Poland - Polónia

Poland (in Polish: Polska), is a big country in the central Europe. He has a long coastline from Baltic Sea and borders the Belarus, Czech republic, Germany, Lithuania, Russia (Kaliningrad), Slovakia and Ukraine.

Regions

• Lower Silesian Voivodeship
• Cujavia-Pomerania Voivodeship
• Lublin Voivodeship
• Lubusz Voivodeship
• Łódź Voivodeship
• Little Poland Voivodeship
• Mazovian Voivodeship
• Opole Voivodeship
• Subcarpathia Voivodeship
• Podlachy Voivodeship
• Pomeranian Voivodeship
• Silesian Voivodeship
• Santa Cruz Voivodeship
• Warmia-Masurian Voivodeship
• Greater Poland Voivodeship
• West Pomerania Voivodeship

Cities

• Warsaw
• Krakow
• Bielsko-Biała

Other destinations

• Auschwitz - German concentration camp and UNESCO World Heritage.
• Białowieża National Park

Understand

Poland or Poland (in Polish Polska; official name Rzeczpospolita Polska, Republic of Poland) is a country in Central Europe bordering Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and Lithuania and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad to the north. It is washed by the Baltic Sea to the north. Furthermore, it has a maritime border with the Denmark and the Sweden. Its total surface is 312,683 km², making it the 68th largest country in the world. Its population is over 38.5 million inhabitants, concentrated mainly in large cities such as Krakow and the capital Warsaw.

The first Polish state was created in 966, with a territory very similar to modern Poland. It became a kingdom in 1025 and in 1569 strengthened a long association with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to create the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This association collapsed in 1795. Poland regained its independence in 1918, after World War I, but lost it again during World War II when it was occupied by Nazi and Soviet troops. With the end of the conflict, it emerged as a communist country, part of the bloc under the control of the former Soviet Union. In 1989, the communist government was overthrown and Poland inaugurated the phase informally known as the "Third Polish Republic". Today, Poland is a liberal democracy, a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD and the WTO.

Climate

The climate in Poland is not very extreme. There are 4 well-defined seasons:

Summer: Summer is usually moderately hot, with some rain. Temperatures range between 21 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Contrary to what is usual for many countries in Europe, in Poland the hottest month is July and August.

Autumn: September inaugurates the autumn season, which is impressive in Poland, as the landscape gets spectacular colors.

Winter: From December onwards, the cold starts in this country. So we can see temperatures between 3 degrees and -5.

Spring: Colors return, Poland starts to shine again from March. The temperatures here start to be very comfortable again, between 10 and 20 degrees centigrade.

To arrive

By airplane

Most of Europe's major airlines serve Poland. Poland's main national air carrier is LOT Polish Airlines. Also, there are several low cost airlines that fly to Poland, WizzAir, EasyJet, Germanwings, Norwegian, Ryanair.

In addition to direct flights from many European cities, there are also direct flights from the United States and Canada: LOT operates direct flights from Toronto, New York and Chicago.

International airlines mainly fly to Warsaw (WAW). Other major airports in Poland are: Krakow (KRK), Katowice (KTW), Gdańsk (GDN), Poznań (POZ), Wrocław (WRO), Szczecin (SZZ "), Rzeszów (RZE), Bydgoszcz (BZG) and Łódź ( LCJ).

As the number of flights and passengers has increased significantly since 1990, a new terminal was opened at Warsaw Chopin Airport, significantly increasing its capacity. There are also airports in Katowice, Krakow, Poznań, Wrocław and Łódź that have been expanded to increase their level and capacity.

Of boat

From Sweden: Ystad (7-9 hours, 215 zł) per line unit; Karlskrona (10 hours, 140-220 zł) by Stena Line; Nynäshamn (18 hours, 230-270 zł), Visby (13.5 hours, 170 zł), Ystad (9.5 hours, 230 zł) by PolferriesFrom Denmark: Copenhagen (9-11 hours, 220 zł), Bornholm / Rønne (5 hours, 125 zł) by Polferries.From Finland: Helsinki (~18 h) by Finnlines

By car

You can enter Poland on one of the many roads that connect Poland with neighboring countries. Since Poland's entry into the Schengen Zone, border posts with other EU countries have been removed.

However, queues at the borders with Poland in the non-treaty European Union, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia are still long and in areas congested with truck traffic it can take up to several hours to pass.

By bus

There are many international bus lines connecting the main Polish cities with most European banks.

