Getting to Krakow If you were chosen to participate in our course you might be interested in possibilities of getting here. By plane Getting to Krakow by air means of transport mostly means arriving to the Krakow s airport, Katowice s airport, or an airport in Warsaw. Krakow s airport There are regular flights to Krakow international airport Airport Krakow Balice. Airport is located around 10km west from the very city center of Krakow. Airport website: http://www.krakowairport.pl. To get from Airport to city center you can take a bus or train. Bus takes you to Central bus station, ticket costs around 4 złoty (1 euro). Numbers of buses: 292,208. Trip takes around 45 minutes. Train takes you to the Central train station, ticket costs 19 złoty (4,50 euro). Trip takes 20 minutes and it is more comfortable. From Katowice airport to Krakow A lot of bus carriers(e.g. Wizz Air Bus, Car Polonia, Matuszek) run directly from airport to the Krakow s main bus station. It takes about 1,5-2h.You can also go through Katowice city center, then take a train to Krakow, but it s not a recommended way, especially for foreigners. More detailed information are to find here: http://www.katowice-airport.com/en/passengers/access From Warsaw airport to Krakow There are two ways of getting from Warsaw s Okęcie Airport to Krakow. 1)By plane You can get to Kraków by polish flight company LOT. There are more or less 5 flights during the day taking you directly to Krakow. It costs approximately 50 euros. You can check actual schedule and fares on http://www.lot.com/ web/lot/home# It takes about 50 minutes, and you re landing on the Krakow s Balice airport. Warsaw airport website: http://www.lotnisko-chopina.pl 2)By train Get to the main train station in Warsaw called Warszawa Centralna by 175 bus or N32 night bus. It may even take up to 1 hour because of the traffic jams which are likely to happen. Take direct train to Krakow (Express or Inter-City or Inter Regio). All of them go to Krakow- Main (Główny). Ticket price is around 100 zl (~25 euros) and it takes ~3h + delay :)Unfortunately, foreign students don t get a discount for polish railways. Railway website: http://rozklad-pkp.pl/?q=en/node/143 (type Warszawa Centralna and Kraków Główny) 2
By train Krakow is directly connected with the following European cites: Berlin, Budapest, Hamburg, Lviv, Prague, Vienna, Zilin Check: http://www.oebb.at/en/index.jsp for additional information. By bus It s mostly faster and cheaper that trains, but less comfortable. Bus lines connect Krakow with most of the European major cities. You can get here with widely known bus companies such as Eurolines, Orange Ways, Eurobus, Sindbad. Check: http://eurolines.pl http://orangeways.com http://eurobus.pl http://www.sindbad.pl for additional information. Packing. What to bring? While packing, remember to take: Passport/ID card Travel insurance or European Health Insurance Card Fee for course (max 45 euro depending on your country category. More info: http://best.eu.org/student/ ===courses/helpevents.jsp#countrycategories ) ISIC or Euro26 card if you have one Visa (if required) Money Medicine (something specific that you have to take) Fancy clothes (opening/closing ceremony and Surprise party) Rainproof jacket and a warm sweater or hoodie (cause it may be cold sometimes) Camera and a cable for it Things you need for International Evening (food, alcohol, your country flag) Flip flops, swimming suit Sleeping bag Towel + cosmetics (if you use ones :D) Bed sheet (for making Toga) Loooots of positive energy :) Travel insurance and health care Health care system in Poland is divided into two sectors: national and the private one. Health services are free for those who are covered by general health insurance. They are provided by regional branch of National Health Found (Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia). 3
Free emergency treatment is available to visitors from the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland and several countries with which Poland has signed international agreements. Please check if your country is on that list. EEA nationals are required to produce a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Remember to take it! If you are not a national of any of the countries above you had better obtain a private medical insurance for the period of being abroad. Keep in mind that BEST will not cover your medical expenses (before, during and after Summer Course). This includes hospitalization, doctor visits and medicines. That is why it s extremely important for you to take insurance proof. Useful information Currency and prices Official currency in Poland is ZLOTY. 1 zloty consists of 100 GROSZ s. Coins: grosz: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 zloty: 1, 2, 5 Paper bills: zloty: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 You can exchange currencies in Exchange Offices (in Polish: kantor) all over the town or use cash-dispenser machine (in Polish: bankomat). Exchange rate: 1 euro = 4,40 zł, however it may vary, so please check it online before coming to Poland. Mineral water (1,5 litre) 2,00 zl 0,5 Fruit juice (1 litre) 3,50 zl 0,8 Beer (in shop) 2,50-4,50 zl 0,8-1,2 Beer (in pub) 7,00-12 zl 1,5-3 Żubrówka (0,5 litre) 25 zl 6,25 Hamburger 6,00 zl 1,5 Pizza 20,00 zl 5 Dinner (medium) 18,00 zl 4,5 Stamp for EU mails 2,40 zl 0,6 Cinema ticket 18, 00 zl 4,5 Bus ticket 2,80 zl 0,63 Cheap champagne under 6,5 zl! <1,7!!! Blow job 70 zl 20 4
