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Poland
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|capital = [[Warsaw]]
|map = <map lat='52' lng='19' zoom='5' view='0' country='Poland' />
|pop = 38,518135,241876
|currency = Złoty (PLN)
|hitch = {{good}}<rating country='pl' />|BW = PL
}}
'''Poland''' is a member state of the [[European Union]] as well as the [[Schengen Agreement]]. It is sometimes being regarded as a bad an awesome country for hitchhiking, but it can also be a great pleasure to hitchhike thereand even one of the most hitchhiker friendly countries in whole Europe. Most Many drivers generally believe that others do not stop and that hitchhiking days are over in '''Poland''', which however does not prevent hundreds of them from stopping. A positive factor Since 1958 till the beginning of 90's hitchhiking in '''Poland''' is that some 20 to 40 years ago it was the most common an official way of travel for the majority traveling organized by National Tourist Board, when hitchhikers had their ID with [[insurance]] included and drivers could win prizes every year. Thousands of young people were hitchhiking through all these years – and most of them have cars today, so very often do they repay the debt.
=== General Hitchhiking Info ===
=== Tips Borders ===As mentioned above Poland joined [[Image:Krakow_to_ukraine.JPG|left|thumb|250px|Hitchhiker in [[KrakówSchengen Agreement]]]]When entering '''Poland''' at which means there is no more passport control on the border from [[borders with Lithuania]] (, Slovakia, Czech Republic and possibly from other countries too) it is a good idea to get a long long ride if it's getting darkGermany. Often In most places there are miles and miles of trucks and it's better to try to get a ride straight to where you're heading then to get stuck somewhere in still speed limits on the middle of the night.If you borders, there are stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere also parking lots, toilets and it is already in the middle of the nightcurrency exchange offices, prepare yourself which makes these places pretty good spots for a long waitingtimehitchhiking. But after a couple of hours somebody will eventually stopOn newly built roads however there are no speed limits anymore. Generally it's better to hitchhike on the roads rather than To Ukraine you can go by foot in the filling stationsMedyka, but after dark the latter option is more plausible.During hitchhiking it might be possible that drivers use [[CB radio]]s to ask other drivers to take you. [[CB radio]] is quite popular in '''Poland''' not only among truck drivers, which might help in getting a rideKorczowa!!! (there you can wait for 3 hours because there are too many cars.Roads are often in a bad condition, though on some parts of the motorway from [[Kraków]] to [[Berlin]] it's possible (although illegal) to drive at 200 km/h.
=== Roads ===
Even though the Polish road network has improved gigantically enormously over the last two decades, by Western European standards, '''Poland''' has still quite a poorly developed road infrastructure . The road network consists of roads motorways (''drogaautostrada'') i.e. A2, plural expressways (''drogidroga ekspresowa'') and expressways with lower speed limits than motorways i.e. S6, national roads (''autostradadroga krajowa''), which are mostly single lane i.e. 92 and other regional roads. At the moment there is a lot of investment in the road network, plural ''autostrady''especially since Poland hosted the European Football Championship final tournament in 2012.[[File:Autostop.JPG|260px|thumb|right|Restaurant on a Polish service station (A4) :-)]]Except for the motorways and expressways, it is generally acceptable to hitchhike on the side of the road in almost any suitable place. The vast majority Unlike many European states, the police are generally friendly towards hitchhikers as long as they behave properly. Some of the newly-refurbished national roads have "no pedestrians" signs near major towns, but it's still uncommon. This means that form an extensive net covering all if you plan to go through any major town in your journey, it is usually better to exit the car before arriving in the city - otherwise, you might have to walk till the end of the country are single laneno-pedestrians area. There are very few main On motorways and expresswaysthe best place to hitchhike is either a sliproad or, preferably, and some express roads with lower speed limits than motorways but with many one of their featuresthe petrol stations or toll booths.
=== Language ===
[[ImageFile:Guaka-hitching-in-poland-2008.jpg|thumb|right|220px|[[User:Guaka|guaka]] hitching in Poland]]According to a 2001 2009 survey by CBOS [http://www.cbos.pl/SPISKOM.POL/2006/K_177_06.PDF] (Polish survey office), roughly 4246% of Poles speak declare they can communicate in at least one foreign language fluently. Generally, 2324% of Poles speak English, 20% speak Russian, 1612% speak English and a similar percentage speaks [[Germany|German]]. Other languages often spoken are [[France|French]](2%), [[Czech Republic|Czech]], [[Slovakia|Slovak]] and other Slavic languages. According to the same similar surveyin 2006 [http://www.cbos.pl/SPISKOM.POL/2009/K_111_09.PDF], among the youngsters (students and pupils) the percentage to speak at least one foreign language fluently reached 6677, as compared to 5059% of those under 35 and 40% of those between 35 and 54 years of age [http://jezyki.nauka.pl/index.php/id=index/dept=38/cath=59/news=134/view=1]. According to a similar another survey prepared in late 2005 by TNS Opinion & Social for the European Commission, the percentage of people who speak one foreign language decently is 57%. At the same time roughly 32% are bi-lingual and 4% tri-lingual [http://www.egospodarka.pl/13770,Znajomosc-jezykow-obcych-w-Europie,1,39,1.html]. Except for younger people, foreign languages (mostly [[England|English]]) are commonly spoken by businessmen and educated people (87%), urban populations (50%) and small business (48%). However, it is hard to predict the knowledge of languages of a driver by his car as educated people in '''Poland''' are generally poorly-paid.
