FAQ about Poland :)

27.02.06, 11:55
We are often asked questions about Poland, I though I would set up this
thread so that anyone who has interesting links with information that can
help others in any way, could paste
them here.
It may be a good place for those asking us for directions, to find
information they needsmile

Maggiesmile
----------------------------------

Polskasmile
www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/poland/
Embassies
www.embassyworld.com/embassy/poland.htm

Work permits/employment
www.bpcc.org.pl/en,467,0.html
www.paiz.gov.pl/index/?id=390e982518a50e280d8e2b535462ec1f
www.anyworkanywhere.com/visas_pl.html

Geneaology
www.archiwa.gov.pl/?CIDA=415
www.polishroots.com/genpoland/
www.newpoland.com/genealogy.htm
genforum.genealogy.com/poland/
bazy.ngo.pl/search/info.asp?id=75885&p=daneOgolne

Media
www.abyznewslinks.com/polan.htm
www.warsawvoice.pl/
www.itvn.pl/
Entertainmentsmile

www.warsawinsider.pl/

City guides:
Kraków

www.timeout.com/travel/krakow/intro.html
www.krakow.pl/en/
www.cracow-life.com/

Gdańsk

www.timeout.com/travel/gdansk/
www.gdansk.gda.pl/en/?PHPSESSID=5ea3a347ef591e45e18e3e2baa71057f

Trójmiasto (Gdańsk, Sopot, Gdynia)

guide.trojmiasto.pl/
Wrocław
www.wroclaw.pl/ms/english/
Poznań
www.city.poznan.pl/mim/strony/turystyka/index.html?lang=en

Warsaw

www.warsawtour.pl/index.php?lang=5&id=-2&
www.e-warsaw.pl/index.php
    • varsovian Re: FAQ about Poland :) 01.03.06, 10:49
      You have been a busy bee wink
      • nasza_maggie Re: FAQ about Poland :) 01.03.06, 16:55
        Have I?smile Well, I get asked for this kind of stuff all the time, so it's just a
        question of putting in stuff from my 'favourites' folder. And if it helps
        anone, then it's fine by me.
        • jaciapa Re: FAQ about Poland :) 01.03.06, 21:01
          Hi Folks,

          Swell done nasza_maggie. Congrats re idea. I have a q, perhaps not quite a faq,
          but here goes....(pardon colloquialisms)..

          But first a preamble by way of explanation - I'd like to settle "w kraju" & am a
          bit of a fresh/clean air fanatic. By that I mean - no fumes!! I intend to buy a
          property by spring next year. I've currently got a pied-a-terre in Cieplice (Jel
          Gora), overlooked by Karkonosze mountains, Sniezka etc...views to die for.
          But..but..but..Cannot open windows without being consumed by toxic fumes,
          especially in winter. It seems that Poles burn anything & everything that they
          can lay their hands on. I'm not "moaning", purely remarking. I understand the
          economic plight of the average Polish family.

          I have no desire to live in the neat & tidy but characterless & sterile
          surroundings of a newly built suburb of Poznan or Wroclaw.

          I value nature, the fresh outdoors, running, cycling but without breathing in
          carcinogenic substances. I'd also like to live within a reasonable distance of
          good shopping facilities.

          So nasza_maggie & co-correspondents, any thoughts ? I'd like to limit myself to
          the west of Poland, rougly from the Frankfurt/Swiecko border crossing, down to
          about Klodzko. Within a belt of about 100km.

          A propos "foreigners living in Poland". Hmmm...what am I ? Born in Germany of
          Polish parents, having lived in the UK. Recently spending more time in Poland.

          My answer is simple..kto ty jestes ? Polak maly (chociaz od dawna dorosly). Jaki
          znak twoj ? Orzel bialy. Your home is where your heart is. My heart is in Poland.

          Pozdrawiam wszystkich




          • ejmarkow Go East My Friend, Go East! 01.03.06, 21:42
            jaciapa napisał:

            > I'd like to limit myself to the west of Poland, rougly from the
            > Frankfurt/Swiecko border crossing, down to
            > about Klodzko.

