News / New "Polish memorial" in Berlin [316]


Because this is what they do. They accuse others of being what they are themselves.

Food / What do non-Poles think about eating the following Polish foods? [1303]


Apple whateverthey'recalled with sugar powder. Not a fan. They're okay plain, but the sugar powder is revolting.

Food / What do non-Poles think about eating the following Polish foods? [1303]


I can't stand it. It makes fish seem incredibly greasy, with the sole exception of anchovies. Spreading the oil from anchovies on bread is remarkably delicious as you say!


Tomato is way superior if you ask me. It's not greasy, you can drain off the tomato easily, and it just doesn't have that...greasiness about it.

UK, Ireland / Advantages of living in Poland as opposed to the UK. [126]


That's more or less how I'd describe most of the coastal resorts, only without decent pubs and without arcades filled with dodgy geezers.

I've been once to Darłowo and it was a total waste of time. Overcrowded, smelly and with nothing redeeming about it whatsover. Fortunately, I was paid to be there and do almost nothing for 2 weeks, so it wasn't so bad ;)

Inland is definitely far better, especially if you venture off the beaten path. I had a nice few days up near Wildrover's old neck of the woods not that long ago, and it was fantastic - empty, peaceful and quiet.

Life / Are Poles suspicious of Facebook? [50]


It was the same with Parler (LOL, for the record). They had 'free speech', but anything other than Trumpism was removed and the poster banned.

The truth is that rightards don't want freedom of speech. They only want free speech for their own, while threatening others that speak freely.

News / Scandals, conflicts, tensions, arguments - real life examples from Poland [439]

It's almost constant with the scandals and stench of wrongdoing around them. The fact that she's been caught red handed lying is nothing new at all.

News / New "Polish memorial" in Berlin [316]


It's very much in Putin's interest. The Weimar Triangle was his worst nightmare - a powerful alliance between three large Central European countries with common interests as large European countries.


Agreed. The Nordic and Baltic nations will be loyal, but the Nordics are a bit too isolationist and the Baltics are too far away.

News / New "Polish memorial" in Berlin [316]


According to who? According to the Allies, it certainly wasn't. The German Reich simply ceased to exist after the Allies took over, and both West Germany and East Germany took their sovereignty from the Allied zones, not the German Reich.


For political reasons. It was never accepted by the Allies, and West Germany never had full sovereignty.

Look, I understand the fantasy of Germany paying Poland billions upon billions, but there's a very good reason why PiS refused to actually publish any legal analyses or take any case to an international court. It's because the matter is clear - the Allies never accepted anything other than the Federal Republic of Germany being a new state.

Work / NFZ and contributions and a FINE!? Working as a teacher in Poland. [11]


Basically, you need to prove to the NFZ that you've been covered under a public or (fully comprehensive private) health insurance system. Your minimum policy isn't enough - it needs to be something equal to what the NFZ offers.

History / Secrets of Polish Freemasons at the National Museum, Warsaw [9]


Is this still the case, Jon?

I ask, because I've just had an interesting chat with an acquaintance on the topic.

News / New "Polish memorial" in Berlin [316]


Incorrect. This issue has been conclusively dealt with: The Federal Republic of Germany is not the legal successor to the German Reich. The Federal Republic was created by and gained sovereignty from the Allies, not from the Third Reich.

Of course, you're missing one key point: despite PiS harping on about it for years, they still haven't taken any case to any international court. Why? Because there's no case, and they know it. The Allies very clearly designed the post-war settlement to make sure that they couldn't be held responsible for boundary movements and other issues, which is why Germany had no choice but to agree to the Oder-Neisse line.

The FRG is only the legal successor of two states: Saarland and the German Democratic Republic.

Genealogy / Wladyslaw and the English equivalent [22]

True, but I'm wondering how an ethnic Pole ended up fighting for the Americans in the first place if he was from this part of Europe.