Time Time in Poland is UTC+1, known also as CET/CEST. Electricity Electricity in Poland is 230 Volts, alternating at 50 Hz. The sockets are two-pin. Important information concerning alcohol consumption in public places... It s illegal to drink alcohol in public places (streets, parks, public transportation) in Poland. If you are caught by the police or municipal police forces (straż miejska) you have to pay a fee (around 100zl).Although there is no prohibition in Poland, liquor stores are opened 24/7. Great! For sure you ve informed us when and where exactly in Krakow we should be expecting you. We re going to pick you up from station/airport so you don t have to worry about navigating in Krakow. Your under our wings now :D I m lost in Krakow HELP! I have no idea how have you managed to do that! :P Breath in, breath out. Take it easy. It is not that dangerous city. Chances that you ll be killed on streets of Krakow are very low :) Contact organizers as soon as possible. You can send us email at krakow@best.eu.org but calling is in my opinion a little bit better option :) If you re lost call: Magda +48 504 560 955 Andrzej +48 785 947 533 If for some reason you cannot contact them you can sit and cry or call a taxi. Here are some student-friendly taxi companies: I Car +48 12 653 5555 Radio Taxi Barbakan +48 12 19661, +48 800 400 400 Radio Taxi 19191 +48 12 19191, +48 800 191 919 Radio Taxi Dwójka +48 12 19622, +48 12 422 2222 Tell the driver or show him sentence below: Poproszę na Miasteczko Studenckie. BABILON Ul. Rostafińskiego 11 30-072 Kraków I m in Krakow. What next? In case of emergency From your mobile call 112. From land line dial 999 ambulance 998 fire service 997 police 5
Welcome to Poland! Since you are going to spend here around 2 weeks you probably want to learn something about Poland and Krakow, Poles, Polish food and language. About Poland Poland lies in the heart of Europe the geometric center of the continent is right here. Here you can find more or less everything: alpine mountains, wide beaches, clean lakes, deep forests, world-class historic monuments, and friendly people. The climate is temperate, and the people warm and hospitable. Polish cities with a thousand-year history invite their visitors to encounters with culture, and Poland s villages and small-time towns offer the opportunity to get away from the bustle ofmodern life. And all this comes with a backdrop of breathtaking natural landscapes, because Poland s greatest attraction is nature. Wild, untouched, more diverse than in most countries either in Europe or the world and, what s more, easily accessible. History of Poland The history of Poland begins as early as the 10th century. In the 14th century the countryentered a union with Lithuania, which lasted until the very end of the 18th century. The union made Poland one of the strongest states in Europe. After the death of the last Jagiellon king in 1569, Poland became an elective monarchy, a quasi-democratized state in the era of the absolute monarchies all around Europe. The once powerful state gradually lost competitiveness against the stronger neighbors in the 17th and 18th century, and was partitioned by the former Austria, Prussia and Russia. The idea of Polish independence was kept alive through the 19th century, resulting in an uprising against the Tsar. Poland regained its independence after the First World War for two decades, but became the first to fall against the German and Soviet attack at the beginning of the Second World War. Many thousands Poles served in the armies of the Allied Forces. After the Second World War Poland became a satellite state of the Soviet Union, under communist regime. The uprisings in 1956 and 1968 were suppressed. In 1978 Karol Wojtyła became Pope John Paul II. In 1989, led by a reform movement called Solidarity, Poland became the first Eastern European state to break free of the Communism. Poland joined NATO on May 27, 1999 and the European Union on May 1, 2004. Weather in Poland Poland is situated in the Central Europe and the climate is mostly temperate throughoutthe country. It s oceanic in the north and west and becomes gradually warmer andcontinental as one moves south and east. Winters are cold (average temperature around 3 C in the northwest and -8 C (17.6 F) in the northeast. Summer isvarious, mostly it is nice and warm here (about 20 C or more), but sometimes wecan expect little rainfalls or even storms. So prepare yourself for all these meteorological conditions! Polish cuisine Many national groups that lived in Poland sideby side for centuries, especially the Jews, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Lithuanians, have influenced on our national cuisine.one Polish speciality is a variety of excellentsmoked meats, especially sausage (in Polish: kiełbasa) for example kiełbasa lisiecka. Poland is also famous forits multifarious types of delicious bread.an essential part of the main Polish meal ofthe day (eaten much earlier than in the West)is soup. The most popular soups are barszcz (fermented beetroot soup, often served with uszka), żurek (fermented soup made of rye flour, served with potatoes, diced sausages and hard-boiled eggs), kapuśniak (made of brined cabbage), krupnik (barley soup on rich chicken stock with vegetables and chunks of meat) and rosół (poultry or beef bouillon served with noodles and sprinkled liberallywith parsley). Perhaps the best-known Polish culinary classics kotlet schabowy fried breaded pork chop,served with potatoes and salad. Bigos (brined cabbage with a variety of meats, smokedmeats and mushrooms) and gołąbki (cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice or groats, served with tomato ormushroom sauce) are regarded as typicalpolish national dishes too.it s also hard to imagine the Polish without dumplings, especially pierogi (boiled ones, made from noodle dough and stuffed withminced meat, chopped brined cabbage andmushrooms, cottage cheese or fruit).if you are in haste, the best choice is one ofsymbols of Krakow. Obwarzanek, it s kind of bread snack. You can buy it all over the cityfrom street salesmen.but probably the most well-known Polishspeciality is Polish vodka clear or flavoured brands, for example Żubrówka ( bison vodka ) with a grass blade from the Białowieża Forest. Beer lovers won t bedisappointed either Polish beer is as good asgerman or Czech, even better... 6
