Geographia Polonica Volume 86, Issue 3, pp. 183-198 http://dx.doi.org/10.7163/GPol.2013.18 INSTITUTE OF GEOGRAPHY AND SPATIAL ORGANIZATION POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES www.igipz.pan.pl www.geographiapolonica.pl Introduction The concept of polycentric development has played a central role in the discussion of spatial development in Europe over the last 15 years. An overview of relevant literature shows that it is applied as an analytical and a normative concept and can refer to both morphological and relational aspects of spatial structures on different spatial levels. In this context the paper presents selected and revised results from the ESPON project POLYCE (Metropolisation and Polycentric Development in Central Europe), which investigated polycentric development in five capital cities in Central Europe (Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Ljubljana and Bratislava) as an empirical basis for developing metropoli- tan growth strategies. Extending the thematic scope and city sample of the ESPON analysis, this paper presents findings on the extent of relational polycentricity between seven selected capital cities in Central-Eastern Europe (Vienna, Bratislava, Prague, Warsaw, Berlin, Budapest and Ljubljana). POLYCENTRIC CITY NETWORKS IN CENTRAL-EASTERN EUROPE: EXISTING CONCEPTS AND EMPIRICAL FINDINGS Hans Kramar  Justin Kadi Vienna University of Technology Department of Spatial Planning Operngasse 11, 1040 Vienna: Austria e-mail addresses: hans.kramar@tuwien.ac.at; justin.kadi@tuwien.ac.at Abstract The concept of polycentricity has gained significance in discussions on spatial development in Europe in recent years. This paper presents new evidence on polycentric city networks in Central-Eastern Europe based on selected results of the ESPON project POLYCE (Metropolisation and Polycentric Development in Central Europe). The authors discuss existing applications of the concept in the context of EU spatial policies and present an exploratory analysis of relational polycen- tricity focused on international networks of firms and research co-operation between seven capital cities in Central- Eastern Europe (Vienna, Bratislava, Prague, Warsaw, Berlin, Budapest and Ljubljana). Analysis of networks of firms in the advanced producer service sector reveals strong ties between Budapest, Prague, Vienna and Warsaw, with Berlin being less connected but hosting firm subsidiaries of higher order. The investigations on research networks within EU Research Framework Programmes demonstrate that Berlin and Vienna play dominant roles in research co-operation within the region and are also well integrated in European scientific communities. There is no clear indication that inter-urban firm and research networks are influenced by travel times or ethnic ties between the cities, but the similar structures of firm and research relations suggest that different kinds of interactions, networks and co-operation between cities often go hand in hand with each other and are connected in some way. Key words relational polycentricity  firm relations  research networks  capital cities  Central-Eastern Europe Geographia Polonica 2013, 86, 3, pp. 183-198