BEST AGH KRAKOW presents LEGO robots limited only by your imagination survival guide version 1.0 (February 2009) INDEX: 1. About Poland page 2 2. About Krakow page 2 3. Weather page 3 4. Polish cuisine page 3 5. Currency and prices page 4 6. Electricity page 5 7. Health care page 5 8. Emergency page 6 9. How not to get lost travelling to Krakow page 6 10. Contact BEST Krakow page 8 11. What to bring with you page 8 12. Polish language page 9 13. Other information page 9 14. Special thanks page 10 1
1. ABOUT POLAND Poland lies in the heart of Europe - the geometric centre 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 of modern 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. capital: Warsaw, 1 706 624 inhabitants territory: 312 679 km 2 population: 38 116 000 political system: Parliamentary Democracy religion: Catholicism (~ 97%) 2. ABOUT KRAKOW Not only is Krakow more than a thousand year old city, but also it is a former capital of Poland. At present Krakow is the second largest, after Warsaw, academic centre of Poland. Its population reaches almost 1 million. Beautifully situated on the banks of the 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 findings provide 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 royal coronations 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. 2
At first, 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 centre. In a variety of cafes and on the streets you can easily meet intellectuals of various social and political backgrounds. Nowadays Krakow is a combination of an old city with its Royal Castle, countless of churches, museums, galleries, theatres, cabarets, operetta etc. and of a pretty modern place in which a lot of youths study. In other words, within an old city-centre there are over 300 of cafes and pubs, not to mention discos... So, enjoy! You can find out even more on Krakow on: http://www.krakow.pl/ 3. WEATHER Poland is situated in the Central Europe and the climate is mostly temperate throughout the country; it s oceanic in the north and west and becomes gradually warmer and continental 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 is various; mostly it is nice and warm here (about 20 C or more), but sometimes we can expect little rainfalls or even storms. So prepare yourself for all these meteorological conditions! 4. POLISH CUISINE Many national groups that lived in Poland side by side for centuries, especially the Jews, Ukrainians, Belarussians and Lithuanians, have influenced on our national cuisine. One Polish speciality is a variety of excellent smoked meats, especially sausage (in Polish: kiełbasa) for example kiełbasa lisiecka or kiełbasa myśliwska. Poland is also famous for its multifarious types of delicious bread. An essential part of the main Polish meal of the day (eaten much earlier than in the West) is soup. The most popular soups are barszcz (fermented beetroot soup, often 3
served with uszka), Ŝurek (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 liberally with parsley). Perhaps the best-known Polish culinary classic is kotlet schabowy - fried pork loin chop coated in breadcrumbs, served with potatoes and salad. Bigos (brined cabbage with a variety of meats, smoked meats and mushrooms) and gołąbki (cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice or groats, served with tomato or mushroom sauce) are regarded as typical Polish national dishes too. It s also hard to imagine the Polish without dumplings, especially pierogi (boiled ones, made from noodle dough and stuffed with minced meat, chopped brined cabbage and mushrooms, cottage cheese or fruit). But probably the most well-known Polish speciality is Polish vodka clear or flavoured brands, for example śubrówka ("bison vodka") with a grass blade from the BiałowieŜa Forest. Beer lovers won't be disappointed either Polish beer is as good as German or Czech, even better 5. 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 4
You can exchange currencies in Exchange Offices (in Polish: kantor) all over the town or use cash-dispenser machine (in Polish: bankomat). A short approximate price-table 1 Euro 4,80 zl 1,00 1 USD 3,80 zl 0,80 Bread 3,00 zl 0,63 Mineral water (1,5 litre) 2,00 zl 0,42 Fruit juice (1 litre) 3,50 zl 0,73 Beer (in shop) 3,00 zl 0,63 Beer (in pub) 7,00 zl 1,46 Hamburger 6,00 zl 1,25 Dinner (medium) 18,00 zl 3,75 Pizza 20,00 zl 4,17 Stamp for EU mails 2,40 zł 0,50 Cinema ticket 18,00 zł 3,75 zł Bus ticket 2,50 zł 0,43 Shampoo 9,00 zl 1,88 6. ELECTRICITY Electricity in Poland is 230 Volts, alternating at 50 cycles per second. The sockets are two-pin. 7. HEALTH CARE Health care system is divided in Poland into two sectors: national and the private one. Health services are free for those who are covered by the general health insurance. They are provided by regional branch of National Health Found (in Polish: Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia, NFZ). Free emergency treatment is available to visitors from the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland and several countries with which Poland has signed international agreements. EEA nationals are required to produce a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). So don t forget to take your EHIC Card! If you are not a national of any of the countries above, you had better obtain a private medical insurance (for example EURO <26 Card with insurance). 5
