I. GENERAL INFORMATION
1. Poland
Poland: it is more than a thousand years of complicated yet grand history with outstanding people creating the Polish history and the history of the world, people like Nicolas Copernicus who “stopped the Sun and moved the Earth”, king Sobieski, who defended Vienna against the Turks, Maria Curie-Sklodowska, who discovered radium and polonium, a great composer Frederick Chopin, Polish airmen fighting in the battle of England, about whom Winston Churchill once said “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”, Lech Walesa, Zbigniew Boniek, Andrzej Wajda, Arthur Rubinstein, Czeslaw Milosz, Pope John Paul II.
Poland: a 16th century power, merely a duchy in the 18th century, 6 years of Nazi occupation during the Second World War, 44 years of communism and a source of its decline. Here the first in Europe democratic constitution was established in 1791, and 2 years later the first Ministry of Education.
Poland: the very heart of Europe, crossing of cultures and trade routes, a land of mountains, sea, lakes and woods, amber, bigos, Arabian horses. It is famous for Polish hospitality and swiftly developing economy. 15 years after gaining its sovereignty, it is a member of NATO, since 1st May 2004 a member of the European Union and since 1st January 2008 hopefully a member of Schengen zone.
2. Lodz
Until the 15th century Lodz was a tiny village in the very centre of Poland. Although it was granted the city rights in 1423, finally in the 19th century it did develop as a town of textile industry. Lodz owes its industrial prosperity to German, Russian, Jewish and Polish manufacturers who invested their capital here and connected their lives with the town. They all found this new place of living taste like “the Promised Land". Lodz was growing with emerging factories, residential quarters for factory workers as well as magnificent villas and palaces for factory owners.
A dynamic development of Lodz was stopped in 1914 by the First World War, and as a result of purposeful devastation of machines and equipment the economic continuity of the town's development was broken for many years. Another German occupation again wrecked achievements of the city, which already in 1939, at the beginning of the Second World War, was incorporated within the borders of the Third Reich. At that time Lodz lost over 60 percent of its inhabitants.
Nowadays Lodz is the second largest city in Poland, famous for its Film Academy and one of the longest streets - secessional Piotrkowska Street, part of which is paved with bricks bearing names of Lodz citizens. Piotrkowska Street is well known not only due to its length and art nouveau mansion houses but also thanks to more than a hundred pubs, restaurants and open-air cafés.
In Lodz there is a splendid Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Textile Industry, the greatest in Europe monumental complex of factory premises and residential buildings called Księży Młyn and a unique Jewish cemetery. Here you can find theatres, cinemas, concert hall, banks, department stores, modern culture, entertainment and trade centre called Manufaktura, 21 higher education institutions including 6 public universities with 65,000 students and 15 non-public universities with over 50,000 students. There is also Technical University of Lodz – more than 60 years of scientific research, teaching, inventions, praiseworthy graduates and their exquisite lecturers.
II. PREPARATION OF YOUR STAY
1. Preparation of your stay
1.1. Visa
Different entry and stay regulations apply in Poland to nationals of the countries belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA), which include the Member States of the European Union and Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, and nationals of other countries, further on referred to as third countries.
Nationals of the EEA countries do not need a visa in order to enter Poland. During the first three months, they may stay in the country on the basis of a valid travel document, e.g. a passport. Those intending to extend their stay are required to register in the Voivodship Office and to have health insurance and sufficient resources to cover the costs of stay. This may be confirmed, for example, by a document awarding a scholarship or grant, or by a contract of employment.
You may register your stay in the Department for Foreigners of the Voivodship Office.
Nationals of third countries are required to obtain a visa, before their entry into Poland, in a Polish consulate in the country from which they intend to come to Poland. More information can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs www.msz.gov.pl
If you intend to prolong your stay in Poland, remember to apply for the prolongation of visa or residence permit in advance – 45 days before visa or residence permit expires.
Łódź Voivodeship Office
Łódzki Urząd Wojewódzki
Wydział Spraw Obywatelskich i Cudzoziemców
Piotrkowska 103, 90-425 Łódź
phone: (48 42) 664 17 14, 664 17 15
http://www.uw.lodz.pl
2. Getting to Lodz
2.1. How to get to Lodz
You are strongly advised to arrive in Poland on a weekday, and if possible during office hours. Access to student accommodation cannot be arranged in the late evening or at weekends. You may also have difficulties in finding a hotel room late in the evening. Refer to the information sent by the administrative office to find out the date you should arrive on in Lodz.
