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Useful information

Before arrival to Poland

Students from non-EU member countries are obliged to have visas enabling them to stay in Poland for the whole period of studies. Students from EU countries staying longer than 3 months need to apply for temporary residence which is issued by the Department of Civil Affairs at Kujawsko-Pomorski Province Office in Bydgoszcz. In order to get it they have to have 2 passport photos, a confirmation form from their mother university that they are Erasmus exchange students with the information about the grant they receive during their stay. These documents should be in English.

It is also necessary to have a valid insurance policy in case of medical treatment necessity.

Students are requested to contact Institutional Coordinator and give the information about the exact date and hour of their arrival.

How to get to Bydgoszcz and the PBS

Thanks to its location, Bydgoszcz has convenient connections with most cities in Poland. The major north-south rail (PKP – Polish State Railway) and roads (PKS – National Transport Company) go through Bydgoszcz. A journey from Bydgoszcz to Poznań, Gdansk or Warsaw takes approximately 2-4 hours by train or by car.

There is an international airport with a regular connection with some European and domestic airports. The webpage is: https://plb.pl/

In the city, students can use MZK (Municipal Transportation Company) trams and buses:

to get to Fordon campus (7 Prof. Kaliskiego St/Politechnika) one can take:

– from main railway station (Dworzec PKP) – a tram no. 5 (direction: Łoskoń)

or a bus no. 67 to Skłodowskiej-Curie/Bałtycka 2 St. and change to a bus no. 89

– from main bus station (Dworzec PKS) – a tram no. 5 (direction: Łoskoń) or a tram no. 10 (direction: Łoskoń)

to get to Blonie (Koszarowa 9 St.) one can take:

– from main railway station (Dworzec PKP) – bus no. 54 (direction: Blonie, bus stop: Szubińska/Piękna) or bus no. 79 (direction: Glinki, bus stop: Piękna/Szubińska)

One-way ticket – 3.80 PLN (full fare), and 1.90 PLN (half fare – for students having students cards), monthly ticket – about 55 PLN (half fare).

1 hour ticket: 4,80 PLN (full fare), 2,40 PLN (half fare).

You can use website https://jakdojade.pl/bydgoszcz/trasa/?locale=en to plan your trip to and in Bydgoszcz.

First steps upon arrival

After your arrival to Bydgoszcz:

call one of the University Coordinators or a student who will pick you up from the railway station, the bus station or the airport or will explain you how to get to the Hall of Residence,
check in at the accommodation place agreed in advance with the University,
come to the Institutional Coordinator of the Erasmus+ Programme in the International Relations Office in order to complete the required formalities concerning your admission to the University,
complete the registration formalities at the Department of Civil Affairs in Kujawsko-Pomorski Province Office in Bydgoszcz (3 Jagiellońska St.) regarding the legalization of your stay in Poland.

University support

Assistance for students is guaranteed in the following areas:

lodging in a Hall of Residence or in private apartments,
assistance in applying for residential permission,
access to Internet free of charge,
Polish language courses arrangements,
providing a document confirming the duration of stay to all incoming students,
issuing an official certifications after completion of the studies.

There is the educational tradition of teacher-student relationship at the PBS, according to which the teacher is responsible for both educational and moral support of his or her student. In addition, the University ensures help from students and Erasmus coordinators who give their advice and support to international students in various areas regarding teaching, social life and everyday activities.

Money and cost of living

Polish currency is called the złoty (abb. -zł.- or -PLN-) and is subdivides into grosze (-gr.-).

1 zł. = 100 gr.; it gives about 0.25 EURO.

Approximate living costs per month:

Accommodation:                          300 – 395 PLN (80 – 100 EURO)
Boarding:                                       400 – 650 PLN (100 – 165 EURO)
Monthly ticket for public transport:   60 PLN (15 EURO)
Entertainment:                              110 PLN (28 EURO)

In Bydgoszcz there are situated about 30 banks. Most of them are open from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. Having popular credit cards such as Visa, masterCard, Maestro etc. you can withdraw money from a bank or a cash machine in many points of the city. There are two cash points at the university campus in Fordon.

Accommodation

The PBS has three Halls of Residence, located in Fordon and Błonie districts.

