczyna forests. The town was early known for its beer, having opened its first brewery in 1629, and, latterly, for the large Tychy automobile plant. In 1951 the town of Nowe (New) Tychy was begun as part of a socialist public-works project designed to accommodate 130,000 industrial workers and alleviate the housing shortage in the Upper Silesia industrial region. The new town was built to provide wholesome housing for the miners of Upper Silesia; it is completely residential and is built along a cultural avenue, with Lake Paprocanskie at one end and a large park at the other. The new and old towns are under one administration. Pop. (1989 est.) 271,000.