By air:
There is a possibility to fly directly to Lodz but only by cheap flights from chosen European cities: Paris, London, Rome. Other connections are via Warsaw Okęcie Airport by domestic flights but they are not regular and you would better check in advance if they are available at the time convenient to you (www.lot.pl; www.airport.lodz.pl .http://www.airport.lodz.pl/
From Warsaw Okęcie Airport you can also take:
train from the Central Railway Station in the centre of Warsaw, it takes about three hours to get to Lodz.
The bus 175 takes the passengers from the airport to the centre of Warsaw. The price of one ticket is 2.40 PLN (as for March 2008). The tickets can be bought in any newspaper stand – kiosk RUCH.
Be careful because the pickpockets are common.
It is also possible to take taxi from Warsaw to Lodz but it is not recommended since it costs about 300 PLN.
By rail and bus:
The railway station Lodz Fabryczna and the central bus station are situated in the centre of Lodz, close to each other. There is also another main station Lodz Kaliska in the western part of the city.
2.2. Your Mentor help
If you wish, TUL students can support you before and during your stay in Lodz.
Student mentor contact prospective exchange student by e-mail a few months before the arrival. If you are interested in mentor assistance, please check your mail box regularly and do not forget to send a response.
Your Mentor will help you to settle in and make your first days in Lodz easier. Mentor will pick you up from the train station, take you to student hall of residence and help you with the shopping.
European Youth Exchange organization coordinates activities and mentor tasks (www.eyepoland.org) .
III. Other practical information
Identification Card
Each student enrolled in the Technical University of Łódź is issued a picture identification card. The card verifies that the holder is eligible to receive University library and certain other campus privileges and services. It also entitles a student to discounts on train, bus and tram fares, as well as museum, theatre and cinema tickets. Neither the card nor its privileges may be transferred.
International Student Cards
ISIC is the most popular international student card for people under 26 authorizing its holder for discount while visiting museums, at cinemas, for transport, night’s rest, etc. The ISIC card costs 57 PLN and it is valid for one year.
Euro<26 is another very popular card for students. It is meant for people under 26. It entitles the holder to have both health insurance and discounts. It costs 60 PLN and is valid for one year.
Climate
The Polish climate can be very changeable. The summer (June to August) may be warm, sometimes really hot with temperatures above 25°C. In autumn, from September to November, it can be cold and wet. In winter, at least between December and March, southern Poland is always covered with snow. In December, January and February there can be heavy snowfalls with temperatures, sometimes down to even-15°C. Spring comes in April/May. Rainfall may occur during all seasons, especially in autumn and spring.
The number of hours of daylight varies from 7.5 at the winter solstice, in December, to 17
hours at the summer solstice, in June.
Clothing
Staying in Poland for one semester or one year requires different kinds of clothes. Make sure that you have clothes that will protect you from all types of weather. Sweaters and a warm coat or anorak are essential for the winter months. If possible, have one waterproof coat for rainy days and sturdy shoes. You will need winter clothes from October/November until March.
Smoking and drugs
Nowadays in Poland, smoking is prohibited in most public places. This applies also to the Technical University of Lodz. Soft and heavy drugs are strictly prohibited. The use of drugs is
illegal and leads to prosecution if one is caught.
Banking
If you want to open a bank account in Poland you can do it either on the spot or via Internet prior to your arrival. One of the banks which offers such a possibility is mBank and its website is: http://www.mbank.com.pl
There are several banks near the University including branches of the biggest banks of Poland: Bank PKO BP, Bank PEKAO SA. A few small branches are open in the hall of the building of the Faculty of Chemistry. Banking hours are normally 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Credit Cards
In Poland it is possible to pay by credit cards (VISA, Master Card, American Express etc.). They are widely accepted in hotels, tourist offices and some shops in all large Polish cities.
Money exchange
Banks and many private offices (Kantor) provide money exchange in the city centre. Some of them take a commission.
Shopping hours
Shops are usually open Monday-Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Shops are mostly closed on Sundays. These opening hours are the standard to which there are many exceptions.
Most grocery stores are open much longer than the hours mentioned above e.g. Monday-
Friday 6 a.m. (or 7 a.m. ) - 7 p.m. (or 8 p.m.). Outside these opening hours it is possible to buy some products at night shops and filling stations. Some of these are open 24 hours a day. In Łódź there are many supermarkets opened seven days a week like Tesco, Carrefour, Biedronka, one of them - Tesco in 93 Pojezierska is opened non-stop.