In total, the Halls of Residence can house about 1500 people. The single, double and triple rooms are fitted with central heating and all sanitary necessities. Students have at their disposal rooms to study quietly, Internet, a loundry with a drying room, telephones on the floors, a body-building gym, sports fields.

We are not required any special forms. You only have to check the right option in the application form, and then our employee will reserve a room for you.

Fordon Dorm is close to the main campus (across the street), but it is also well communicated with the city center and faculties which are not in the main campus:

Agriculture and Biotechnology on Bernardynska 6 street,
Animal Breeding and Biology on Mazowiecka 28 street,
Chemical Technology and Engineering on Seminaryjna 3 street,
Management on Fordonska 430 street.

Blonie Dormitory is much smaller than the one in Fordon and it is located in the other part of the city. It is also well communicated with the city center and Faculties of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Animal Breeding and Biology and Chemical Technology and Engineering. That is way most often students from these faculties are assigned to this Dorm.

Before semester starts we will inform you which dormitory you will stay in.

Please read carefully:

Dormitory Regulations Pobierz

Catering

There is one canteen at the University, which is located at the Fordon campus in the vicinity of the student Halls of Residence. Moreover, students have to their disposal three buffets, located at the Faculties of Agriculture, Chemical Technology and Engineering and Animal Breeding and Biology located in the city centre campuses.

Thanks to canteen and buffets students can have lunch cheaper than in the downtown.

Library

The Main Library is the major information resource of the University and provides a wide range of library based services in electronic and traditional forms.

The Library has a total stock of over 230,000 books and 50,000 volumes of journals, related to the teaching and research of the University. About 300 titles of periodicals are currently taken out. In addition, the Main Library has the greatest collections of patents and standards in the region. The books, periodicals and special collections are available in the reading rooms and in the borrowing service system. The borrowing facilities can be also used to obtain materials not held locally (interlibrary borrowing).

The Main Library provides a range of electronic information services (as well as electronic journals and databases) and the access to networked services, both locally kept and in other libraries.

Address of the Main Library: 7 Prof. Kaliskiego St., 85-796 Bydgoszcz
phone: +48 52 3408056, fax: +48 52 3408063;
e-mail: biblioteka@pbs.edu.pl, https://bg.pbs.edu.pl/

Medical care

All PBS students are taken care of medically – preventive care and specialist examinations by the Academic Medical Centre, 9 Kołłątaja St.
phone: 52 3226066

Preventive care is a part of systematic health education. It comprises, among others, preliminary and periodical examinations, active advising in selected dispensary groups, professional advising and psychological examinations.

Specialist examinations are carried out on the strength of diagnostics laboratories in dentistry, throat diseases, neurology, ophthalmology, and others.

The Centre cooperates with other medical service organisational units in order to develop rehabilitation centres adapted to the current needs of the academic society.

Students´ Organisations

Students can participate in an undergraduate science organisation which is divided into 40 -science groups run at the various faculties. Undergraduates can also join the University choir. In addition, there are numerous clubs for students, such as:

The Student Union which represents students from all the faculties in the University Student Council and faculty councils.
Students organisations such as the Student Radio Agency and Short-Wave Radio Club headquartered in the Fordon Halls of Residence, and others including: Independent Student Association, Polish Student Association, University Sports Association, with 17 branches representing various sports.
Underwater Exploration Club ARIUS.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BYDGOSZCZ

Bydgoszcz is a city with nearly 400 thousand inhabitants, for over 7 centuries harmoniously growing alongside the banks of Brda and Vistula rivers draws its wisdom and strength from the resources of spiritual and material heritage of three geographic and historic regions: Wielkopolska, Pomorze and Kujawy. Bydgoszcz is the capital city of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodship and at the same time it is largest city in Kujawy. The city developed into one of the most important economic centers in Poland. 46 000 companies operating in very different fields, but in particular in telecommunication, chemical industry and food industry prove its importance.

Mill Island

It is an island on the Brda River, west of the old town. There is a well preserved historical spatial arrangement with a granary and mill building complex from the 19^th century accompanied by a cobbled Mennica street (from the side of the former MennicaKrólewska). The so-called “White Granary” is worth mentioning. This half-timbered building was erected about 1780. It has a Gothic cellar with cross vaults from the 15^th century. At present, the building houses the Regional Museum exhibiting craft work as well as documents on the history and tradition of the Bydgoszcz and Kujawy craft work.

