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Poland

Official name	Republic of Poland (Rzeczpospolita Polska)
Area	312 679 square kilometres
Geographic region	Central Europe
Climate	Temperate with relatively cold winters and warm summers
Capital	Warsaw (Warszawa)
Other major cities	Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Lublin, Katowice
Government type	republic, parliamentary democracy
Language	Polish
Currency	Zloty (PLN), 1 zloty = 100 groszy
Member of	UN, UE, NATO, OECD, WTO
Time Zone	CET (UTC+1), CEST (UTC+2)
Country Code	PL
Calling Code	+48

Lublin

Geographic region	Eastern Poland
Calling code	+48 81

GENERAL INFORMATION ON POLISH LANGUAGE

Polish is the official language of the Republic of Poland and one of the offical languages of the European Union. There are around 45 million people who use it as a mother tongue. Many Polish speakers live outside Poland, for example in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany or Canada. It is also spoken as a second language in several countries.

Polish is an Indo-European language, belonging to the group of West-Slavic languages. It was strongly influenced by other languages including German, Latin, French, Czech and English. There are several dialects of Polish which include Silesian, Kashubian, Mazovian, Greater and Lesser Polish.

It is often claimed that Polish is one of the most difficult languages to learn. This opinion may be caused by the complexity of pronuciation and the presence of seven cases of nouns. However, it is worth learning at least some key words and phrases as even basic knowledge of Polish will be highly appreciated by the Polish people in formal and informal situations. We also encourage you to participate in a Polish language course, whether for professional or personal reasons. Moreover, it is possible to take state certificate examinations in Polish as a foreign language.

POLISH LANGUAGE COURSES

There are several options for students or candidates who wish to participate in the Polish language courses:

Polish Language and Culture Schools
9-month Preparatory Language Courses
Polish Language Courses Abroad

Polish Language Courses are organized by Foreign Languages Department [Studium Języków Obcych Politechniki Lubelskiej] situated in CEN-TECH [Centrum Technologii Informatycznych i Lingwistyki Technicznej]

ul. Nadbystrzycka 38 B, 20-618 Lublin, Sekretariat: pokój 306 (II piętro), telefon: 81 538 45 44

e-mail: studiumjo@pollub.pl

Each academic year, Erasmus students are offered the chance to participate in free Polish language courses. They are organized on a <first come, first served> basis. For more information please contact Office of International Education or attend one of the Welcome Meetings organized before the start of every semester.

Key words and phrases:

Greetings	Powitania
Good morning! Good afternoon!	Dzień dobry!
Good evening!	Dobry wieczór!
Hello!	Cześć!
Goodbye!	Do widzenia!
Good night!	Dobranoc!
See you!	Do zobaczenia!

Useful phrases	Przydatne zwroty
Thank you	Dziękuję
Please / You`re welcome	Proszę
Excuse me / I`m sorry	Przepraszam
I don`t speak Polish.	Nie mówię po polsku.
What does it mean?	Co to znaczy?
Nice to meet you!	Miło Cię poznać!
My name is...	Nazywam się…
How are you?	Jak się masz?
I`am fine.	W porządku.
How do I get to...?	Jak dojść do...?

Useful words	Przydatne słowa
yes	tak
no	nie
maybe	może
open	otwarte
closed	zamknięte
opening hours	godziny otwarcia
price	cena
shop	sklep
coffee	kawa
tea	herbata
water	woda
exchange office	kantor
ticket	bilet
plane	samolot
bus	autobus
train	pociąg
airport	lotnisko
station	dworzec
exit	wyjście
entrance	wejście
police	policja
ambulance	karetka
doctor	lekarz
hospital	szpital
pharmacy	apteka
insurance	ubezpieczenie
rent	czynsz
room	pokój
apartment	mieszkanie
dormitory	akademik

Climate and weather

The climate in Poland is moderate. Typically, there are four seasons. Summers are warm or even hot, with the average temperature between 16°C and 20°C. However, the temperatures in July and August often exceed 30°C. Winters are cold with the average temperature ranging from -6°C to 0°C and sometimes a heavy snowfall. The annual rainfall in Poland is 500-700 mm but it changes from year to year.

Nevertheless, weather in Poland is highly unpredictable and changeable. One may expect rainy summers as well as winters with temperature hardly ever falling below zero and almost no snow. It is also possible to see snow in October or experience a heatwave in April.

Clothing

Due to the changeable weather conditions, it is recommended that one should bring both warm and lightweight clothing. Rainwear may be needed throughout the year.

There is no strict dress code for students at Lublin University of Technology. However, there are some basic rules which should be obeyed. It is not appropriate to wear coats, winter jackets and other outdoor wear in class - they should be left in the cloakroom. It is also recommended that students wear smart clothes when sitting examinations - an elegant suit for men and a smart skirt, dress or trousers for women would be appropriate.

Electricity

Basic information:

Voltage - 230 V
Frequency - 50 Hz
Plug - type E/C

Type E plug has two round pins and a hole. Type C plug has two round pins. It is also suggested that students coming to Poland should check beforehand whether or not they need a plug adapter or a power converter in order to be able to use their appliances.

Driving in Poland

General Information

You may come to Poland by your own car or buy/rent one here. Whatever your choice, bear in mind some basic rules:

you need to have a valid driving licence,
we drive on the right side,
car insurance in Poland is obligatory,
when driving you should always have your car insurance policy, your driving licence and a car emergency kit with you,
you and your passangers should always wear seat belts,
the maximum drink driving limit is 0.2 (grammes per litre),
all vehicles are required to use headlights all year round
there are plenty of car rental companies
Lublin has got the paid parking zone. During controlled hours (Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM) charges apply for parking in two sub-zones - A and B.

Mobile Telephony in Poland

In Poland, there are two possible ways of using a mobile phone: through a Polish prepaid mobile card (pay-as-you-go SIM card) or thanks to a mobile phone contract.

Due to the change in the Polish law, it is now obligatory to register your SIM card. In order to do it, you can visit a particular mobile provider's store.

The following documents are required while registering your SIM card or signing a contract with one of the mobile operators:

your passport or ID,
residence registration document,
your address in Poland (for correspondence).

Before mobility

Poland at a glance

Essential information on Poland and Lublin

Electricity

Driving in Poland