KATOWICE - In Your Pocket

14 BASICS
Market Values
Prices in Poland are still fairly competitive despite
increases over the last couple of years particularly in
the prices of cigarettes. Here are some typical everyday
products and prices.
Market values as of June 21, 2012 based on
€1 = 4.19zł
Product Price (zł) Price (€)
McDonald's Big Mac 9.30 zł € 2.22
Snickers 1.49 zł € 0.36
0.5ltr vodka (shop) 22.99 zł € 5.49
0.5ltr beer (shop) 2.89 zł € 0.69
0.5ltr beer (bar) 8.00 zł € 1.91
Loaf of white bread 3.49 zł € 0.83
20 Marlboros 11.90 zł € 2.84
1 ltr of unleaded petrol (98) 5.87 zł € 1.40
Local transport ticket (1 journey) 2.80 zł € 0.67
Law & Order
In general Katowice is far safer than most Western cities,
and visitors are unlikely to face any problems. Petty crime
does exist however, and travellers should be aware of where
their wallet is, guarding against pickpockets and opportunists.
Those travelling by car are advised to use a guarded
car park. Robberies on overnight trains are not unheard of,
especially on the routes connecting Warsaw and Kraków
with Prague and Berlin; book a couchette or a sleeper cabin
if possible. Also avoid being ripped off by opportunistic taxi
gits by using clearly marked cabs, something to bear in mind
around the train station and airport. Generally, the vagrants
and pondlife that gather around the Kato train station are
harmless and easily ignored.
Staying on the right side of the law is significantly easier for
tourists who accept that Polish beer and vodka are rocket fuel
and drink accordingly. If you’re determined to make an idiot of
yourself then make sure it’s not in front of the law. In recent
years visitors ranging from folks in Chewbacca costumes to
complete fools who’ve thought it’s perfectly acceptable to
drop trousers and urinate in a city centre fountain have tested
the patience of the local law enforcement. Their tolerance
threshold is now decidedly low so don’t push your luck.Those
who do may well be treated to a trip to Katowice’s premier
drunk tank (ul. Macieja 10), a chastening experience which will
set you back 250zł for a 6-24 hour stay. In return for your cash
expect a strip search, a set of blue pyjamas and the company
of a dozen mumbling vagrants. Those resisting arrest may well
find themselves strapped down to a bed, One Flew Over The
Cuckoo’s Nest-style. Refreshment comes in the form of limitless
coffee, though the mug sometimes comes with a smell
of urine for a reason. Credit cards not accepted.
The other well-known ways tourists can cross cops is by
jaywalking. If you are from a country which has no (or doesn’t
respect) jaywalking laws, you’ll be surprised to see a crowd
of people standing obediently at a crossing waiting for the
lights to change. This peculiarity has extra effect if you are
aware of how little Poles respect the rules of the road in a
vehicle, where it often feels like a survival of the fittest. The
reason for the obedience of this particular rule is the fact that
the local city police (Straż Miejska) will quite freely give you a
100zł fine for crossing a road at a place where no crossing
is marked or a 100zł fine when the ‘walk’ light is red. And
don’t think you are exempt by being a foreign visitor. You are
subject to the law too and your non-residency means you will
need to pay the fine on the spot (the helpful chaps will even
accept foreign currency).
Money
Thinking of paying for your tram ticket with one of the 100zł
notes in your pocket? Think again. Small shops, newsagents,
public toilets, even the occasional fast food franchise and
bar will refuse to break a large note for you. As annoying as
coins can be, do carry small change for such moments. Notes
come in denominations of 200, 100, 50, 20 and 10 złotys,
and there are 1, 2 and 5 złoty coins. One złoty equals 100
groszy which come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 groszy coins.
Currency can be exchanged at airports, hotels, banks and
anywhere with a sign proclaiming it to be a Kantor and you will
also be able to withdraw currency at a bankomat using your
ATM card. A Kantor will often provide better value than the
banks in your home country or the ATM although for obvious
reasons be very wary of Kantors in the airports, bus stations
and close to tourist sights - by in large, these guys will charge
the earth. Shopping around will reward you with the best
rate. The Polish currency has been up and down in recent
years but the trend is that you will be receiving less for your
euros, dollars and sterling than in years past. Having said
that prices for food, drink, cultural venues and transport still
remain comparatively cheap in contrast to Western Europe.
