The socioeconomic status of cities and regions is nowadays determined by how they are positioned within the “space of flows.” On the continental scale, many types of such flows and linkages are developing most dynamically in Central-Eastern Europe – including in Poland.

While the people and enterprises of Poland have numerous international contacts, the extent, nature and direction of such contacts differ greatly across various regions. These patterns manifest a historical legacy that dates back to the 18th century, a time when Poland was missing from maps of Europe.

The paper analyzes various types of international socio-economic relations of Polish voivodeships. They were assessed in terms of: a) the current impact on the territorial brand of Polish regions; b) unused potential in this respect. The study covered the following types of relations: a) migration (territorial brand as a derivative of outmigration from a given area); b) trade relationships (economic relations as the basis for brand promotion); c) tourist relations (territorial brand as a derivative of tourist visits in a given area); d) transport relations as an element defining the region (as poorly or easily accessible in terms of international transport). In summary, the tables presents the impact of individual types of connections on the territorial brand and recommendations resulting from these connections. An initial typology of Polish regions was made in terms of their international position measured by selected indicators and in terms of the objectives of the promotional policy.

Położenie w przestrzeni przepływów i powiązań determinuje obecnie pozycję społeczno-gospodarczą miast i regionów. W skali kontynentalnej dynamika większości przepływów jest najszybsza w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej, w tym w Polsce.