            Do you remember the quote from the film "Ogniem & Mieczem'..."Do Kijów!"? Well,
            actually, you don't have to travel that far, but come here to Galicja, in South-
            Eastern Poland. Forget about the West...go East my friend! smile

            Best Regards,

            Eugene
            Siemiechów, Poland
          • usenetposts Re: FAQ about Poland :) 02.03.06, 12:31
            jaciapa napisał:

            > Hi Folks,
            >
            > Swell done nasza_maggie. Congrats re idea. I have a q, perhaps not quite a
            faq,
            > but here goes....(pardon colloquialisms)..
            >
            > But first a preamble by way of explanation - I'd like to settle "w kraju" &
            am
            > a
            > bit of a fresh/clean air fanatic. By that I mean - no fumes!! I intend to buy
            a
            > property by spring next year. I've currently got a pied-a-terre in Cieplice
            (Je
            > l
            > Gora), overlooked by Karkonosze mountains, Sniezka etc...views to die for.
            > But..but..but..Cannot open windows without being consumed by toxic fumes,
            > especially in winter. It seems that Poles burn anything & everything that they
            > can lay their hands on. I'm not "moaning", purely remarking. I understand the
            > economic plight of the average Polish family.
            >
            > I have no desire to live in the neat & tidy but characterless & sterile
            > surroundings of a newly built suburb of Poznan or Wroclaw.
            >
            > I value nature, the fresh outdoors, running, cycling but without breathing in
            > carcinogenic substances. I'd also like to live within a reasonable distance of
            > good shopping facilities.
            >
            > So nasza_maggie & co-correspondents, any thoughts ? I'd like to limit myself
            to
            > the west of Poland, rougly from the Frankfurt/Swiecko border crossing, down to
            > about Klodzko. Within a belt of about 100km.

            If you want fresh air and beautiful lakes, then in Poland the best place will
            be Pomerania. If you are thinking about easy access to Germany, you will note
            that there is a good motorway link from Szczecin to the Berliner Ring.

            In the region where you will see the palace for sale in my website there are
            numerous real estate opportunities, and you are likely to find the xact
            combination that you are looking for either in the area within shouting
            distance of Szczecin or near Koszalin or Kolobrzeg.

            If you already have a south Poland pad, then the best second home would be
            something that contrasts that, and on the German motorways you can get from
            Szczecin down to the Karkonosze quicker by car than using the Polish roads,
            although the latter are of course more pleasing.
            • marcus_anglikiem Re: FAQ about Poland :) 02.03.06, 18:37
              I have heard that the NorthWest of Poland has the cleanest atmosphere. I have
              lived in Swiebodzin (between Poznan and the Polish/German border) and in Slupsk
              and Koszalin (near the coast) and can say that there are many beautiful places
              to be found in the NorthWest. Though I do love most of all Malopolska (in the
              South East - Krakow and the area to the East of Krakow)... Bon Voyage!
              • jaciapa Re: FAQ about Poland :) 02.03.06, 21:36
                Drodzy ! Dear Friends,

                Many thanks to Eugene, uncle Davey & Marcus.

                Eugene - go east my friend go east - , I've looked up Siemiechow. I'm sure it's
                a beautiful part of the country, albeit a way out.

                Can you supply more details ? Par example, fumes or lack of (please excuse my
                almost pathological obsession re "clean air").

                Also cost of housing (I don't mean to sound elitist - but I'm after a smallish,
                about 100sq m detached house). On this point, & I know it maybe somewhat uncouth
                to mention but I slaved all of my working life, hence I've earned it. Gosh
                enough of apologetics. I don't need to justify myself.

                But, yes. Yes I do have a bit of a guilty conscience vis a vis our country folk,
                ie Poles. But that's another story. Perhaps another time.

                Eugene, thank you for your response. Looking forward for more info. Cheers.

                Now uncle Davey. Thank you for getting in touch.

