Life / Where can I get a good American Haircut in Poznan? [18]

I asked a friend that lives in Poznań, and he suggested that there's a very good American barber on ul. Szylinga. The guy is called Carlos, he's an older guy that's lived in Poznań for a while.

Might be worth a try?

Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]


It's been explained above well, but there is no chance of compensation. The banks never hid the nature of CHF/EUR mortgages, and from what you say, they probably bought as much as they could afford on their income. For that reason, it's highly unlikely that the bank would owe anything.


In this case, the best thing to do is to meet with the bank and see what they would be willing to do.

Do you know if the property is located in a desirable area, or is it an expensive property in a rural area? If it's the former, the bank might well be willing to come to some agreement. If it's the latter, the bank will want their money because such properties are nearly impossible to sell, especially if it's a new property.

Real Estate / Is it a good idea to buy a Property in Poland -- with debt? [8]


The notary is responsible for making sure that the debts are cleared. Discuss it with your chosen notary.

Making a claim later is irrelevant, as they need to lodge the claim against the property while it's still in his possession. If they come later, there's a simple legal device that states that he doesn't live there.

As for him moving out, simply require him to deregister himself from the address register before you visit the notary and make sure that the keys to the property are in the hands of the notary before signing the contract.

If the debt is attached to the property rather than the owner, then... don't get involved.

Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]

The problem is that the banks tomorrow could exchange all CHF mortgages for PLN mortgages at current exchange rates. It's not an issue for the bank, but for the consumer. They would be converting at 3.89zl/1CHF and suddenly facing a rise in interest rates from somewhere around 1% to around 3-3.5%. They would be in even more pain as a result, and furthermore, they'd be subject to the PLN interest rate rising, which it will at some point. The CHF on the other hand will not see positive interest rates for years to come due to the sheer strength of the Franc. As far as I know, banks are quite willing to offer a conversion into PLN.

As for people defaulting, I think it's rather that the banks know that there's little to no chance of them finding buyers for repossessed properties. It's rather better to keep people paying something, particularly as people are unlikely to trash houses that they still have a prospect of owning in the future.

Unfortunately, with what you say, it's a common scenario in Poland. People were building huge houses way beyond their means, often taking CHF mortgages to get even more from the bank. These people were not poor people, but rather middle class people who had grown up under communism/hardships of the 90's and who wanted it all now.

The problem is that these houses are often very...hmm, tailored to their own specific taste. If it was built with the help of family, then it's quite possible that the construction is also not exactly top quality, which means that potential buyers will be few and far between. Most buyers would run a mile as soon as they discover that Uncle Pawel was actually doing the plumbing and Cousin Piotr that did the electricity, as it's likely that vodka and a good time was enjoyed.

I understand that you're pinning your hopes on the mortgages being annulled, but if anything, the only realistic prospect is for the mortgage to be compulsory revalued into PLN, or possibly the banks will be forced to peg the mortgage to the CHF at today's exchange rate. There's no way that mortgage holders will see the banks forced to peg it at 2.2 or whatever the rate was when they signed the contract, as it would put the banks in trouble.

If you don't mind me asking, in which part of Poland is the property?

Law / Tourist visa to Poland for Indian citizen, invitation letter. [57]


Unfortunately, "met on an internet site" will set off huge alarm bells. It's absolutely not a surprise that you were refused, as any consular officer would suspect that you would simply vanish once you gain entry into Schengen. It would also be strange for a random Indian to stay with a Polish family with no relationship there.

By the way, visa refusals are now stored on a common Schengen-wide database. I would strongly, strongly advise against applying for a Schengen visa in the future unless you have absolutely solid reasons. For instance, if you plan a two week trip and include hotel reservations for each night, then it'll be fine. But again, you need to credible, as it would be nonsense for an Indian to plan a 2 week holiday in some Polish town in the middle of nowhere.


No, not now that you've been refused. If you had the official invitation originally, then it probably would've been fine. At least in Poland, the official invitation requires the hosting party to take full financial responsibility for you, including paying a monumental fine if you overstay.

Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]

Dominic, it's family, he says so above.

My feeling on the matter is that it's probably genuine enough. Rural Poland, middle class and did the stereotypical thing of getting an astronomical mortgage and then relied on other family members to build a house way beyond reasonable. The breadwinner no longer earns the bread and has gone into a huge depression as a result. Nothing unusual or ordinary, the only strange thing is that he hasn't started drinking too.

On the flip side, if it's family and they see someone in the UK, it's also quite possible that they see the OP as a cash cow. It might well be that there's actually nothing happening, but they're attempting to get some money for nothing, possibly to help them with the CHF mortgage.

To the OP: forget about a legal route, it's a terrible idea as you'll just pay up to 300zl an hour for nothing. Instead, you have to tell them that they need to go to the bank and meet with someone. If the husband is a mental and physical wreck, then he should sign the power of attorney for his wife and let her deal with it personally.

Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]


That was also one of my feelings. Communism did destroy a lot of people inside, and they might not feel any guilt whatsoever about cheating a "rich" foreign relative. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that it has happened.

Law / Advice on starting an international/British school in Warsaw, Poland [26]

Mark, as a specialist in so-called early years education in Poland, I can tell you about one major problem with your idea.

The parents.

Parents that have cash to afford private schools in Poland mostly want their children to be high performers. They don't particularly care about the happiness of their child or their dreams, but they really care about being able to boast to their friends that little Amelia got straight A's last semester and that she also has extra horse riding and ballet classes.

I understand completely what you wish for, but your dreams might actually be best realised by opening a small democratic school, although these also have significant problems relating to the law and funding.

If you want, I'd be willing to have a chat with you about these things. I love your vision, but I'm just not convinced that Polish parents care about their child's happiness.

Law / Advice on starting an international/British school in Warsaw, Poland [26]


Actually, not quite. The rules are quite flexible, as the Ministry only requires that the school programmes are followed, which are silent on the matter of rote learning vs creative thinking. How you follow it is rather up to the teacher. All State exams these days require far more logical thinking than rote learning, and good private and public schools follow that. The issue is rather related to the lack of funded hours, which forces teachers in poorly funded gminas into following "the book" rather than the programme as it's the only way to make sure that the programme has been broadly covered in case of inspection.

There's definitely an approved Montessori programme for primary schools, so there's no reason why creative thinking can't be taught. Montessori has her own problems with the method (particularly as puberty is starting earlier and earlier), but alternative educational models can be approved in Poland.

The lack of homework and grades would immediately turn off many of these parents, regardless of how good the education actually is. Unfortunately, the parents with the most money are the most demanding, and this is what would ruin the OP's vision.

Work / Cost of living in Warsaw with two kids [14]

Dominic, your obsession with "absolute dollars" completely fails to take into account that these jobs simply don't exist elsewhere, or have already been taken up by very well qualified Europeans. There's a reason why we're seeing so many queries on PF, because these companies are willing to hire foreigners from non-European countries to try and fill the positions. It's also quite likely that the OP is considering it because it offers a considerable upgrade on their current living conditions.

Having said that, it would be perfectly possible to place the youngest child in a bilingual nursery and homeschool the other child for the time being, or even place the child into a democratic school.

odpowiedzialnaszkola.pl is one such school, and the child won't be under traditional pressures there. They're also far more likely to learn Polish if they can actually have fun at school, too, as play transcends language.

Absolute dollars are meaningless if you don't have the means of obtaining them.

Work / Cost of living in Warsaw with two kids [14]

Indeed, Jon.

A friend went from a job paying 3000zl net in Poland to one paying 4000 Euro/net in Germany without much effort. She's now firmly in the senior ranks and earning a shade over 6.5k a month in Germany, but she would never have got there if it wasn't for being able to get the job in Poland in the first place.

Dominic has clearly spent too much time around SSC workers to have much, if any of a clue about the job market.

This is not a discussion about posters/members

News / Poland have the 3rd best Education System of Europe [49]


Slight problem. Czech society is one of the most secular in Europe, while French society is still heavily Catholic.

News / Poland have the 3rd best Education System of Europe [49]


There are very, very few Catholic schools, and those that exist are struggling badly for numbers. They also have quite poor results in general.


It certainly doesn't seem as if he has much knowledge of either system.

I would personally agree that the centralisation of Polish education in schools is exactly why it's such a success. The same centralisation is seen in many other successful countries such as Finland, while decentralised education tends to result in huge regional variances. Polish university education is widely acknowledged to be poor, and this is also a direct result of the Communists allowing universities to have significant autonomy.

Levi, as for France, do you really know anything about public life in France? The Catholic Church managed to put 800,000 people on the streets of Paris against abortion, which sounds like a pretty powerful institution to me.

Life / Little-known facts about Poland [45]


I was under the impression too that Poland never built such things, and that they were rather a Soviet thing, the so called "komunalka".

I don't think there's even a word in Polish for komunalka, is there?

Life / Little-known facts about Poland [45]

I've done some more research, and it seems that they did exist to a certain extent. It seems to have occured in pre-war kamienicas, and the policy was abandoned in 1956. New build apartments between 1945 and 1990 always had individual bathrooms and kitchens.

My favourite fact about Poland is that universal free education was introduced by the Communists. It seems from my research that the Communists actually oversaw a mass basic education effort, which is rather contrary to the view of the PRL being a hellhole with no positive characteristics.

News / Poland have the 3rd best Education System of Europe [49]


Again, what experience do you have of the European educational system?