Transport
Łódź has an extensive tram and bus network, all available for the same price and with the same tickets. City transport begins operation around 5 a.m. and continues till 11 p.m. There are a few night buses lines as well. You need to purchase tickets from a newspaper stand – kiosk (RUCH or Kolporter) in advance and must validate it on the tram or bus using one of the „punchers”. You can purchase a daily, weekly or monthly pass. One ticket costs 2.40 PLN (normal price) for 30-minute ride. The price for students is 1.20 PLN. It is also possible to buy 10-minute tickets which cost 1.70 PLN (normal price) and 0.75 PLN (reduced price). The monthly pass for unlimited travel on city transportation is 88 PLN - normal fare and 44 PLN - students’ fare (March 2008). You can combine different tickets to obtain the needed fare. Once you have your ticket validated you can change buses and trams according to the time limit indicated on your ticket.
Use only taxis with a TAXI sign on the roof and a meter. The less expensive are the taxis marked with 919 or six digit phone number (remember to dial direction first: for Lodz it is +42). Insist on the meter being turned on. If not, you can be overcharged.
There are two mainline Polish Railway (PKP) stations in Łódź (Łódź Fabryczna, Łódź Kaliska), and two mainline bus stations.
The student ID card authorises the holder to buy half-fare tickets in Poland for local transportation (50% discount) and train transportation with 30% discount.
Telephones
Telephones in Poland are handled by the state-run Telekomunikacja Polska S.A. and private operators: Dialog, Netia, Energis. Public telephones require magnetic cards you can buy at any post office (Poczta) or a newspaper stand – kiosk (RUCH or Kolporter). You can also use different cards called “tele2”, “telepin” or “dzwoneczek” which can be purchased in newsagents RELAY and INMEDIO. You can make international calls from most phones. In the telephone directory you will find a lot of useful information such as area codes, how to call long distance, etc. It is cheaper to use telephone during the off-peak hours – typically after 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on weekdays and on Saturdays and Sundays.
● local calls – dial zero, the direction (area code) and then seven-digit local number.
● long distance calls within Poland – dial 00, then dial the direction (area code) and a number (Lodz direction is 42, Warsaw - 22).
● international calls – dial 00, then dial the country code + area code and local number.
Emergency Services:
998 fire brigade
997 police
999 ambulance
112 can be dialed from all Polish mobile phones. It is an integrated system of help.
There is no charge for these calls.
Service numbers:
118 913 information on local and Polish numbers
9051 operator of international calls
118 912 information on international numbers
Postal service
Most post offices (Poczta Polska) offer a wide range of services. They are open from Monday to Friday, usually 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., and selected ones open also on Saturday. The main post office which is situated in 38 Tuwima Street opens 24 hours a day.
You can buy post stamps and postcards, send telegrams, faxes, or make telephone calls there.
Standard Postal Services:
Priority Economical
Domestic post cards and letters (50 g) 2.00 PLN 1.30 PLN
International postcards and letters (50 g) 2.80 PLN 2.20 PLN
IV. Student exchange semester at TUL
by Benjamin Fey, University of Cooperative Education Mannheim
WHY GO ABROAD TO STUDY?
This is a very basic question for students who are at least considering studying abroad. Depending on the distance between their home and their host country, this implies being separated from your family, from your friends and from your partner (boyfriend / girlfriend) for quite a while. But it also means getting to know a different country, a different culture and new people! As soon as you have answered the first question, the next one automatically arises:
WHERE do I want to study abroad?
There are places with very nice weather; there are places with very famous universities and other places not so attractive (at first sight).
Do it! Go abroad! Leave your comfortable home and take this great opportunity to meet new people and learn about different cultures. You will experience not only positive things, but when you look back; you will have had the chance to see great things that changed your attitudes. Taking the latest developments into consideration, part of the globalization process involves also working in international teams. A semester abroad definitely improves your intercultural competence.
I chose to swim against the stream and went to Technical University of Lodz (TUL). In fact, I was the only German student at TUL. My friends called me crazy to go to a country which is only known for Vodka and snow. Of course, all hearsay! Lodz and Technical University are a treasure of Poland. People from Krakow or Wroclaw would laugh about this, because these cities have old and very beautiful inner cities and a completely different history. Lodz is different. Lodz grew big with the textile industry in the 19th century. So there are many old factory buildings, most of them are museums today. Imagine, just 150 years ago, Poles, Germans, Russians and Jews were living peacefully together in one city …
The beauty and advantages of Lodz cannot be discovered at first sight. It is yours to discover.
