SAVE THE DATE: 8th UNICA EU Research Liaison Officers meeting, October 2013 University of Warsaw

Transcription

1 SAVE THE DATE: 8th UNICA EU Research Liaison Officers meeting, October 2013 University of Warsaw Contents PRACTICAL GUIDE Contents: ARRIVING IN WARSAW... 2 PUBLIC TRANSPORT TICKETS... 4 POLAND & WARSAW MUST-KNOW... 4 SIGHTSEEING RECOMMENDATIONS... 5 RESTAURANTS... 6 THE ORGANISERS... 8 CONTACTS Organising university: UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW 1

2 ARRIVING IN WARSAW FULL ADDRESS OF THE VENUE: University of Warsaw (Main Campus), ul. Krakowskie Przedmiescie 26/28; Warsaw, POLAND The main meeting room is room No. 308 and is located at the old building of the University Library BUW, on the 3rd floor; BUW is marked as No. 10 on the interactive campus map: HOW TO REACH THE VENUE FROM THE WARSAW CHOPIN AIRPORT (Airport website: By bus: Take the direct line No (bus stop LOTNISKO CHOPINA is located on the ground floor level, right in front of the entrance door to the hall of departures, direction -> Pl. Pilsudskiego. The bus stop next to the University of Warsaw main gate is called UNIWERSYTET, the journey takes approx. 40 minutes. By taxi, there is a RADIO-TAXI stand in front of the Chopin Airport, ground floor level, right in front of the entrance door to the hall of departures. 2 HOW TO GET TO THE VENUE FROM THE WARSAW CENTRAL STATION: By bus: Take the direct line No The bus stop to get in is called DWORZEC CENTRALNY and is located right in front of the Warsaw Marriott Hotel, just opposite the Central Railway Station, direction - > Pl. Pilsudskiego, the bus stop to get off is located next to the University of Warsaw main gate and is called UNIWERSYTET. The journey takes approx. 20 minutes. By taxi, there is a RADIO-TAXI stand in front of the Central Station (Elle Taxi). 1 1 Please do not take any simple private taxi which does not belong any radio-taxi corporation (it doesn t have any phone number on the door and there is no information on the fare for 1 km on the door window, it has only a sign taxi on the roof (without a telephone number or taxi corporation name) or Przewoz osob on the door). You can have a look on the list of taxi corporations with fares per km and the tel. numbers at 2

3 HOW TO REACH THE VENUE FROM THE WARSAW MAIN COUCH STATION DWORZEC ZACHODNI : By bus taking the following lines (direction is given in the brackets): No. 127 (direction Brodno- Podgrodzie), 130 (Wilanow), 158 (Witolin), 517 (fast line, Targówek), N35 (night bus, Dw. Centralny) to get off at the bus stop DWORZEC CENTRALNY, on the same bus stop please change to the bus line 175 (in front of the Marriott Hotel, just opposite the Central Railway Station, direction -> Pl. Pilsudskiego, bus stop to get off at the University of Warsaw main gate is called UNIWERSYTET (fifth bus stop), the journey takes approx. 30 min. By taxi, there is a RADIO-TAXI stand in front of the Warsaw Main Coach Station (PKS) Dworzec Zachodni. 2 HOTELS Jan III Sobieski Radisson Blu Hotel**** Address: Plac Zawiszy 1, Warsaw, Poland, Phone: The hotel is well-connected with the University (bus lines 175 and 128 go from PLAC ZAWISZY to the University main gate bus stop UNIWERSYTET), Central Railway Station and the Warsaw Chopin Airport (bus line 175). 2 Please do not take any simple private taxi which does not belong any radio-taxi corporation (it doesn t have any phone number on the door and there is no information on the fare for 1 km on the door window, it has only a sign taxi on the roof (without a telephone number or taxi corporation name) or Przewoz osob on the door). You can have a look on the list of taxi corporations with fares per km and the tel. numbers at 3

4 Sofitel Victoria Hotel***** Address: Królewska 11, Warsaw, Poland, Phone: The hotel is a stone's throw away from the University (4- minute walk, Google maps here). It is wellconnected with the Central Railway Station and the Warsaw Chopin Airport (bus line 175, last stop: PLAC PILSUDSKIEGO). PUBLIC TRANSPORT TICKETS Tickets can be purchased at the newsagent (kiosk), at the ticket vending machines (in subway passages, at some bus/tram stops or in the busses such as bus No. 175) or from the bus driver (with an extra fee of 0.80 PLN or more) Please refer for details to the official webpage of the Public Transport Authority of Warsaw concerning: 1) Timetables (by line, by stop etc.): 2) Route planner: or 3) Tickets and charges: 4) Rules on buying tickets in the vehicle from the vehicle driver or using the ticket machine: 5) And more: POLAND & WARSAW MUST-KNOW Weather Average October temperature in Warsaw is 8.2 C and average precipitation is 35mm. Days become cooler in Warsaw in October, and nights can be chilly (0-4 C). Time Zone Central European Time (GMT + 01:00). Currency The official Polish currency is Polish Złoty (PLN), abbreviated to zł and pronounced zwo-ti. It is divided into 100 groszy, which are abbreviated to gr. 1 EUR = 4,20 PLN Telephone Poland Phone Code: 48 Warsaw Dial Code: Emergency phone numbers Warsaw Area Code: 22 General emergency number: 112 4