By train

Direct connections, with:

• Berlin, EuroCity "Berlin-Warsaw-Express (BWE)", three trains a day, 6 hours one train a day Berlin - Poznań, 3 hours, EuroCity "Wawel" to Krakow, every day, 10 hours.
• Amsterdam, via Hamburg, EuroNight "Jan Kiepura", every day, 15 hours.
• Vilnius, Night Train "Balti", 10 hours - temporarily operated by bus
• Kiev, Night Train, 16 hours.
• Vienna, Night Train "Chopin" every day, 9 hours, EuroCity "Sobieski", every day, 6 hours, EuroCity "Polonia", every day, 8 hours.
• Prague, Night Train "Chopin", EuroCity "Praha", every day, 9.5 hours
• Moscow, Night Train "Ost-West", every day, 20.5 hours.

Circular

The Polish road infrastructure is extensive, but generally poorly maintained, at high speed and highways currently in place are inadequate. However, public transport is quite plentiful and cheap: buses and trams in cities, buses and charter trains for long-distance travel.

By bike

Cycling is a good method to get a good impression of the landscape in Poland. The roads can sometimes be in poor condition but mostly they are ok. Drivers are reckless, but most don't necessarily want to kill cyclists in view of what seems to be the case in other countries, especially Germany. Especially in the south you can find some nice places to ride a bike, for example along the rivers Dunajec (from Zakopane to Szczawnica) and Poprad (Krynica from Stary ZCAS) or Lower Silesia (Złotoryja - Świerzawa - Jawor).

By taxi

Only use those that are associated in a corporation" (look at the phone number and logo on the side and top). Be especially careful with these taxis in the vicinity of international airports and train stations. They are called the mafia of the "taxi".

Because of travelers advice, like this word (and mouth), taxis with fake phone numbers can be seen on the streets, although recently this seems to have declined - possibly the police have taken notice. Fake phone numbers are easily detected by locals. The best advice is to ask your Polish friends or your hotel concierge for the number of the taxi company they use and call them 10-15 minutes in advance (there is no additional cost).

Each taxi driver is required to issue a receipt when requested (at the end of the tour). You can ask about a receive driver (rachunek) before getting into the taxi.

By car

The Polish road network contains fewer highways and more common two-lane lanes than is common in Western countries. Many of these roads are way below capacity for the volume of trips they are carrying and the average road surface quality is poor.

Driving in cities can be difficult, city streets are crowded, often narrow, and you need to be careful with trams. When estimating driving time, if you are not familiar with local conditions, it is safe to double your guess, especially in peak times. Poles work long peak hours which in big cities often last up to eight hours.

Parking in cities and towns is often allowed on sidewalks, unless, of course, there is a no-parking sign. There is generally no provision for gated off-street parking so do not leave your car parked on the curb unless it is clearly a parking bay. Parking meters in even smaller cities are widely used.

By bus

Poland has a well-developed network of private bus charter companies, which tend to be cheaper, faster and more comfortable than traveling by train. For journeys of 100 kilometers, charter buses are much more popular than trains. However, they are harder to use for foreigners because they are definitely local oriented.

Every city has a central bus station (formerly known as PKS) where the various routes pick up passengers, you can find timetables there. Tickets are usually purchased directly from the driver, but sometimes you can buy them at the station.

Buses are a viable option for long distance and international travel, however, be aware that long distance timetables are generally more limited than for trains.

By train

In Poland, the national railway carrier is PKP (Polskie Koleje Państwowe).

Train tickets are very economical, but travel conditions reflect the fact that much of the infrastructure is quite old.

However, you can expect a fast, clean and modern connection on new IC (InterCity) routes such as Warsaw - Katowice, Warsaw - Krakow, Warsaw - Poznań and Poznań - Szczecin. Consider first class tickets, because the price difference between second and first class isn't that big, but the jump in comfort is substantial.

Ex (Express) / IC (InterCity) / CE (EuroCity) - express trains between metropolitan areas as well as major tourist destinations. Reservation is normally required. Laptop power points are sometimes available next to the seat.

TLK (Twoje Linie Kolejowe) - discount trains, slower but cheaper than the previous ones. Not many connections, but very good alternative for budget travelers. Reservation normally required. Use older cars that are not always suitable for traveling at high speed.Pospieszny - which means "high speed", but actually, far from it, long distance, priority trains, stop only in big cities. You can also buy a weekend BILET Podróżnika.

Osobowy - Normal passenger train, usually slow, stops everywhere. You can also buy a turystyczny weekend ticket, or spend a week long. Great if you're not in a hurry, but sometimes too crowded.

Podmiejski - suburban train. Various degrees of comfort and facilities. Tickets need to be purchased at the station counters. Some companies allow you to buy a ticket on board from the train manager, in the first compartment. A surcharge will apply.