8. EMERGENCY Ambulance: 999 Fire Brigade: 998 Police: 997 To call an emergency service using a mobile phone, dial 112 9. HOW NOT TO GET LOST TRAVELLING TO KRAKOW When you know when & how you're going to reach Krakow - let us know. We - BEST people - will try to pick you up from airport/station. Anyway, here are some guidelines how to arrive at our BEST office in case you have to come on your own. Soon, we ll update this info with the address of the dorm we will stay at during Summer Couse. BEST office s address: Gramatyka 8A, 3rd floor, room no. 315. From Warsaw to Krakow You'll probably arrive by plane... Get to the main train station in Warsaw called Warszawa Centralna. Take direct train to Krakow (Express or Inter-City). All of them go to Krakow-Main. Ticket price is around 100 PLN. Unfortunately, foreign students don't get a discount! Before going to Krakow, check the timetable again. You can do it on http://rozklad.pkp.pl/?q=en/node/143. From Krakow airport to the BEST office Take a bus no. 208 that goes to "Dworzec Główny Wschód" station. One-way ticket is (if you have ISIC or Euro<26 card) "bilet ulgowy gminny" for 1,45 PLN. Get off at Miasteczko Studenckie AGH stop. Cross the street and you are on a Gramatyka street. BEST office is in the second building on the right. You can also take the train from the Airport that goes to Krakow Main station (ticket costs 6 PLN). From Krakow Main railway station to the BEST office It's easy. Either you can walk (about 30-35 min) or use a more sophisticated mean of transportation - bus. You have to enter bus no. 501 which goes to "Mydlniki". Get off at "Miasteczko Studenckie AGH" stop and DON'T cross the street. Go back 20m and University building with BEST office will be on your left. A normal ticket costs 2,50 PLN, reduced one costs 1,35 PLN (if you if you have ISIC or Euro<26 card). WARNING : Beware of pickpockets. And don't take a TAXI exactly from train station - they can charge you much more than expected... 6
Plan of the city centre 7
10. CONTACT BEST AGH KRAKOW BEST AGH Krakow Post Address: BEST AGH Krakow Akademia Gorniczo-Hutnicza Wydzial Humanistyczny str. Gramatyka 8a room 315 30-067 Krakow Poland Contact: People who know almost everything (maybe except weather;)) about this Summer Course: o Aleksandra Janosz email: aleksandra.janosz@best.krakow.pl, phone: +48 697 697 222 o Rafał Kuśmider email: rafal.kusmider@best.krakow.pl, phone: +48 664 499 205 Feel free to contact organizers in case of any questions or problems. We ll do the BEST we can to help you. 11. WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU first of all - we need you!!! passport or ID document visa (if required) ISIC (International Student Identity Card) or EURO<26 card camera anything you need for the International Evening (specialities & drinks from your country, your flag, music) medicine (something specific that you have to take and you are not sure you can find it here) rain jacket and warm sweater (of course we booked the BEST weather - but everything can happen in Krakow) sleeping bag (we ll inform you soon if it s necessary) walking shoes swimming suit clothes for Theme Parties (you ll find out more soon) and everything else you still have a space for :) 8
12. POLISH LANGUAGE W Szebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie i Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie. A Polish tongue twister for the beginning of your learning Polish. If you want to know what does it mean, you must come to our course. But it looks a bit strange, don t you think? But it s only a small sample. During your stay in Poland you will get used to special characters and some characters pairs which represents sounds not met in Latin alphabet. Now, some important vocabulary to practise. The rest you'll learn in Krakow Hi! good morning good bye yes no thank you excuse me please mineral water beer sandwich beautiful woman man music Pass the beer! You're a good dancer. Shall we dance? I m a little strawberry, eat me Would you like to see my stamp collection? cześć dzień dobry do widzenia tak nie dziękuję przepraszam proszę woda mineralna piwo kanapka piękna kobieta męŝczyzna muzyka Podaj piwo! Dobrze tańczysz. Zatańczymy? Jestem małą truskaweczką, zjedz mnie Czy chcesz zobaczyć moja kolekcje znaczków? 13. OTHER INFORMATION Arrival Date is Wednesday 1st of July. If you are planning to arrive on an earlier date or you will need to stay longer please inform us beforehand. If you want to check the weather conditions in Krakow look at: http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/12566.html 9
CIA pages about Poland: https://www.cia.gov/library/ publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pl.html 14. SPECIAL THANKS Photos taken from: About Poland: http://www.poland.gov.pl/sites,and,landscapes,of,poland,544.html About Krakow: http://www.bursa.krakow.pl/krakow/pl/wycieczki--krakow, http://www.poland.gov.pl/sites,and,landscapes,of,poland,544.html Polish cuisine: http://mycuisine.blox.pl/2007/11/bigos.html www.uwielbiam.pl/recipies_pic/225_org.jpg http://www.herdaily.com/recipes/301/pierogi-from-poland.html www.gawrycki.pl/images/ktrwale.jp Currency and prices: http://www.nbp.pl/ 10