5 Ambulance: 999 Fire Brigade: 998 Police: 997 Using mobile phones: remember to dial the local code before the number, for example: SIGHTSEEING RECOMMENDATIONS Old Town This small quarter holds a lion's share of Warsaw's historical monuments. Walking the streets of the Old Town and New Town allows you to rest from the bustle of central city life. Łazienki Królewskie Park-Palace Complex The park and palace complex at Łazienki is one of the most beautiful of this type in Europe. Established in the 17th century, the landscape gardens feature many interesting architectural monuments, the most important of which include the Palace on the Island built for King Stanislaw August Poniatowski Poland s last monarch. It served as his summer residence and was famous for the Thursday dinners during which the king dined with his guests and discussed literature, art and politics. Wilanów Park-Palace Complex The summer residence of King Jan III Sobieski and then Augustus II as well as subsequent aristocratic families. It is an excellent representation of European Baroque at its height. The palace is surrounded by a grandiose, two level Baroque Italian garden and a romantic park in English style. Wilanów is the venue of important cultural events and concerts. The former stables house the Poster Museum. Palace of Culture and Science Completed in 1955 as a gift from the Soviet people, the building is the embodiment of Socialist Realism architecture. It is still the tallest building in Poland and fulfils the role of a cultural centre accommodating theatres, museums, a cinema and a concert hall. The highest viewing platform in Warsaw, on the 30th floor, offers an excellent panoramic view of the city. National Museum The museum contains a rich collection of exhibits from antiquity to modern times. The building originates 5

6 from the inter-war period. During the World War II it secretly stored some of the Royal Castle treasures. It organizes numerous temporary exhibitions presenting art from all over the world. The Vistula-side building wing is the Museum of the Polish Army presenting the history of Polish military featuring an interesting outdoor exhibition. Warsaw Rising Museum Opened in 2004, on the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, the museum pays tribute to all those who fought and died for their country s independence. Housed in a former tramway power station, the modern museum guides visitors through interactive displays, video footage and photographs. Copernicus Science Centre A kingdom of experiments and a heaven for those interested in science. Here everyone can delve into nature s mysteries, conduct experiments on their own and, above all, have fun. National Stadium The National Stadium in Warsaw was built for the European Football Championship UEFA EURO 2012 in place of the former 10th-Anniversary Stadium. It is located close to the Old Town and city centre. It is well visible from many places in Warsaw, being especially attractive from the side of the Zamkowy Square. A walk to the stadium from the Palace of Culture and Science takes less than 30 minutes. Places related to Fryderyk Chopin Fryderyk Chopin is undoubtedly the best known resident of Warsaw. He spent the first 20 years of his life in the city. Here he studied music, learned the manners of society and gave his first concerts. Walking the streets of Warsaw you will pass buildings where he stayed or which he visited. There are many places which are a homage paid to his talent and Warsaw boasts the world s largest Chopin memorabilia collection. Recommended links: 1. Warsaw Tour: 2. The City of Warsaw: RESTAURANTS & CAFES Polish national cuisine shares some similarities with other Central European and Eastern European traditions. Polish dishes are hearty and rich in meat, especially pork, chicken and beef, winter vegetables and spices. It is also characteristic in its use of various kinds of noodles the most notable of which are as well as cereals. Apart from traditional restaurants specialising in Polish cooking, you will find numerous restaurants serving Italian, French and Asian foods, as well as vegetarian bars. Dom Restauracyjny Gessler (Old Town Square 21/21a) Gessler has a well-founded reputation as the top restaurant on the Old Town s main square. Its two dining areas are quite distinct the ground floor is an elegant, formal restaurant, while a rustic country 6

