Travel / Poland from a Persian Tourist's Perspective [269]


Well, next time take some bottle of vodka with you, those people are much better than they look ;-) All jokes aside, statistical Polish village is conservative place, it takes time to crack the ice there.

PS. Darius, what about this nuclear bomb project in Iran? In your opinion, do your country really need that weapon? If so, then what for? After all if I'm not mistaken Poland is in a range of Persian rockets.

History / How was Poland compensated after World War 2 [47]


There were few years when Stalin recognized Polish gov. in London (since agreement on 30.07.1941, after Germans invade USSR), of course he did that until USSR take upper hand on east front. Agreement was one-sided broken by USSR on 25.04.1943.

Anyway that short period of cooperation had some highlights, actions against Poles in USSR were stoped to some extent, and Stalin agreed to let go some of Poles (including those who were kept in Gulags and prisons), and let them to create Anders Army. According to different sources thanks to that agreement about 41000 of soldiers and 74000 of civilians were let go from Gulags (Poles, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Jews). Those people flew from USSR via Iran, part of them stayed in Anders Army. Those soldiers fought against Germans in Africa and later in Italy, for example in battle on Monte Cassino. Anyway, after Stalin broke agreement, he started to create his own Polish army under communist leadership.

Did Poland lost the war? Yes, one of the two invaders won. But Poles had to cooperate with one of them to survive. I've read somewhere, that added up Polish forces were fourth largest army in WWII in Europe, bigger than France forces. But due to disperse (east front, west front, Africa, Middle East) political power of Polish authorities was small. At least Poland didn't become one of the USSR republics.

History / How was Poland compensated after World War 2 [47]

@Czarnkow1940, I wonder, before you start a thread like this, do you make some research by yourself, or you just want to make a pool about pf users knowledge? On another thread you've wrote that you are living in Krakow. Go to university library there and you will find plenty of relevant historic books about the subject. Then, enlighten us...

I can throw you some fragmentary stuff but in the end what would be the value of this?
The subject you are asking is both highly subjective and rather wide. It is highly unlikely that you will find valid and exhausting answer here.

History / Chance of Lwów once again became coming part of Poland [344]

Me to. To answer your question, there is no chance and no need for that.

History / Chance of Lwów once again became coming part of Poland [344]

Czarnkow1940, do you live in Poland ?

Work / Average monthly salary in Poland is around 1000 PLN (few hundred bucks). [387]


Well, of course statistics is the highest level of lies ;-) But on the other hand, what you are hearing on the street is just another kind of statistics too... As for "gray zone" or "black market" it can be measured too for some extent. It is actually quite stable in Poland and is valued as about 28% of GDP (in UK for example it is about 10%). Quite frankly I have no idea how to transer that into median registered salary. Should we add 1/3 so about 800zł? I'm not sure it is working that way. But one thing I'm sure of is that you overestimate "gray zone" size. I'm mean of course many people have some sideline, untaxed jobs, etc., but it is rarely constant situation and what is important often it is seasonal. In the end what really matters in home ecomony is how much one can bring in whole year.

Work / Average monthly salary in Poland is around 1000 PLN (few hundred bucks). [387]

Errr... [scratching in the head]... You know guys as Pole I really appreciate that you care so much about minimum, average and median salary in Poland ;-) It seems to me that some of you should try finding job at GUS, I'm sure they could use such passionate truth seekers ;-)

Life / I'm from Polish descent. CAN YOU GUYS EXPLAIN THE EU TO ME? [115]


That is the tricky thing. On the one hand the way the Lisbon treaty was reinforced was quite dogdy. But in the same time it strenghtened Euro Parliament. But in the same time it weakened states...

Work / Average monthly salary in Poland is around 1000 PLN (few hundred bucks). [387]

Average monthly salary is not good measure. Better is median salary.
So maybe average is about 3200 PLN gross, but median is about 2500 PLN gross. Which means that half of working population is getting less than 2500 PLN gross and the other half is getting more. Of course it don't count untaxed money...

So to conclude, those of you who argue that salaries in Poland are easily above 3000 gross because you know plenty of people who get that much are just speaking about the wealthier half.. In the same time, those of you who think that almost everybody in Poland gets 1000 are just know mostly people from the second half..

By the way, title of this thread is misleading because neither average nor median salary in Poland is 1000. But it is close to minimum salary.

Life / I'm from Polish descent. CAN YOU GUYS EXPLAIN THE EU TO ME? [115]

Explain the EU on internet forum? Amusing :-) Can you explain the Canada to me?
Oh, what the hell lets give it a shot...

On personal, individual level EU is about freedom, like freedom of travel anywhere you want, freedom of working anywhere you want, freedom of commerce, etc...

On the other hand, on state level it is about diminishing power of states goverments and rising power of local govs., and rising power of European Commision.