Polish language Hi! good morning/good afternoon good evening bye yes no thank you excuse me please mineral water still water beer, please sandwich beautiful woman pass the beer, dude! you re a good dancer Shall we dance? I m a little strawberry, eat me Would you like to see my stamp collection? You like it!!! Cheers You look really pretty tonight Dobrze! Grubo!! Do ryja!!! Do ryja!!! cześć! dzień dobry dobry wieczór narazie tak nie dziękuję przepraszam proszę woda mineralna woda niegazowna poproszę piwo kanapka piękna kobieta podaj piwo, stary! dobrze tańczysz zatańczymy? jetem małą truskaweczką, zjedz mnie czy chcesz zobaczysz moją kolekcję znaczków? Lubisz to!!! Na zdrowie młóć mnie jak zboże! Dobrze! Grubo!! Do ryja!!! Do ryja!!! Welcome to Krakow! Not only is Krakow more than a thousand year old city, but also it is a former capital ofpoland. At present Krakow 7
is the second largest, after Warsaw, academic center ofpoland. Its population reaches almost 1 million. Beautifully situated on the banks ofthe Vistula River it hosts 21 comprehensive academic institutions in which altogether about 180.000 students educate. The first written record of city s name dates back to 966 but archaeological findingsprovide evidence that a settlement had been established in the early Stone Age on the present site of the Wawel Hill. From the 14th century it had been a place of royalcoronations as well as a burial site of Polish royal families. The later took place in the gothic Wawel Cathedral. Also, here in 1364 the oldest Polish university was founded. Atfirst, it was called Krakow University, later its name was changed into the Jagiellonian University, which is still famous for many brilliant scholars. Our town has a unique atmosphere as a significant scientific and artistic center.in avariety of cafes and on the streets you can easily meet intellectuals of various social andpolitical backgrounds. Nowadays Krakow is a combination of an old city with its RoyalCastle, countless of churches, museums, galleries, theaters, cabarets, operetta etc.and of a pretty modern place in which a lot of youths study. In other words, within an oldcity-centre there are over 300 of cafes and pubs, not to mention discos... So, enjoy! You can find out even more on Krakow on: www.cracow.travel www.krakow.eu What to see THE MAIN MARKET SQUARE It is the largest medieval square in Europe. Measuring approximately 200 metres by 200 metres, it was laid out when the city received its charter in 1257. Unlike the Cloth Hall, the Town Hall and the townhouses that border the square, the churches of St Mary and St Albert were built before the charter and so are not aligned with the sides of the Main Market Square. The most recent addition to the square is the monument of Adam Mickiewicz, designed in 1898 by Teodor Rygier. Today with the highest number of pubs, discos it is the most popular meeting place for young people. Looking at the restored colorful townhouses and mansions surrounding the square it is hard to believe that they are 500-600 years old. The Grey House (Szara Kamienica) at no. 6 deserves a closer look. Legend has it that it was donated by King Casimir the Great to his mistress, Sarah. The Pod Krzysztofory Palace at no. 35 is noteworthy as kings John Casimir, Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki and Duke Józef Poniatowski all stayed there at one time or other, and from it there is a wonderful panorama of the Main Market Square with St Mary s Church, the Town Hall Tower, Adam Mickiewicz s monument and the Cloth Hall. WAWEL Wawel Hill was the centre of the Wiślanie state before the state of Poland was established. The Piast dynasty settled here in the late 10th c. The first king to have his coronation at Wawel was Ladislaus the Elbow-High in 1320. According to archaeologists, in the Middle Ages there were as many as seven Gothic churches on the hill and numerous other buildings, which were later destroyed. The Rotunda of SS Felix and Adauctus and the Romanesque elements of the cathedral vaults are believed to be the oldest landmark on the hill (ca. 950). Elements of old structures are displayed at the exhibition Wawel which is no more, along with a computer presentation. KAZIMIERZ Kazimierz was established by King Casimir (Kazimierz) the Great as a separate town. In thelate 15th c., an autonomous Jewish district was established here. Depopulated and dilapidated after the Second World War, the district is currently recovering its original splendor. It is the second largest complex of historic Jewish architecture after Josefov in Prague. It s historic centre is Wolnica Square but its social and cultural life focuses around the Plac Nowy square and Szeroka street. Contact us! Andrzej Kociara mail: andrzej.kociara@best.krakow.pl +48 785 947 533 Magda Litwin-Summer Course Main Organizer mail: magdalena.litwin@best.krakow.pl +48 504 560 955 8