Narrow Gauge - Poland still maintains a number of millimeter narrow local railroads. Some of them are tourism oriented and operate only in summer or on weekends, while others remain active as municipal rail transport.

Speak

Foreign visitors should be aware that virtually all official information will generally only be in Polish. Street signs, directions, information signs, etc. are routinely monolingual, as are timetables and announcements at train and bus stations (airports are one). When it comes to information signs in museums, churches, etc., signs in multiple languages ​​are usually only found in popular tourist destinations.

Many young people and teenagers speak English well enough, this language being taught at a very young age (about 4 years old), only Poles who grow up in isolated cities or communities do not have some basic knowledge of the language. However, older Poles, especially those who live outside the main cities, speak little or no English. However, it is highly possible that they speak German or Russian, which was taught in schools as the main foreign languages ​​until 1990.

Look

Knife

Buy

Hypermarkets are dominated by Western chains: Carrefour, Tesco, Auchan, the Real. Usually located in shopping centers or neighborhoods.

However Polish stores, often small local stores for bread, meat, fresh dairy products, vegetables and fruits - products in which freshness and quality is essential.

Prices in Poland are the cheapest in Europe.

With the

Poles eat after standard continental hours: a light breakfast in the morning (usually some sandwiches with tea/coffee), a larger one (lunch or a traditional dinner) around 1:00 or 2:00 in then a dinner around 7:00.

It is not difficult to avoid meat, with many restaurants having at least one vegetarian dish. Most major cities have some vegetarian-only restaurants, especially near the city center. Vegan options are limited, however. Traditional Polish cuisine tends to be healthy, rich in meats, sauces and vegetables; Pickled vegetable portions are the preferred accompaniment. Modern Polish cuisine, however, tends towards greater variety, and focuses on healthy choices. In general, the quality of "store-bought foods" is very high, particularly in dairy products, baked goods, vegetables and meat products.

A dinner usually includes the first soup, followed by the main course. Between soups, czerwony barszcz (Red beet soup, borsch aka) is perhaps the most recognizable: spicy and slightly bitter, served hot. Others include soups from zupa ogorkowa, a cucumber soup made from a mixture of fresh and pickled cucumbers; zupa grzybowa, usually made with wild mushrooms, which also flaki or flaki, a kind of spicy gut.

Pierogi is of course an immediately recognizable Polish dish. They are often served alongside another dish (eg with barszcz) rather than as a main dish. Gołąbki are also widely known: they are large cabbage rolls stuffed with a mixture of grains and meats, cooked and served hot.

Bigos is another original, and lesser-known, Polish dish: a "hunter's" stew that includes various meats and vegetables, in a pickled cabbage base. Bigos tend to be very thick and enthusiastic. Similar ingredients can also be wiped out and served in the form of a cabbage soup, called kapuśniak. Some Austro-Hungarian imports have also become popular over the years, and approved by Polish cuisine. These include gulasz, a local version of goulash that is less spicy than the original, and sznycel po wiedeńsku po, which is a traditional shnitzel, often served with potatoes and a selection of vegetables.

When it comes to food-on-the-go, foreign imports tend to dominate (such as kebab or pizza stands, and fast-food franchises). An interesting Polish twist is a zapiekanka, which is an open-faced baguette, topped with cheese and mushroooms (or other toppings of choice), and toasted until the cheese melts. Zapiekanki can be found at roadside stalls and bars.

Poland is also known for two unique cheeses, made by hand both in the mountain region [Podhale] in the south. Oscypek is the most famous: a hard salty cheese, made from unpasteurized and smoked sheep's milk. It goes very well with alcoholic beverages such as beer. The least common is bryndza, a soft cheese, also made with sheep's milk (and therefore salty), with a consistency similar to spreadable cheeses. It is usually served on bread or baked potatoes. Both cheeses are covered with EU Protected Designations of Origin (such as French Roquefort or Italian Parmegiano-Reggiano).

drink and go out

Poland has "European" vodka and "beer culture". Poles enjoy alcoholic beverages as much as other Europeans. You can buy beer, vodka and wine. Although Poland is known as the birthplace of vodka, a local beer, it seems to have more appeal to many Poles. Another traditional alcoholic drink is mead. Polish liquors and nalewka (alcoholic tincture) are a must.

Officially, in order to buy alcohol you must be over 18 and be able to prove it with a valid ID (which is strictly enforced).

Learn

Studying in Poland can be an amazing experience for foreigners. International students can finance a B.A.

