EN
The aim of this article is to present the role of special economic zones (SEZ) in shaping the spatial structure of industry in Poland. The author, in the first part of the article, analyses the evolution of the special economic zones instrument from the foundation of the first zone in Mielec in 1995 to the end of 2005. Then the article focuses on structural and spatial effects of SEZ-es. These provide the background for the analysis of changes in an spatial structure of industry in Poland as well as allow making an attempt to answer the question: what was the role of special economic zones in this field. The contain conclusions evaluation of special economic zones effectiveness as an instrument of industrial and regional policy. The study, to some extent, is a continuation of SEZ-es assessment carried out in the end of 1990s (see Krynska 2000).