                (Sometime I'd welcome a one-to-one with yourself, Calvinist background ?, re
                beliefs..Jason Gastrich, Wikipedia goings on, sock puppets et al. But please no
                misunderstandings. My motto is : live & let live. Though a Catholic (ie me), I
                have the greatest admiration for Francis Collins of genome fame, a convert to
                Chrisianity - though a non-Catholic, shame but no problem, Episcopalist I think.
                His motto is..I quote.."belief in God is the most important organising principle
                in my life.") I admire his belief & I wish I had his strength of comittment...

                Gosh, pardon the uncalled for diversion. Now back to your kind words of advice.

                To date I've not considered north of Gorzow Wielkopolski. Now I will. Thank you.

                Allow me to clarify my preference as per my 1st email. The majority of my
                partner's family live south west & north west of Wroclaw, including her elderly
                Mum. My family, ie Mum & siblings live in the vicinity of Hannover.

                I feel that our Mums & Dads need to feel that they are loved & wanted. Hence the
                need for proximity, to help them out & to visit them & take care of them.

                Uncle Davey, on a more "basic" front, any ideas of the cost of a detached modern
                property, max 100sqm, in the areas you suggested ?

                Now...Marcus my thanks. I don't believe it !! Swiebodzin ?? I had a girlfriend
                there for 7 years (I'm no youngster - having taken early retirement after 30 yrs
                of financial management (in the UK). Please let me know more about Swiebodzin -
                I still have a very very soft spot for it !!!!

                I see that you favour both Uncle Davey's & Eugene's suggestions. Please come off
                the fence & opt for one t'other.

                Thank you & kind Regards to all of you,

                Janek


                • usenetposts Re: FAQ about Poland :) 03.03.06, 00:22
                  > Now uncle Davey. Thank you for getting in touch.
                  >
                  > (Sometime I'd welcome a one-to-one with yourself, Calvinist background ?, re
                  > beliefs..Jason Gastrich, Wikipedia goings on, sock puppets et al. But please
                  no
                  > misunderstandings. My motto is : live & let live. Though a Catholic (ie me), I
                  > have the greatest admiration for Francis Collins of genome fame, a convert to
                  > Chrisianity - though a non-Catholic, shame but no problem, Episcopalist I
                  think
                  > .
                  > His motto is..I quote.."belief in God is the most important organising
                  principl
                  > e
                  > in my life.") I admire his belief & I wish I had his strength of comittment...
                  >
                  > Gosh, pardon the uncalled for diversion. Now back to your kind words of
                  advice.

                  A very fascinating diversion, I have to say.

                  I'm amazed that you caught up this quickly with the accusations these last
                  couple of days that I sockpuppeted at Wikipedia.

                  Please read my rebuttal to Dr Day's accusation, and his subsequent gracious
                  acceptance of my points here:

                  tinyurl.com/pjpnk
                  Of course you are welcome to have a "one-on-one" anytime you like. My skype
                  name is david.j.james


                  >
                  > To date I've not considered north of Gorzow Wielkopolski. Now I will. Thank
                  you
                  > .

                  Pleasure. I'm always happy in Pomerania, and I like clean air also. The closer
                  to the sea you get, the more you will not go short of needful iodine in the air
                  also.

                  >
                  > Allow me to clarify my preference as per my 1st email. The majority of my
                  > partner's family live south west & north west of Wroclaw, including her
                  elderly
                  > Mum. My family, ie Mum & siblings live in the vicinity of Hannover.
                  >

                  For Hannover, you could get there very quickly from Szczecin. The trick is to
                  avoid rush hours on the Berliner Ring.

                  > I feel that our Mums & Dads need to feel that they are loved & wanted. Hence
                  th
                  > e
                  > need for proximity, to help them out & to visit them & take care of them.
                  >

                  Very good. But they will also benefit from visiting you nearer the sea.
                  We don't have our parents for ever, so we should take all the opportunities we
                  can to let them know we love them while we can.

                  > Uncle Davey, on a more "basic" front, any ideas of the cost of a detached
                  moder
                  > n
                  > property, max 100sqm, in the areas you suggested ?
                  >

                  You can still get that under 30,000 Euros, although you would need to spend
                  another 10,000 to redo the Kitchen and 5000 on the bathroon and 5000 on sundry
                  renovations.

