Polish Language Blog

Emergency phone numbers (telefony alarmowe) great to keep handy! Especially when you find yourself in trouble in a foreign country! Here are emergency phone number in Poland:

From fixed phones:

999: Ambulance – Ambulans, Karetka pogotowia

998: Fire Brigade – Straż Pożarna

997: Police – Policja

981: Road Assistance – Pomoc Drogowa

986: Municipal Police - Straż Miejska

Using mobile phones: remember to dial the local code before the number, for example: 22 – 997 to call the police in Warsaw. Emergency calls from phone boxes are free of charge. If you do not know the local code, dial the general emergency number : 112. The operator will request the appropriate emergency unit.

These numbers may also be useful:

International flight departure information (22) 650 39 43

International flight arrival information (22) 650 42 20

Hopefully you will not have to use most of these numbers too often:)

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Nowadays you hear so much about bombs (bomby) and terrorist attacks (ataki terrorystyczne)…Thousands of people had to be evacuated from one of Warsaw’s biggest shopping center this week after an anonymous caller claimed there was a bomb in the building.

Police sealed off the Złote Tarasy center just before noon on Wednesday, and sent in bomb disposal teams (zespoły saperów) with trained sniffer dogs (wyszkolone psy tropiące) to scour the shopping mall, which stands adjacent to Warsaw Central Station, office blocks and one of the city’s main bus terminals.

The bomb threat (zagrożenie bombą) also brought chaos to city center traffic as thousands of people spilled onto the streets, and roads around the glass domed shopping center were closed to all traffic except emergency vehicles (pojazdy ratunkowe).

The decision to evacuate the building was taken in the interests of staff and customers and was made after consultation with the police. Thousands of people managed to flee from the center in just a few minutes.

The escalators (schody ruchome) were switched off so people had to make their way down on foot but the public address system told people about this. Security was polite and pointed people in the right direction. Some wanted to go to their cars in the underground parking but were told that was impossible.

Video footage taken at the time showed hundreds of people calmly making their way out of the centre with the evacuation warning still sounding.

With the center evacuated, police were free to conduct a search but found no trace of a bomb.

Just who called in the bomb threat is still a matter of a police investigation.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Here are some most important rules and information about traffic regulations in Poland. I know that some of you will say that it really doesn’t happen in Poland. Unfortunately people brake these rules, especially the speed limit. So please do not take it personally. Again, these are just rules and Poles, just like other nations, occasionally brake them…:)

Some rules:

✹ Traffic is on the right side.

✹ Maximum speed: 50 kmh in towns from 5 AM to 11 PM and 60kmh from 11 PM to 5 AM, 90 kmh outside urban areas, 110 kmh on dual carriageways and 130 kmh on motorways

✹ Permitted alcohol content in blood is 0.2 promilles.

✹ Head lights must be used all year long.

✹ Foreign drivers can use a driving license from their home country or an international driving license for up to six months after entering Poland. Afterwards they are obliged to pass the local examinations which presuppose the knowledge of the Polish language.

✹ Seat belts must be worn by both front seat and back seat passengers and it is prohibited to use hand-held mobiles while driving.

✹ Children under 12 are obligated to sit in special child seats that should be installed on the back seat.

✹ Cars must be equipped with a fire extinguisher, a first-aid kit and a hazard-warning reflexive triangle.

Information for drivers:

✹ Caution signs and plates explaining the type of obstacle and danger have a yellow background.

✹ Pedestrians may use roads outside inhabited areas, where there is often poor visibility.

✹ Some roads are in a rather bad condition, despite the national renovation programme in progress.

✹ There are a lot of unguarded railway crossings, which require the driver’s attention.

✹ Buses moving from a bus stop have the right of way.

✹ Trams enjoy the right of way at equivalent intersections.

✹ Big Polish cities are full of roundabouts, and the traffic is often coordinated by the police. There are some streets where only taxis and coaches are permitted to enter.

✹ Drivers are not very cautious and Poland has one of the worst road accidents statistics in Europe.

✹ Polish fines range from 50-500 PLN (for speeding).

Drive safe!

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)