A ticket to the cinema will rarely cost more than 20zł while
admission to most museums costs around 5-10zł.
Post
A bureaucratic nightmare buried under incomprehensible
paperwork, there is no indication that Poland’s postal service
- Poczta Polska - will be automated or computerised
during our lifetimes. There can be no doubt that the post
office is one of the most frustrating places to be a foreigner
in Poland, as you’re guaranteed to not understand a damn
thing happening there. Your best ally is the person in line next
to you; if there’s one person in the room who speaks not a
word of English, it’s the qualified clerk at the service window.
Also, don’t expect any signs to feature English translations,
though all paperwork has been mystifyingly translated into
French (and only French). When you get to the head of that
insufferably long queue, don’t be surprised to be sent to
another or back to the end, paperwork in hand.
If sending something of any monetary or sentimental
value, please, make sure you do so by using priority mail
or better; magic word: ‘Priorytet.’ Choosing the cheapest
overseas option available will ensure that your package
is used as a football, opened and resealed with or with-
Quick Currency Convertor
PLN US$ Euro Pound
3.30zł = $1 4.19zł = €1 5.20zł = £1
1 zł $0.30 € 0.24 £0.19
2 zł $0.61 € 0.48 £0.38
3 zł $0.91 € 0.72 £0.58
4 zł $1.21 € 0.95 £0.77
5 zł $1.52 € 1.19 £0.96
6 zł $1.82 € 1.43 £1.15
7 zł $2.12 € 1.67 £1.35
8 zł $2.42 € 1.91 £1.54
9 zł $2.73 € 2.15 £1.73
10 zł $3.03 € 2.39 £1.92
20 zł $6.06 € 4.77 £3.85
50 zł $15.15 € 11.93 £9.62
100 zł $30.30 € 23.87 £19.23
150 zł $45.45 € 35.80 £28.85
200 zł $60.61 € 47.73 £38.46
250 zł $75.76 € 59.67 £48.08
1 000 zł $303.03 € 238.66 £192.31
Katowice In Your Pocket katowice.inyourpocket.com
National Holidays
August 15 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
also Polish Army Day
November 1 All Saints’ Day
November 11 Independence Day (Nov 11, 1918)
December 25 First Day of Christmas
December 26 Second Day of Christmas
January 1, 2013 New Year’s Day
January 6, 2013 Three Kings
March 31, 2013 Easter Sunday
April 1 Easter Monday
May 1 Labour Day
May 3 Constitution Day (May 3, 1791)
May 19, 2013 Pentecost Sunday
May 30, 2013 Corpus Christi
out all of its contents before it arrives after a minimum
90-day journey. We’re not exaggerating, and, yes, we are
still very angry.
There are several post offices around Katowice, with the
main building at ul. Pocztowa 9 (D-3) being the largest and
most incomprehensible. All post offices close early on
Saturday, if open at all, and all will be closed Sunday. Good
luck, gringo.
Central Post Office D-3, ul. Pocztowa 9, tel. (+48)
801 33 34 44, www.poczta-polska.pl. If you’re in need
of stamps, they can be purchased at any of the windows.
However there is no organised queuing system so sharpen
your elbows and brace yourself for the fight of your life. Q
Open 24hrs.
Religion
For over one thousand years Poland has been a bulwark of
Catholicism, fighting against the horrors of pagan invasion
and looking to Catholicism for a sense of social and national
unity. When Poland was partitioned in the 19th century, many
turned to the church for solace and during the communist
era, underground resistance meetings were surreptitiously
held in churches.
The deceased Polish-born Pope John Paul II remains a
genuine source of pride for all Poles, and is beloved in a
way more profound than cynics in the West can understand.