Application & Learning Agreement
Do not give up! It is a long way until you finally get the confirmation, but it is worth the effort fighting around with bureaucracy and the official procedures.
You have to find information about the host institution and whether you can attend the lectures offered in order to know if this is even the appropriate university to attend. Compare those lectures to the lectures you would have to attend at your home university during your absence and fill out the learning agreement.
Insurance
For the duration of your stay at the TUL you are obliged to provide yourself with proper health, liability and accident insurance.
Accommodation
The student dormitories are located on campus, so it is always only a short walk (5-10 min) to the lectures. As accommodation in dormitories is limited, it is necessary to notify the Student Affairs Office in advance that you intend to stay at the student housing.
I recommend staying at the all-purpose dormitories. It is cheap (less than 300 PLN, circa 75 Euros), and it is on campus, so everything is very close and it is only four tram stations to the city centre. There are student pubs and clubs in and around the dormitory buildings. A typical Polish market, supermarkets, 24h shops and restaurants are all nearby.
Getting to Lodz
The easiest and cheapest way is to fly to Warsaw and then take the bus (Polski Express) or get a connecting flight to Lodz. Some airlines already fly directly to Lodz, just check on the internet.
European Youth Exchange
The University is strongly supported by the students from the European Youth Exchange (EYE) organization as far as assistance to international students is concerned. The EYE students will help you to find your way around the university. If you wish, they will also pick you up when you arrive in Lodz (please see the arrival form).
Student Life at TUL
You will receive a student card, which gives you discounts on public transport (even on trains & busses), museums, theatres, free entrance to student clubs, access to the University Library and computer laboratory (which is also open on the weekends).
The canteen offers simple but good meals at a very reasonable price (less than 7 PLN, less than 2 Euros) every day. But there are also small restaurants around the campus offering meals at ca. 8 PLN (ca. 2 Euros)
Now for the more interesting topics:
I attended every lecture and laboratory and it is good to do so, because you will already be halfway prepared for the exams and avoid the need for hectic studying at the end.
But as soon as the official part of the day was over, I continued to explore the city, visited pubs and clubs. Every night there are parties somewhere and there is always something going on. I also spent a lot of time on my corridor partying with my Polish friends from the dormitory.
The international students were also invited to join an indoor football league. It was a weekly highlight to play football on Wednesdays against other student teams. Other than that, I went climbing in a climbing hall and jogging in nearby parks.
Lectures & Laboratories
Most subjects are divided into a theoretical part (lecture) and a practical part (laboratory or tutorial). Only the practical part is mandatory, but without visiting lectures it would have been very hard to follow the laboratories in most cases.
Moreover a free Polish language course is offered twice a week, which I recommend attending, because the faster and better you learn Polish, the more friends you will make in Poland. It is not an easy language, but showing that you try to learn and speak Polish will make everything much easier and your Polish friends will support you.
Lecturers usually have a slight eastern European accent; some even a strong accent, but never mind! You will get used to it! Honestly, what person speaks clean and clear English? Not even native speakers! (Imagine a person from the southern part of the USA and a Scottish person trying to communicate in the “same” language).
Speaking of languages, I also recommend attending the free Polish language course. English is mostly spoken by the younger people and even then you will encounter difficulty communicating. So learning Polish will be a real advantage. But I came to Poland only knowing a few sentences and it was not a problem, so do not be afraid of being unable to speak Polish in the beginning.
If lectures are cancelled at the International Faculty of Engineering, it is usually posted in the “News” section on http://www.ife.p.lodz.pl/ .
I was studying International Business Information Technology and could choose from a wide range of lectures held in English in order to cover the required subjects from my home university.
The educational level of the lectures is comparable to lectures in Germany. All my lectures and results were acknowledged and I could continue studying without having to make up for any exams.
Traveling & university organized trips
Poland is a very beautiful country and you should use your weekends for traveling to the countryside, for example Tatra Mountains or to Masurian Lake District and its breathtaking scenery.
Always worth a visit is also Krakow, Wroclaw/Breslau, Warsaw, Poznan, Gdansk …
Moreover, the university offers organized trips which you should always consider taking part in. I especially recommend the Lodz city tour and the Tatra integration trip. Those trips are a great opportunity to get to know Poland and other (international) students at a very reasonable price.
At one organized trip I took a scenic picture that later made the 4th place at the photo contest “Poland in the Erasmus Eyes” hosted by University of Lodz.
