Poland’s economic transformation has proved to be a critical phase in the contemporary development of its industrial cities, initiating profound spatial and functional changes. In researching the basics of the development of ‘post-industrial’ cities, it can be seen that the work undertaken is focused on reusing post-industrial buildings and objects. This results not only in functional changes in the appearance and condition of the transformed structures, but also preserves or destroys their authenticity and historical identity. This problem is linked with several phenomena, including ‘aware inactivity’, ‘destructive adaptation’, and ‘false revitalization’.