                  I am talking about something nice. if you want to get a more ramshackle place
                  and put your own work into it, then you could get it for significantly less.
                • kylie1 Re: FAQ about Poland :) 03.03.06, 00:35
                  hello there jaciapa and welcome to Dave's forum!
                  I am glad you could join us.

                  I am sure Eugene will be happy to fill you in on Siemiechow. He is good at
                  it smile I think his pictures say it all. Not that I can smell things from here
                  but I think the only fumes you'd have to worry about is after having too much
                  beans or if you live next to smelly barn with a pile of cow manure stacked
                  outside.
                  I don't think it's the case.

                  smile
    • brutt Northeastern Poland 03.03.06, 05:36
      I just wanted to add a link for people who are looking to invest in Northeastern
      Poland. Great region, so called the “green lungs” of Poland. The site is in 7
      languages. Definitely worth a visit.

      www.wrotapodlasia.pl/en/default.htm
    • usenetposts Re: FAQ about Poland :) 06.03.06, 12:04
      hanys9 napisał:

      > warto również zobaczyć: s9.bitefight.pl/c.php?uid=27421

      Nie sądzę.
    • kylie1 Re: FAQ about Poland :) 07.03.06, 02:36
      I am too old for that but younger people like games. This site has BEAUTIFUL
      graphics. I am not sure if we have any people on Dave's forum that would like
      these kind of games. My older boys used to play this stuff a while back...both
      on the computer and later on playstation.
      Thanks for the suggestion smile ( I am sorry but I think I would be totally
      useless at "bitefight").

      smile
      • usenetposts Re: FAQ about Poland :) 08.03.06, 09:32
        Incidentally, his ad got slashed by the admins. I see a line through it that I
        didn't put there. I think that means you can't see his ad here any more.

        I was not gonna do that just yet. But obviously they got fed up of his
        spamming - he must have been doing it all over the shop.

        If he wants people from here to use his site, he can spend 30 PLN a week on a
        paid link. Let him pick the group which best suits his purpose, and pay for his
        ad in an honest fashion. If he wants to have a paid ad here, I'd be perfectly
        happy about that. I'm always happy when people put the links at the top,
        because it means GW is getting something back for the space we use.
        • jaciapa Re: FAQ about Poland :) 09.03.06, 21:25
          Dear All,

          Many thanks for wonderful & varied advice.

          I'd like to express my thanks in particular to:

          Brutt,Podlasie. Yes a beautiful neck of the woods - but unfortunately too far
          out - & the mosquitoes, they'd eat me alive !!

          To Marcus - will you get back to me re Swiebodzin ?

          To uncle Davey, yes I will explore ziemie zachodnio-pomorskie. & as you point
          out, a quick route to Hannover. A propos your property site (perhaps I
          misunderstood), all I could find was the "Palace". Have you got an actual site
          with property in the area ? To date, I've not considered buying a place to "work
          on". But I will - though I have some concerns about being taken for a ride, ie
          I've spent all my working life in an office environment. And have heard some
          horror stories, including reading fora in Gaz Wyb about Polish "cowboys" taking
          advantage of the uninitiated "foreigner".
          So any pointers in the right direction would be most welcome. By that I mean any
          trustworthy contacts.

          To Eugene, you have really opened my eyes, widened my outlook. Your website's a
          dream. I'm sold !! Will you update the pics ? I'd like to see your house in its
          finished state.
          Unfortunately I'll have some persuading to do on a potential move to Malopolska.
          My partner Marysia doesn't want to be too far from her grown-up offsprings -
          Poznan & vicinity of Wroclaw.
          I've always harboured notions of owning my own plot of "land". You've achieved
          yours. Perhaps I'll drop you an email about practicalities, such as cost of land
          etc.

          Kind Regards to all,

          Janek
          • ejmarkow Re: FAQ about Poland :) 09.03.06, 21:44
            jaciapa napisał:

            > Dear All,
            >
            > To Eugene, you have really opened my eyes, widened my outlook. Your website's
            > a dream. I'm sold !! Will you update the pics ? I'd like to see your house in
            > its finished state.
            > Unfortunately I'll have some persuading to do on a potential move to
            > Malopolska.
            > My partner Marysia doesn't want to be too far from her grown-up offsprings -
            > Poznan & vicinity of Wroclaw.