Resume
Unfortunately my flight from Munich to Warsaw was delayed and in the end I was lucky that my flight from Warsaw to Lodz was even more delayed. Nevertheless I was picked up from the airport in Lodz by a patient and very nice TUL student, who gave me a warm welcome and helped me through the first rough hours as well as throughout my whole stay.
After moving into my dormitory room with a French guy who was also on the plane to Lodz, we both made friends with the people on our corridor and were given another warm welcome and introduction to Polish culture.
For Poles, hospitality is very important and should also be treated with respect by the guest. The host’s most feared scenario would be that there is not enough to eat and drink. So usually there is plenty of food and beverages.
Comparing the parties between German and Polish student clubs, there is not really a difference … simple furnishings, reasonable prices and the suitable student atmosphere.
But as soon as you invite a girl to a better restaurant or café, you will feel as though you were in the days when the textile factories in Lodz were still running. You should be very polite and check the woman’s coat first. The waiter will only ask the man what the two of you would like to order and you as the gentleman will be asked to pay the bill. Of course you can share the bill; however this should be discussed before you enter the restaurant or café.
During the first few days, I spent them mostly walking around the city, discovering my new temporary home and getting to know the Polish culture and way of life.
In general the Erasmus/Socrates student life is quite relaxed but the difficulty level of the exams should not be underestimated. The lecturers and other academic staff were always friendly, very cooperative and flexible. Due to the fact that I am studying at a cooperative university and had to get back to work, I could not stay the whole semester and left five weeks earlier. It was not a problem to do some extra project work in order to finish early. Some of my courses finished early anyway, so this came in quite handy. But in the end, it was a lot of work. I also received a lot of support from the students also attending my lectures concerning university issues as well as private issues.
Once a year, an Erasmus Day is held at TUL. Most of the partner countries and universities are presented, former Polish Erasmus students give talks about their experience abroad and current foreign Erasmus students give talks about their home universities and their experience in Lodz. Of course I was presenting about the University of Cooperative Education in Mannheim and my adventures in Poland so far.
Just a few weeks later, I was asked to present some of my experiences to the student union of my university at an international student union conference. The aim of this conference was mainly to improve the situation for handicapped people at universities and the organization of other student unions. They were surprised, how democratic student unions are organized in Germany and how much influence they have at their university.
So you can see, pretty quickly I became somewhat well known at Technical University of Lodz.
As time went on, I got to know the other students in my lectures and made great friends. I am very happy to say that I am still in close contact with my Polish friends and I am looking forward to my next trip to Poland to visit all my friends there. I was invited to private parties, which were very different from the parties in pubs, clubs and even the parties in the dormitory. At one private party suddenly all the people around the table started talking in English, just so I could take part in their discussion. I felt extraordinary respected and integrated.
What I noticed first besides the warm welcoming was that things generally take longer, for example, driving in a car or taking a train to another city.
You might have noticed that my report states a very positive view on Lodz and Poland, but there were also some major difficulties I encountered during my journey.
For example, I was transferring money from my German bank account to my newly opened Polish bank account. First of all, the money transfer was delayed by one week (for unknown reasons) at my home bank and then they sent 5500 Euros (ca. 22.000 PLN) instead of 5500 PLN. So I had some discussions with my bank in Lodz. Unfortunately only very few employees were able to speak English. Also my family had some discussions with my bank at home and they admitted it was their fault and solved the situation in a customer-friendly way for me. But the delay still caused me difficulty, in that I barely had enough money for food for about a week.
The second crazy adventure involved the time when the regional train I was taking to catch an express train in another city broke down in the middle of nowhere. We were standing for two hours in the freezing cold without any heating or movement of the broken train and had to wait to be pulled to the next station some kilometers away. Of course I missed my connecting train and had to wait half a day for the evening train. Luckily I met some nice people, who were experiencing the same problem. Being lost in the countryside, where usually only Polish is spoken, can turn out be a big dilemma. In the end, I arrived safe and sound a day later.
In the near future for Poland, investments into infrastructure will be necessary to continue the economic growth of the country and boost the wealth of the people.
On the other hand, you can already see modern shopping malls not any different from Western Europe or the USA. You can buy the same products as in any other Western country. There are still many poor people, e.g. farmers who only produce enough to live on themselves.
Nevertheless, there is an increasing number of people that can be counted among the middle class and you will notice that especially women are always clothed very neatly and men always wear a dress shirt.
All in all, I think Poland is a country of great opportunities, but it will take many years until the prejudices between Germans and Poles (and vice versa) will be overcome. So this student exchange program is a good way for Europe to begin to take strides toward unification.
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