This paper examines the challenges of implementing contemporary development concepts in old industrial regions, focusing on the Silesian region of Poland. The central question is whether the structural transition declared in Silesian strategic documents represents genuine adaptation or merely symbolic compliance with policy paradigms, that is, window dressing. The analysis highlights a new factor in window dressing, namely a pronounced temporal lag in adopting new development paradigms arising from the legacy of the past compared to Western regions, contributing to heterogeneous structural change across the region. Finally, the study formulates recommendations for regional policy programming to overcome window dressing and support more effective, context-sensitive policy.