Genealogy / Wladyslaw and the English equivalent [22]


He wasn't from Poland. Poland didn't exist at the beginning of World War I.

History / Pre-war or today's Poland? [50]


Chilling to read Polly say this, as it sums up perfectly how PiS are treating today's Poland.

Polonia / How Belarus counts the visa-free days? [13]

These days, Belarus offers 30 days visa-free if you enter through Minsk Airport.

Work / NFZ and contributions and a FINE!? Working as a teacher in Poland. [11]


Yes, it's true. You must pay for periods where you haven't been covered by health insurance if you choose to voluntarily join the NFZ system.

Travel / Best Places to eat in Wroclaw [24]


Which shut down a few years ago and still hasn't reopened. The city wants a ridiculous amount of money for rent, and given that it's hard enough to make restaurants pay to begin with, well...obviously there were no takers.

UK, Ireland / Advantages of living in Poland as opposed to the UK. [126]


It certainly wasn't a myth last summer!

But still, I can't understand why anyone would go to the Baltic unless they live nearby. It's cold, the water is disgusting and it's overcrowded as hell.

Give me secluded Croatian beaches any day of the week.

Real Estate / Looking for an apartment to buy in Wielkopolska [3]


Quite incredible how prices have grown. Now you'll be looking at 350k+ to get something that size in Poznań.

History / Sin of omission against Poland (Uprising ignored by Britannica) [24]

Interesting quote by Polly here, which rather told what PiS had planned for Poland. Now they're busy rewriting history and removing genuine Polish heroes from history books, while pushing their own myths instead.

History / What have the Germans hidden in Poland? [28]

10 years later, and despite plenty of hysteria, no-one has actually found any hidden German treasure.

History / Polish visas granted after 1989 [14]

There was an issue in 1990, as Poles had visa-free access to East Germany and by extension, West Berlin. The Schengen Agreement meant that Germany was obliged to ask for visas from Poles after unification on the 3rd October 1990, but for that period between the fall of the PZPR government and German unification, Poles were free to travel to West Berlin.

Poles didn't gain visa-free access to the signatories to the Schengen Agreement until 1991 - Germany had pledged to give access, but they had to get the other signatories on board as well.

Does anyone know when Poles gained visa-free access to the UK?

Law / Contracts for IT staff in Poland [12]

I meant paying 1500 for ZUS! :(

Law / Contracts for IT staff in Poland [12]

Funny how things changed. Back in 2010, IT salaries were still quite low in Poland and people would have hesitated before using a B2B contract.

11 years later, B2B contracts dominate the market, and salaries have exploded to the point where paying 1500zł/month is seen as normal. There are companies out there with hundreds of people on B2B contracts and very few on umowa o pracę. Unreal.

News / Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport to close in September [27]

Quite amazing to see that no-one back then had any idiotic ideas about building some giant airport in the middle of nowhere that no-one wants.

Food / Where to find carob in Poland? [5]

Thanks! I don't think I've ever seen it here, but must investigate...

Study / English/Bilingual Speaking School options in Krakow and fees [13]


You'll need to spend at least 2500zł to get an English language school. Once you've added in all the costs, more like 3000zł and upwards. Unless you need it for future relocation purposes, the best bet is to find a Polish private school that offers a significant amount of extra English classes.

Life / Examples of popular Polish music? [995]

Not sure if it's popular, but I loved that!

My recent finding:

Garaż w Leeds - Szept Pamieci

youtu.be/V3j0Hu77C0o

The video is well worth a watch - very low budget, but seems to perfectly sum up the 1980's in Poland.

Real Estate / Life near the Carpathian mountains? [6]

Apparently, it'll be -18 in the Carpathian mountains this week. Brr.

Travel / Traffic roundabouts not common in Poland? [13]

Yes, it's true, roundabouts aren't often used. There's a very dangerous junction near me that should be a roundabout, yet they stubbornly insist on keeping it as a four way intersection instead. Ridiculous.