7 inn fills labyrinthine brick-vaulted cellars below. With this kind of set-up the menu is of course dominated by traditional Polish dishes, ranging from żurek (traditional sour rye soup) to roast venison with cranberries. Reservations recommended. Restauracja Pod Samsonem (Freta Street 3/5, Old Town) Pod Samsonem is frequented both by locals and tourists and serves inexpensive and tasty food infused with a Jewish favour. Miedzy Slowami Café (Chmielna Street 30, City centre) This café is named after thе Polish title оf thе film "Lost In Translation". In а timeless, perhaps even nostalgic atmosphere, many varieties оf coffee, cakes аnd snacks аrе served in а quiet inner courtyard. Wedel (Postępu Street 21) This café, run by the traditional chocolate firm Wedel, boasts more than 20 different types of hot chocolate. Useful links: Warsaw Cafes: Trip Advisor recommendations: Warsaw_Mazovia_Province_Central_Poland.html Restaurants & Cafés by Lonely Planet: 7

8 THE ORGANISERS University of Warsaw Website in English: Founded in 1816 the University of Warsaw (UW) is nowadays the largest higher education establishment in Poland and a leading research centre. The University has a very big potential in terms of science, research and human resources. UW offers studies in several dozen of fields of arts and sciences at 1 and 2 cycle programmes, as well as at the integrated Master programmes, post-graduate students and students at 3rd cycle programme. Total number of students (according to the data as of 2011) equals about 56 thousand. UW employs about 3.25 thousand teaching and research staff being high level experts in many fields. Currently, the University has 20 faculties encompassing the natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities and offers 37 fields of studies. Additionally, there are 30 extra - departmental and inter-faculty centres and programmes including the Centre of New Technologies, Centre for Preclinical Research and Technology and University Technology Transfer Centre. The scientific profile of the University has been shaped by the structural, financial and organizational priorities aiming at promoting those research fields that are at the forefront of European and world science, with the strategic objective of making the University competitive on the global scene. The University promotes interdisciplinary approaches - integrating research methods from diverse fields, and facilitates creation of multidisciplinary research teams able to tackle combined projects, exceeding the competences of individual departments or institutes. In accordance with the current research trends and in order to meet the most urgent social needs, the University promotes the development of technical specialisations (e.g. informatics, biotechnology and applied physics), social sciences, economics, modern languages and geosciences. The University awards the degree of licencjat (equivalent to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science), the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), the degrees of Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MSc), Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), as well as the post-doctoral degree - habilitacja It is recognized in Poland and throughout the world as a leading center in a variety of academic disciplines. From its very beginnings the University has played a major role in Warsaw s intellectual, political, and cultural life. Warsaw University recognizes doctoral studies as one of its priority activities and it pursues the aim of providing PhD students with the training of high quality. Doctoral study programmes are established and terminated by the Rector of Warsaw University. The state-of-the-art equipment (acquired recently by many departments) significantly facilitates research, 8

9 expanding the scientific potential of the University. The faculty as well as the students enjoy now access to the most recent innovations in terms of research support, such as modern research laboratories, computer networks, multimedia technologies and advanced computer programming in a broad spectrum of applications. The most recent databases, including on-line periodicals, are also available now to the entire scholarly community at the University. Following the technological development the use of the Internet resources is growing steadily among the faculty members and students. It is being used, e.g. as an access tool to the modern educational system offering e-learning courses for students at all cycles programmes. At European level the 56 European research projects were realised in FP5, about 70 in FP6, of which 5 projects with coordination. In FP7 there are so far 92 projects (of which 6 with coordination), including 6 prestigious ERC Starting Grants and 2 ERC Advanced Grants (in one of them UW is an institutional Co- Beneficiary) under Thematic Programme IDEAS, one REGPOT Project for over 4.5 million euro and three CIP Projects. In addition to research projects funded through the EU Framework schemes, the University of Warsaw is actively involved in projects financed by other international organizations or agencies 20 running, e.g., CULTURE , COST, CEE Trust, EMBO, ONR, Rotshschild Foundation Europe etc. Several other grants are under negotiations. It is worth mentioning that 8 projects have been financed under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. UW has also concluded 27 contracts on direct co-operation with foreign partners (bilateral agreements concerning research and education). The institution actively participates in activities of numerous organizations, associations and international networks. The University of Warsaw makes its best endeavours to provide professional administrative support for all international projects conducted by its scientific teams. 9

10 UNICA: Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe founded in universities 33 countries 1.800,000 students 150,000 staff CONTACTS For overall organization: Diana Pustula, M.A., LL.M., Deputy Head of Research Services Office University of Warsaw Warsaw, Poland tel.: , fax: For the practical organisation of the meeting: Ms. Magdalena Stepien, M.A., tel.: Contact with the UNICA Secretariat: UNICA Secretariat, C/o University Foundation, Rue d Egmont/Egmontstraat 11, B-1000 Brussels, BELGIUM Tel: +32/(0)2/ Fax: +32/(0)2/ office@unica-network.eu 10