There are many large international schools and universities in Poland and one of them is Jagiellonian University, in particular, it is known as a member of the Coimbra Group and is also a core member of the Europaeum. The University of Warsaw leads the ranking of public universities in Poland. National Film School in Łódź is the most notable academy.

Private universities are a recent invention, but they have been quite successful and several private schools are competing with leading public universities in terms of quality. Private schools can actually be cheaper for foreign students, who are not entitled to a free education at one of Poland's public universities.

Work

At the moment Poland is one of the best places around the world to find a job as an English teacher. TEFL courses (which is Teaching English as a Foreign Language) are run in many cities across Poland. The demand for TEFL teachers is huge and language teaching is a brilliant way to fund your trip and how you will earn

Health

The Unified European Emergency Number 112 is being deployed in Poland. So far this certainly works for all mobile phone calls and landline calls. There are also three "old" emergency numbers that are still in use. Are they:

• Ambulance: 999 (Pogotowie, dziewięć-dziewięć-dziewięć)
• Firefighters: 998 (Straż pożarna, dziewięć-dziewięć osiem)
• Police: 997 (Policja, dziewięć-dziewięć Siedem)
• City guards: 986 (Straż Miejska dziewięć-osiem sześć) is a kind of auxiliary police force and found only in big cities.

respect

Some men, especially older men, may kiss a woman's hand when shaking hands or saying goodbye. Kissing a woman's hand is considered chivalrous, but you won't go wrong with shaking hands. For a face the most sincere greeting or farewell, close friends of both sexes will kiss three times, alternating.

A fairly common practice is for people to greet each other with a dobry Dzień (good morning) when they enter elevators, or at the very least, saying widzenia bye (good) upon exiting the elevator. It is usual to bring a gift when invited to someone's home. Flowers are always a good choice. Flower shops kiosks are ubiquitous.

It is customary to open doors and pull out chairs for women. Poles are usually old fashioned (educated).

Men should not wear hats indoors, especially when entering a church. Most restaurants, museums and other public buildings have a locker room, and people should leave bags and outerwear there.

It is advisable to refer to Poland (as well as some other countries like the Czech Republic, Slovakia or Hungary) as Central Europe and not Eastern Europe. While not very offensive, if used, it can reflect ignorance of foreigners and a clear disrespect for the Latino history and cultural heritage clearly of the countries in the region. Poles refer to the "old" EU west of its borders as "Zachod" (West) and the states created after the break-up of the USSR as "Wschód" (East). Geographically this is corroborated by drawing a line between the tip of Norway to Greece and from the Urals to the coast of Portugal. For better or worse, Poland remains at the crossroads of Europe, right in the center of the continent.

Stay in touch

There are four mobile operators in Poland: Plus GSM (code 260 01), Era (260 02), Orange (260 03) and Gaming. The latter is mainly using Plus GSM network coverage. About 98% of the country's surface is covered by the European GSM 900/1800 MHz standard, with the remaining 2% being wildlife reserves or high mountains. UMTS is available in about 50% of the country. Due to the introduction of virtual brands, some operators now have two names for their prepaid services: From a landline: 00 Your Country Code The Number AbroadFrom a mobile phone: Your Country Code The Number AbroadTo call Poland from abroad, dial the country code, Polish, 48, then the number without the 0 on the left, as if calling from a domestic mobile phone.

International roaming calls are expensive. To reduce your account, you can:

buy phone "cards" for international calls activate a Polish prepaid account to make or receive

Internet usage

If you are bringing a laptop, Wireless LAN Hot-spots are available in different places, sometimes free, otherwise not very cheap. Best chances of finding one are at airports, train stations, cafes, shopping centers and universities. You can order at your hotel, but be prepared to pay. For those who need to connect to an internet café, Poland's big cities have internet cafes.

With your cell phone you can use: CSD, HSCSD, GPRS or EDGE, but the cost can be high. UMTS/HSPA is available in almost all large and medium cities. If your phone is not SIM locked, you might consider purchasing a prepaid SIM card designed for data access. Each mobile operator that offers its own prepaid internet offer. You can purchase Era Blueconnect Starter, iPlus Simdata, Free of Orange nd Karte or play Karte online at. Era Internet service, Orange and Plus covers the whole country area with GPRS/EDGE technology. In almost all large, medium and some small cities it is possible to receive 3G/3.5G signal.

This country article is usable . It contains links to major cities and other destinations (all with states of usable or better), a valid regional structure, and includes information about the country's currency, language, cuisine, and culture. At least the most important attraction is identified with directions. A braver person could use it to travel, but please dig deep and help it grow!