So, you can see there is many opposing forces in place here, and equation is complicated not black and white choices. So far, as a citizen of Poland I've got more freedom that I had before, that is why I'm in favour of EU. But don't worry, if at some point EU central gov. will gather to much power, we Poles will gladly help to destroy it as we used to in such cases ;-) In short most of simple people likes EU because it gave more freedom, but some politicians don't like it, because EU rules restraint their power.

PS. One thing that always should be remebered is that EU come into being as a tool to restrain Germany. EU is kind of golden cage for them.

Secondly, of course the biggest countries often use their weight to push others around. But it is not the question of being pushed or not. It is question of tools that someone is using to push you. Inside EU Poland is usually pushed gently and can influence pushers or even sometimes can push herself. Outside of EU Poland's options in European politics would be much smaller.

News / What is Poland's politics towards Norway? [56]

err.. @Kenneth78, I believe you are citing wrong person...

News / The creator of The First Polish Computer Died [6]

Oh my... Peterweg, go back to school... You could start with this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_notation

Fact is, Poland didn't contribute much in the begining of computer science era. Bet certainly it is not zero. Beside, it is not polite to spoil thread dedicated to a man who is important for Polish science.

Jacek Karpiński was a fine and wise man and deserves to be remembered

Travel / Travelling from NI to Poland [32]

I think we have misunderstanding. I was talking only about Polish part, so I meaned A4 vs A18 in Poland. I suppose you are talking about German roads. I assumed that German highways are more or less ok, and the only bottleneck could be Polish part of the journey. To avoid that bottleneck one should choose A4 (in Poland), that's all.

Travel / Travelling from NI to Poland [32]


If he go via Berlin then the closest crossing would lead him into halffinished A18. In my opinion it would be better if he from begining will direct at Dresden, and from then straight into recently finished A4. I was driving it in last November and it was ok. The only problem was that petrol stations wasn't there yet by then.


I never drove by it myself. I've read somewhere that this road is in or just before tender phase. So couple of years before it became a highway.

News / What is Poland's politics towards Norway? [56]

Tusk repaired some school in Tromsö in Norway in 89' so I bet he knows it ;-) What an old thread anyway

Travel / Travelling from NI to Poland [32]

One word of advice: A4 from Goerlitz/Zgorzelec is the only serious motorway connecting Poland and Germany. So if it won't destroy your plans better enter Poland via Zgorzelec and from there go A4 straight to Wroclaw. A18 (if you drive from Berlin) has only one line finished.

PS. If you go A4 remember to fill up your fuel tank, because it is relatively new parts of this highway don't have fuel stations yet (but maybe that changed in recent months, my data are a few months old)

Szerokiej drogi ;-)

News / Belarus - grateful ally of Poland...? [16]


No, not polish agitators. Polish minority living there for hundreds of years. They had a dozen or so "Polish houses" partially financed by Poland few years ago. Nothing fancy, that much we owe them. Anyway it was seized by Belarusian authorities by seizing Polish organization first. It has nothing to do with words like imperialism, revisionism, etc. It is simple issue of minority rights which are abused by dictatorship authorities. Belarusan opposition as far as I know defends Polish minority.

USA, Canada / Compulsory military service for Polish-Canadian returning to Poland? [11]

No, you are safe, conscription ended two years ago. Entire army is professional now. The only thing which still is practised is registering young Poles in case of war, etc.

News / Belarus - grateful ally of Poland...? [16]

No, they not only trying to keep face. From the begining main goal of Belarusan gov. is to seize independent organization by force. Ok, let say that we don't care about values, what Poland would gain if we keep a blind eye on this and support dictatorship? Almost nothing, Belarus has no meaningful resources and is not important trade partner either. Beside we would lose face in democratic countries club. So, from pragmatic point of view Poland has two choices:

1. lose face and gain almost nothing
2. or support illegaly overthrown leadership of friendly polonia organization and safe face internally and externally

I think point 2 is obvious. Belarus is not China, there is no need to have second thoughts about what Lukaszenka can or can't. He is just to small player.

News / Belarus - grateful ally of Poland...? [16]

Vetala, the problem is, that Belarus gov. didn't recognized legally elected leader of Polish organization in 2005, and after that Belarus gov. helped in dividing this organization.

Study / A Portuguese student wants to study in Poland [10]

250 PLN for a room is rather impossible. I think that current medium prices are around 400-600 PLN. It is cheaper in dorms, but usually you have to live with someone there and dorms aren't/(weren't in my student period) easily obtainable. But sharing room with some cool company during studies is rather advantage in my opinion. In late 90' it was possible to live as a student on about 700 PLN in Wroclaw. Now, I would say it has to be at least 1000 PLN, and considering you are a foreigner (so your supporting family net will be far far away, you know, you wan't get 2 kilos of cakes after some family event and bring it to Wroclaw..) you need something around 1200-1500 PLN per month.