Apart from the people who speak foreign languages, a vast majority of Poles do understand some basic constructions of other Slavic languages and of English. Due to World War II history and the number of war films created afterwards, also some basic words of the German language are commonly known.
=== Communication & Dictionary ===
Apart from the basic set of words and constructions found in every guidebook, there are some words hitchhikers might find particularly useful. Check also the Wikipedia articles on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_language Polish language] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_phonology Polish phonology] for more info on proper pronunciation. You can buy a decent guidebook or dictionary in any major town in '''Poland'''.
* road shoulder – pobocze (“poh-boh-cheh“)
* lane – pas (“pass“)
* Good morning - Dzien dobry ("dzhehn dobri")
* Good bye - Do widzenia ("do veedzehnah")
* See you later - Do zobaczenia ("do zobahchehnah")
* It's nice to meet you - Milo mi ("meewo mee")
* Excuse me - Przepraszam ("pshehprahshahm")
* Yes - Tak ("tahk")
* No - Nie ("neh")
* Please - Prosze ("prosheh")
* Thank you - Dziekuje ("dzhehnkooyeh")
* Hello - Dzien dobry ("dzhehn dobri")
* I'm sick - Jestem chory ("yehstehm hori")
See also the Polish dictionary in Hitchwiki's [[Eastern Europe phrasebook]].
=== Number plates ===
Here you find a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Plcarplates379v06.png#file map] with the car registration plate codes of '''Poland'''.
It facilitates hitching at spots where you can see a car registration plate (petrol stations, borders, traffic lights)and choose the proper one. In short, the plates consist of two or three letters and four digits. The first letter denotes the voivodeship (region) and is followed by one or two letters denoting a major town. Usually voivodeship capitals and major towns have two letters, while smaller towns have three. For instance cars from Warsaw could have plates ranging from WA XXXX to WZ XXXX, while all cars from [[Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki]] have WND XXXX plates.
When you see some English, Swiss or German registration plates, they still might be Polish people there, on vacation to their former homeland.
== Border crossings ==
=== [[Belarus]] ===
The most exhausting border crossing with long waiting queues. Be sure to arrive with a visa if you need one. The police have the reputation of being quite rude, but this is not the case every time.
Border crossings from south to north:
* [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=13433892993726185330,51.771666,23.569832%3B8225709824099370420,51.760479,23.611216&saddr=63+%4051.771666,+23.569832&daddr=Unknown+road+%4051.760479,+23.611216&sll=51.766075,23.590525&sspn=0.017263,0.04549&ie=UTF8&ll=52.722986,25.378418&spn=4.325896,11.645508&z=7 Damačava (BLR) / Sławatycze (PL)] (bel. Дамачава, rus. Домачево) – vehicular crossing located 120 km to the north-east from [[Lublin|Lublin]], 70 km to the east from [[Radzyn Podlaski|Radzyn Podlaski]] on the way to [[Brest (Belarus)|Brest]].
* [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=13034915224636727578,52.069786,23.642091&saddr=2%2FE30+%4052.069786,+23.642091&daddr=52.073732,23.673027&mra=mi&mrsp=1,0&sz=16&sll=52.074073,23.666546&sspn=0.008573,0.022745&ie=UTF8&ll=52.070116,23.646183&spn=0.068588,0.181961&z=13 Brest (Varšaŭski most (Warsaw Bridge)) (BLR) / Terespol (PL)] (bel. Брэст (Варшаўскі мост), rus. Брест (Варшавский мост)) – the biggest crossing point located on [[E30]] near [[Brest (Belarus)|Brest]]. Crossing is possible only in a vehicle. Be prepared for a long waiting time. If there is a lot of traffic, even very long waiting time. Even when there are just two or three cars in front of you, you can find yourself waiting for several hours.
* [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=18391996812509845743,52.106891,23.558036%3B5287091177967822326,52.110654,23.561225&saddr=68+%4052.106891,+23.558036&daddr=52.116665,23.564816&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=16&sll=52.114886,23.566296&sspn=0.008565,0.022745&ie=UTF8&ll=52.516221,24.483032&spn=2.172906,5.822754&z=8 Kazlovičy (BLR) / Kukuryki (PL)] (bel. Казловічы, rus. Козловичи) – for trucks only. Located at the north-western edge of Brest.