Many Poles genuinely believe that John Paul II singlehandedly
started the overthrow of Communism in Central
and Eastern Europe. Small wonder then that your average
Pole takes Catholicism very seriously. Those used to the
more easy-going habits of the West may find the Polish
enthusiasm a bit unnerving at first, particularly the solemn
and opulent processions that occur from time to time and
the droves that flock to mass.
Water
Water in Poland is officially safe to drink although the quality
of plumbing in many places can affect the quality of the
water that is delivered from your tap. We therefore recommend
that you use bottled water which is widely available
and inexpensive. The best known bottled local brands are
Żywiec, Cisowianka, Kropla Beskidu and Nałęczowianka. In
restaurants many tourists are surprised to find a glass of
water is not compulsory, and ordering some typically results
in the receipt of a tiny glass bottle that will barely wet your
whistle. Beer is often a better bet since it’s cheaper and arrives
in larger quantities, but if you’re set on having water it’s
best to learn the difference between gazowana (carbonated
water) and niegazowana (still water).
katowice.inyourpocket.com
Language Smarts
BASICS
Many Poles, particularly younger people, have a fairly healthy
command of the English language. Many will also be adept at
other European languages with German being the most commonly
spoken. Older Poles will fiercely contest that they have ‘forgotten’
the Russian taught to them at school but most will still have a
reasonable understanding.
Mastering the Polish tongue can be a terrifying ordeal and will often
result in personal degradation as shop assistants laugh at your
flustered attempts. That aside, learning a few key phrases will smooth
your time in Poland and may even win you friends and admirers.
On the positive side Polish sounds as it appears. This is a great
help once you know how to pronounce each letter/combination
of letters. Many letters represent the same sounds as they do in
English. Below we have listed those particular to Polish.
Basic pronunciation of Polish vowels
‘ą’ sounds like ‘on’ in the French ‘bon’
‘ę’ sounds like ‘en’ as in the French ‘bien’
‘ó’ is an open ‘o’ sound like ‘oo’ in ‘boot’
Basic pronunciation of consonants
‘c’ like the ‘ts’ in ‘bits’
‘j’ like the ‘y’ in ‘yeah’
‘w’ is pronounced like the English ‘v’
‘ł’ like the ‘w’ in ‘win’
‘ń’ like the ‘ny’ in ‘canyon’
‘cz’ and ‘ć’ like the ‘ch’ in ‘beach’
‘dz’ like the ‘ds’ in ‘beds’
‘rz’ and ‘ż’ like the ‘su’ in ‘treasure’
‘sz’ and ‘ś’ like the ‘sh’ in ‘ship’
‘drz’ and ‘dż’ like the ‘g’ in ‘George’
r is always rolled and stress is generally always on the last but
one syllable.
Think you’ve got that? Here are some words and phrases to get
you started.
Civilities
cześć (cheshch) hi/bye
dzień dobry (jen do-bri) good morning/
afternoon
dobry wieczór (do-bri vyeh-choor) good evening
dobranoc (dobrah-nots) good night
tak (tahk) yes
nie (nyeh) no
proszę (prosheh) please
na zdrowie (nah zdrovyeh) cheers
dziękuje (jen-koo-yeh) thank you
przepraszam (psheh-prasham) sorry
kocham cię (koham tshe) I love you
Mam na imię (mam nah ee-myeh) My name is
Jestem z Anglii
Necessities
(yehstem zanglee) I am from England
Gdzie są toalety? (gdjeh song toalety) Where are the toilets?
Czy mówi pan/pani (che moovee Do you (male/female)
po angielsku? pan/panee po
angyelskoo?)
speak English?
Nie mówię po (nyeh moovyeh po I don’t speak Polish
polsku
polskoo)
Proszę to napisać (prosheh toh
napeesatch)
Please write it down
Czy można tu palić (che mohzhnah too
paleech?)
Can I smoke here?
Jedno piwo (yedno peevo poh- One beer please
poproszę prosheh)
Numbers
1 jeden yehden
2 dwa dva
3 trzy tshi
10 dziesięć jayshench
General
Airport lotnisko
Train station dworzec pkp
Bus station dworzec pks
Right/left prawo/lewo
One ticket to jeden bilet do
First/second class pierwsza/druga klasa
July - October 2012
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