Actually I considering this in the begining of May :-) but it is unconfirmed yet :-(.
So, I will not bother you now

Study / Medical Study in Poland [22]

Mister beelzebub and MrBubbles are talking BS. I understand that examples of fine polish physicians working in Poland wouldn't be enough, so two fine abroad examples:

Maria Siemionow, renowned Polish surgeon, she made first face transplant in USA. She finished Poznan Medical Academy:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Siemionow

Adam Szeląg, gynaecologist, working in Sweden, he finished Medical Academy in Lodz

Dr. Adam Szeląg , a gynecologist working in Malmoe , has been recognized by the patient as the best doctor in Sweden. Polish doctor won the annual competition of the most popular Swedish Internet service for patients Doktorsguiden.se

Swedish media report that nice and knowledgeable doctor of Polish able to give up the country's traditional coffee breaks , if the situation requires . The subtext suggests that the average Swedish medical rest is more important than the patient.

What this two examples proves? probably not much, except that it is possible to get valuable education in Polish universities. It mostly depends on individual willingness though.

PS. Medical Academy in my city :-) :

am.wroc.pl/en/

Law / The 'Secret' of Poland's Economic Success [83]

The secret of polish succes is "chilling down" economy around 2000 when Balcerowicz was the head of National Bank of Poland. He did exactly opposite thing than USA beloved Greenspan did in USA after tech bubble burst. Thanks to that Poland jumped in world property bubble train few years later than others so it didn't get so enormous like in Baltics for example.

It is only one factor, but important one. Unfortunately such events in economy like this move of NBP around 2000 are too detached from results in time. It is like with getting pregnant. If getting pregnant and childbirth would be at the same speed as hitting fingers hammering in nails, then no conscious woman would ever decide to have sex... It is the problem with economy that action is usually long before reaction. In the meantime everyone is wiser because stocks are up...

The second most important factor is that in begining of 90' Poland has the gigantic crisis, and we cann't stop laughing in Poland when we are hearing that current crisis is the biggest one since 30'...

The third one is huge constructing projects concerning road building and EU funds, what started for good in the begining of crisis.
The fourth would be Zloty depreciaction..
The fifth... oh it would be quite a long list...

Travel / Which cities in Poland are nice to visit [80]


There are trains and buses there. But certainly things are easier with a car.
Trains site: rozklad-pkp.pl/?q=en/node/143

Buses (in polish only): rozklady.com.pl/rozklad-jazdy-pks-pkp-busy/polaczenia

PS. I assumed it is obvious by looking at the map and I didn't mention that, Mława is close to Warsaw, about 2 hours by train.

Travel / Which cities in Poland are nice to visit [80]

In Mlawa you will be in close range to fine sites like:
- Gdansk and Baltic sea
- Torun -> great gothic architecture
- Masurian Lakes
- Marlbork castle

google it and choose direction, then explore more about it

PS. in Mlawa neighbourhoud there are castles in Nidzica, another one in Dzialdowo and some monastery in Przasnysz

Genealogy / Family home location (Golinas in poland) [8]

Some pictures of the place:

golina.pl/ssi/pl/gmina-golina/gmina-w-obiektywie/golina-z-lotu-ptaka.html

This is site of the commune (in polish...) : golina.pl

Language / Polish and Hungarian, how similar? [53]

As some clever Pole put it (hm... Stomma), Hungaria is wonderful place, Pole can go there on vacation and get some rest like almost nowhere else in Europe because it is impossible to understand anything including newspapers and other media :-)

Definitely language is not similar at all.

Off-Topic / Europe according to Poles and other European nations [44]

Because "Pani Stanislawa" made my day, I'll help you :-)

Morocco: Skansen = Heritage park (Morocco was recently popular tourist destination, with beduins and all that staff it looked underdeveloped for many)
France: Trzęsidupy = ass shakers = cowards...
Belgium: Urzędasy = Bureaucrats
Netherlands: grass & Pedzie = grass and gays
Czech Rep: Pepiki = disrespectful, but more toward funny description of Czechs
Belarus: Kolchoz = state farm
In southern part of France & Cyprus: Ruscy = Russians

And last but not least actually funny to me:
Kazachstan: Pani Stanislawa -> Mrs Stanislawa, usually old woman of Polish heritage working/living in Poland. I know one such lady, very nice person indeed :-)

Life / Computer stores and computer prices in Wroclaw [12]

Use this site:

ceneo.pl
ceneo.pl/Laptopy_i_netbooki

It is price comparison site, quite reliable. First, you have to think what do you want, then go to this site and check where there is best price for that. Prices can vary a lot and aforementioned big boys like Saturn or Media Markt would rarely be the best option... But it never is bad thing to go there just to check if site don't lie.

News / Shouldnt Poland be invited into the G-20? [7]

On the one hand it certainly is prestigious and influential club, on the other is also costly. So, I'm not sure. Besides, Spain, which has economy at least two times bigger than Poland isn't in it.