            Janek,

            Here is my house in it's semi-finished state:

            img460.imageshack.us/my.php?image=housefrost1a7lc.jpg
            Here is another, distant view:

            img503.imageshack.us/my.php?image=distantview1a3to.jpg
            You know, all of Europe is 'small'....I'm sure Małopolskie wouldn't be a
            problem for your partner if she loves you! smile

            Cheers,

            Eugene
            Siemiechów, Poland
            www.geocities.com/ejmarkow/siemiechow
            • ejmarkow Małopolskie Region - South-Eastern Poland 10.03.06, 15:25
              Here are nice links:

              www.wrotamalopolski.pl/
              www.wrotamalopolski.pl/root_en_Visiting-card+of+Malopolska/Unique+Malopolska/Zaproszenie/


              Best Regards,

              Eugene
              Siemiechów, Poland
          • marcus_anglikiem Re: FAQ about Poland :) 10.03.06, 23:56
            Czesc Janku!
            So where are you from originally?
            Well, Swiebodzin... In the summer of 2002, having completed teaching at summer
            language camps in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski and Krosno (Podkarpackie), I took
            all my stuff on the train to a job i had arranged for myself at the YES School
            of English, ul. Sulechowska 15, Swiebodzin... As i sat in the open train door,
            smoking a Caro czerwone, and as the train drew closer, i imagined myself
            arriving in a land of chickens and apple trees ! Once in Swiebodzin, I was met
            by my new employer Mr P. and introduced to my landlord (next door to the school
            at no. 17) and his son Daniel. I was in Swiebodzin fr Sept to Dec 2002 (I was
            21yrs old then) and i did enjoy living there. I shall always remember Swiebodzin
            as the place of my first formal teaching job; my first flat (after university-
            which by the way i left to move to Poland); where i got my first car (a '79
            orange Maluch which was fun while it lasted- before being confiscated by police)
            ;and as the place where i met Natalia, whom after moving to Kosice, Slovakia,
            then Brussels, i returned to Poland for, though ending up in Slupsk and making
            a 6 or 7hr train journey there and back every weekend to be with... though that
            lasted merely a few months (distance too great)...
            Hope to hear from you soon Janek (in English albo po polsku, mi jest to samo)

            Marcus.
          • usenetposts Re: FAQ about Poland :) 11.03.06, 14:02
            jaciapa napisał:

            > Dear All,
            >
            > Many thanks for wonderful & varied advice.
            >
            > I'd like to express my thanks in particular to:
            >
            > Brutt,Podlasie. Yes a beautiful neck of the woods - but unfortunately too far
            > out - & the mosquitoes, they'd eat me alive !!
            >
            > To Marcus - will you get back to me re Swiebodzin ?
            >
            > To uncle Davey, yes I will explore ziemie zachodnio-pomorskie. & as you point
            > out, a quick route to Hannover. A propos your property site (perhaps I
            > misunderstood), all I could find was the "Palace". Have you got an actual site
            > with property in the area ? To date, I've not considered buying a place
            to "wor
            > k
            > on".

            At the moment all I have is a palace, but if anyone else wants me to put their
            unusual real estate on my site or code a page for them and put it up, then
            that's no problem. I'll take 3% if it's me who sells it, nothing otherwise, and
            I don't demand exclusivity.
    • nasza_maggie good portal 20.03.06, 02:08
      www.cudzoziemcy.pl/index.php?lang=en&s=news&l_news_ct=root
      • usenetposts Re: good portal 20.03.06, 14:55
        nasza_maggie napisała:

        >www.cudzoziemcy.pl/index.php?lang=en&s=news&l_news_ct=root
        It's a funny kind of English you get, though, when you click on the British
        flag...
    • expatportal Re: FAQ about Poland :) - ExpatPortal.pl 20.03.06, 17:06
      Take a look at www.expatportal.pl
      You can post your classifieds for free, buy gifts and books in Expat Store,
      browse the Yellow Pages, send an e-card and more - enjoy!
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