*[https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/52%C2%B028'11.0%22N+23%C2%B021'30.1%22E/@52.4697112,23.3561643,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d52.4697082!4d23.3583531?hl=en Piasčatka (BLR) / Połowce (PL)] (bel. Пясчатка, rus. Песчатка) – located 40 km to the south-east from [[Bielsk Podlaski|Bielsk Podlaski]] on the way to [[Brest (Belarus)|Brest]].
* [https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Przejście+graniczne+Białowieża+-+Piererow/@52.6693897,23.8421252,13.25z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x47205d08a089cf39:0x7d8b7f4d91f4e07!8m2!3d52.6686046!4d23.8582331?hl=en Pieraroŭ (BLR) / Białowieża (PL)] (bel. Перароў, rus. Переров) – small, pedestrian-only crossing in the middle of the beautiful Bialowieza Forest. EU citizens can visit (for 72 hours) the Belorussian part of the forest, as well as the village of Kamianiuki '''without a visa''' (check [http://www.belarus.by/en/travel/belarus-life/belovezhskaya-pushcha requirements for visa-free entrance]). Since the crossing is for pedestrians/cyclists only, you are likely to be the only person there. There aren't many parked cars, but just enough to get you picked up to the nearest village on the Polish side (it's not very far, so you can walk, as well). On the Belarusian side, you can either try hitch-hiking towards the nearest village of Biely Liasok (bel. Белы Лясок) (there'll be plenty of tourists and only a single road for cars) or you can walk through the forest to Kamianiuki (about 16 km, it's the official "entry" village to the forest on the Belarusian side). From Kamianiuki, you can either hitch-hike, or if you don't have time, take maršrutka (mini-bus) to the bus terminal in Brest. If you're lucky, you can also hitch a ride with one of the park's employees.
*[https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/53%C2%B007'22.0%22N+23%C2%B053'54.6%22E/@53.1227709,23.8964963,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d53.1227684!4d23.8985041?hl=en Bierastavica (BLR) / Bobrowniki (PL)] (bel. Бераставіца, rus. Берестовица) – located 50 km to the east from [[Białystok|Białystok]] on the way to [[Vaŭkavysk|Vaŭkavysk]], [[Hrodna|Hrodna]].
*[https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/53%C2%B031'29.9%22N+23%C2%B040'06.3%22E/@53.5249652,23.6662313,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x0:0x0!2zNTPCsDA3JzIyLjAiTiAyM8KwNTMnNTQuNiJF!3b1!7e2!8m2!3d53.1227684!4d23.8985041!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d53.5249617!4d23.66842?hl=en Bruzhi (BLR) / Kuźnica (PL)] (bel. Брузгі, rus. Брузги) – 60 km to the north-east from [[Białystok|Białystok]] on the way to [[Hrodna|Hrodna]].
If you want to avoid long waiting times at the Brest (Varšaŭski most (Warsaw Bridge)) / Terespol border crossing you can take a train from Terespol to Brest. It goes 3 times a day and costs 17 złoty. You can pay in złotys only but there is an exchange office at the [https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/3456263616 train station]. (August 2018)
=== [[Czech Republic]] ===
* [[Chotěbuz-Cieszyn-Boguszowice border crossing]]
=== [[Germany]] ===
* [[Jędrzychowice border crossing]]
* [[Świecko border crossing]]
=== [[Lithuania]] ===
* [[Budzisko-Kalvarija border crossing]]
=== [[Russia]] ===
* [[Bagrationovsk-Bezledy border crossing]] with Russia's [[Kaliningrad Oblast]]
=== [[Slovakia]] ===
* [[Zwardoń border crossing]]
* [[Barwinek-Vyšný Komárnik border crossing]]
=== [[Ukraine]] ===
* [[Dorohusk-Jahodin border crossing]]
*[[Dołhobyczów-Uhryniv border crossing]]
* [[Hrebenne-Rava Ruska border crossing]]
* [[Shegyni-Medyka border crossing]]
* [[Korczowa-Krakovets border crossing]]
== Links ==
* [[Overview https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UKkPAv5GuGIQlrA-bHGxq6r4kh7Co1y5mnBx5y9Kt0o/edit List of good hitchhiking spots from former website Digimer AutostopFB groups for different cities in Poland]* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/autostopowicze/ Polish hitchhikers on FB]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roads_and_expressways_in_Poland Roads and expressways in Poland]
* [http://jakdojade.pl/ Public transport of many Polish cities]
== Trashwiki & Nomadwiki ==
[[trash:Poland]] [[nomad:Poland]]
{{hitchbase_country|155}}
{{IsIn|Eastern Europe}}
{{Cities Poland}}
{{Voivodeships Poland}}
{{Template:Europe/countries}}
__NOTOC__
[[Category:Poland| ]]
[[de:Polen]]
[[es:Polonia]]
[[fi:Puola]]
[[fr:Pologne]]
[[fipl:PuolaPolska]]__NOTOC__[[ru:Польша]][[tr:Polonya]]