Oxford and Cambridge place heavy, heavy emphasis on the person rather than the background. Poland has huge problems with volunteering (rates are among the lowest, if not the lowest in Europe), while the typical applicant to Oxbridge would be expected to have significant amounts of volunteering experience. There would also be expectations of taking part in/leading a student society, which again isn't particularly common in Polish schools. A part time job in summer would also be helpful, which is positively discouraged among middle class Polish families with children that have aspirations to go to Oxford. Instead, those families are likely to send their children on some sort of paid volunteering trip, which would be looked at very negatively.


Unthinkable in Poland. Universities here are seen as something to be suffered, and every student will have stories of sheer university incompetence.

A friend's girlfriend can't defend her thesis in one university here. Why? She's the only girl on the course, and the professor responsible for her defence thinks that women shouldn't be there. He is simply refusing to give a date for the defence, and because he's a professor, he's untouchable.

Life / Little-known facts about Poland [45]

Yes, probably one of the worst things about Communism was the attitude towards work. It seems almost paradoxical to educate massive amounts of people and then to waste them in non-jobs, doesn't it?

"Little-known facts about Poland" thread, the one about Communism is elsewhere

History / Are there still communists in Poland? [58]

Polonius3, can you explain why you wish for the democratically constituted III RP to be replaced?

To me, that's treason. People died for our III RP, and it means a lot to those of us who were actually there.

History / Are there still communists in Poland? [58]

Polonius3, would You agree that those who gained through collaboration with the PZPR/Soviet Union should be swept away?

News / Poland have the 3rd best Education System of Europe [49]

Who mentioned anything about American universities?

Polish universities couldn't care less about putting a man on Mars. Getting Professor Kowalski's grandson through university even though he's a retard, well, that's far more important.

It's a shame, because the schooling system is very good.

History / Are there still communists in Poland? [58]

Do you feel that family background is important? I'm thinking about Adam Michnik, for instance. Should he be allowed to hold a position of such great influence on the media, given his family background?

Life / Is 10500 monthly is enough for a family to live in Warsaw Poland [136]


Net or gross?


Around 2000zl/gross in a private kindergarten.

Dominic is wrong. Jobs are pretty easy to come by in kindergartens.

News / Poland have the 3rd best Education System of Europe [49]

No, they have been optional ever since their introduction into schools at the beginning of the 1990's.

Ethics classes are supposed to be offered, but the reality is that religion classes are often scheduled for the end of the school day, and thus students are free to leave school if they don't attend. The actual provision of ethics classes is scandalously low.

History / Are there still communists in Poland? [58]

So You will have no problem with also removing Jarosław Kaczyński from public life, then?

galopujacymajor.salon24.pl/28867,awantura-o-kaczynskiego-rajmunda

As you say.


Good to know the facts indeed.

4lomza.pl/forum/read.php?f=1&i=229291&t=229291

Very good to read this as well.

History / Are there still communists in Poland? [58]

It's funny that You mention ethnic cronies.

marucha.wordpress.com/2010/07/01/kim-sa-kaczynscy

The Jewish history of the Kaczyńscy family is no secret, too.

USA, Canada / 10 things that show you are Polish [24]


I always thought that this sort of thing was a perfect example of Orientalism.

News / Presidential elections and debates 2015 Poland [472]

If that 50% actually voted, then PiS would never win an election.

Regardless of what You might say about them, PiS voters are fanatical to the point of behaving as if it's a cult. They will always vote regardless of the weather or time of year.

History / Are there still communists in Poland? [58]

Kukliński, the man who went to the United States and helped an enemy of Poland with preparations against us in exchange for a few dollars.

Just think that had NATO gone to war with the Warsaw Pact, Kukliński's actions would probably have helped to bring about the demise of Poland eternally. A patriot? No. I imagine the death of his sons was compensated with bags upon bags of American cash.

History / Are there still communists in Poland? [58]

Polonius3, do You genuinely believe that the United States didn't have plans to annihilate Poland in the event of war? NATO was no friend of Poland's during the Cold War, and any conflict would have seen NATO using tactical nuclear bombs at a minimum to destroy Soviet supply lines through Poland to prevent West Germany falling in the face of the vast Warsaw Pact numerical superiority.

The same NATO had absolutely no interest in getting involved with helping Poland when Poland needed help most.

thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/51378,Cold-War-NATO-documents-released-on-FM-website

I rather think that Kukliński did it for the money. Please don't forget that in order to rise to the position of Colonel in the LWP, he would have been required to prove his loyalty to not only Poland, but also Moscow. Like Jaruzelski, you didn't rise to the top of army structures without being completely obedient to your masters. Have You also forgotten that he took part in detailed planning for the state of war?

Some people also believe that Kukliński was a double agent. It is possible.

Life / POLISH YOUTH compared to the youth in other Western countries? [57]

Actually, we have two black members of parliament.