Can anyone please let me know what neighbourhoods are home to expats? Lived in Warsaw for 2 years with hubby and kids and spent alot of time with expats. Moved back to Canada in 2006 and am reconsidering a move back to Poland, but to Poznan this time. Would like to know what neighbourhoods are home to expats, so to look for housing in that area. Any and all advice is appreciated.
Polish infrastructure doesn't lend itself to the idea of kinds of neighborhoods except in the most general sense.
I live in Poznan and the only pattern I know of among foreigners in general is that more or likely to live in either newer kamienica kinds of buildings (or maybe renovated older buildings).
IME not many live in willas, deskas or out of town.
Quite a few younger Expats in Jezyca in renovated Kamienicas. For older Expats with kids there is nowhere like Mokotow in Warsaw but you will find quite a few in Polanka, Winogrady and Antoninek.
I live in Bielany, Warsaw, in a stara kamienica, entirely devoid of any kind of expat life. All our neighbours are 100% Polish. Thanks God for that, not having expats as neighbours thank you very much. No Mokotów snobbery here. My neighbour might not know where the next sushi place is - and thanks God he does not even know the word, which shows he is normal -. But if I have at 7 in the morning a plumbing emergency he will help me out without any question. he will find an excuse for his boss to come late to work... Me too by the way...
Oh yes, I will buy him later a Żywiec or two, but what the heck ?
Thanks for the info, its not a matter of being around expats all the time, but its fun to hang around with "some" expats, we met great British, German and Dutch people, and count them among the many Polish friends we have. It just makes things easier when you have kids, my husband who was raised in Canada from early childhood, yet is fluent in Polish, is not always around, so networking with expats in regards to; schools, doctors, etc, makes things a bit easier, in English or German (my family is from Berlin).
I'm Polish but sometimes I feel like an expat in Poznań. Everything that is not-poznańskie or not-wielkopolskie is from worse part of Poland to people from Poznań, so I'm often called a "ludność napływowa". For example if the tram is late it means it's driver is not a Poznaniak. So I hear all the time, but I'm stuck with a stereotipical Poznaniak 8 hours a day, so maybe my point of view is far from the real one. Anyway, though people here may not be the best the city is quite nice. It's big but you don't feel like.
All my English friends live in either jezyce which is rough as hell, Polanka which is really nice or Naramowice where I live which is mostly new blocks. I havent seen that many expats living here though really.
I'm not an expat but can certainly tell you there are A LOT of foreigners here, and not all students. We live in Jezyce in a kamienica that's been renovated with young children. The convenience to walk to corner marker, walk to square (25min), tram stops nearby, English speaking LUX MED for medical issues nearby. I can drive but tramming it is so much easier. I've only lived here under a year and haven't heard of any expat neighborhoods. We do know several people that live up near Citadela Park.
As for Poznan itself, love it. Not too big, not too small. Lots of festivals, parks, night life, 6 malls. The parks with the lakes, like Rusalka for example, are fun to hang out.
You can certainly network really easy here. You can join the International Ladies Club (pilc.sns.pl/) or attend the International Church (international.pl). Between those two organizations you'll never find yourself bored or without friends.
Great, thank you, it appears that Poznan is very balanced. As for our kids, the first 2 years of thier schooling, they spent in Warsaw, at a Polish private school, this time around, it would be a Polish public school, they continue to attend a Polish school here every Friday, so they should be okay. Although my husband is a 100% Warsaw native, I would prefer to be in Poznan due to the closer proxmixty to Berlin, were I still have some family, also I think that the size of Poznan may be better, we lived in Vancouver, which has gotten to big, and the crime is out of hand, now we live in Kelowna, Wine country, which is a great place to live, but everything happens at a very slow pace, so Poznan is a great balance and I really loved it during our visists.
Its funny what "Kioko" had said, this is how my husband felt in Warsaw the first year we were there, but after a year or so, we were in the "groove"...haha. But being on time, etc, are qualities which I would enjoy.
Thank you to everyone for your input, it paints a much better picture of the city and people, thank you again.
Hello, Im looking for expats living in Poznan. We are from Czech Republic, my husband working here and Im at home with our child. Please let me know, would be great to find someone in this city.
..just information about ladies club in Poznan. I don't know if this organization works /have to wait till first Wednasday in month but email address is not working. Little scare that is past.
We would like to go there, thank you for your tip, but ..sorry I can't find it :-(
Personally i found the best place to hook up with expats is the local Irish bar, always a few Yanks, Brits, Ozzies around etc.. Im not sure if there is such a place in Poznan.
I think there are about 3 irish bars in poznan. Clientele seems to be more on the Student side. (Nothing against students). Not really like the Guinees bar in wroclaw where you would get a lot of EXPats.