The Granaries (Grodzka Street)

The Granaries includes three half-timbered corn granaries from 1793-1800 (9 and 11 Grodzka Street) and so-called Dutch Granary (7 Grodzka Street) built in 1793.

Th agricultural and food products which were transported to Gdańska by waterway were stored there. At present, the Granaries house the Regional Museum of Leon Wyczółkowski. The three granaries, introduced into the city landscape, are one of the symbols of the city. At 13 Stary Port street, there is a half-timbered three-storey granary built in 1830-1840 and covered with a ridge roof with protruding windows.

Crossing the river

Unveiled on May 1, 2004, the day Poland joined the European Union. Jerzy Kędziora’s intriguing monument perched precariously on a wire over the Brda weighs just over 50 kg and is now considered to be the main symbol of the city. At first glance the statue, which is supposed to represent EU membership, looks a little wobbly, but is actually saying to the world that there is no turning back. Built to resemble the designer’s son, the balancing boy is accompanied by single swallow.

Forest Park of Culture

Covering some 800 hectares of glorious forest and meadow land north of the city centre, the spectacular Forest Park of Culture offers visitors a wealth of things to see and do. Originally a series of individual park lands, the park became one large entity in 1970, and is a hugely popular place during summer. As well as enjoying peaceful walks through woodland and picnics on the grass, the park also contains a zoo, marvelous botanical gardens, a horse riding centre, a three kilometer narrow gauge railway track and even a small ski slope.

Pan Twardowski

Pan Twardowski was a Polish sorcerer along the lines of Faust who entered into a pact with the Devil in exchange for magic powers. There are a number of different interpretations of the story about him, but the basic idea is that he was a 16^th century nobleman form Kraków, who entering into a deal with satan tried to outwit him by wording their contract in such a way that his soul could only be taken to hell from Rome, a city Pan Twardowski had no intention of visiting whatsoever. Our hero soon rose to fame an acquired immerse wealth through his influence by the Devil who abducted him in an inn called Rzym, the Polish name for Rome. Pan Twardowski is alive today, living on the Monn with his sidekick, whom he once turned into a spider. Before his sudden trip to the Moon, Pan Twardowski was rumoured to have spent some time in Bydgoszcz, living at Stary Rynek 15. At 13:13 and 21:13 daily, a series of cogs and wheels shuffle him outside to the sounds of strange music. One superstition is that if two lovers kiss during this time they will be in love for eternity.

There are also Polish Theatre, many museums, Opera Nova, The Pomeranian Philharmonic and Academy of Music. Everyone can find something interesting especially among numerous restaurants and discos.

LEISURE

There are a lot of clubs in Bydgoszcz. Everyone will find music and atmosphere which they like. Students can participate in circles of interest, or join the University choir. Student’s government organizes a lot of school events during academic year, for example Initiation Party, Halloween Party, concerts and so on. In May students have the “Juwenalia”, which is a studnet holiday. They dress up in fancy costumes, have parties, concerts, barbecue and lot of interesting games and activities.

SHOPPING

There are a few small stationery and grocery shops close to the dormitories, on Fordon campus there is a small shop inside the dorm. You can also find huge malls in Bydgoszcz e.g. https://focusbydgoszcz.pl/, http://www.galeriapomorska.pl/. Malls are open from Monday till Saturday, smaller shops can be opened on Sundays. On public holidays all shops are closed.

PUBS and CLUBS in BYDGOSZCZ:

Mózg – was established in 1994 with a main aim, to promote contemporary arts as well as create a supportive environment for interested artists. Indeed, the people who run the place are artists themselves. Artists are chosen according to their artistic merit. Mózg is open to non-commercial art, art which does not necessarily follow the latest fashion. Address: Bydgoszcz, Gdańska 10 Street

KUBRYK – it is a typical marine club. It was established in 2004. You can listen to the szanty, it is a kind of marine music although different kinds of music are available as well. Address: Bydgoszcz, Podwale 3 Street

STARA BABCIA – small club in the city center, English climate, you can taste a Guiness or strongbow here. Address: Bydgoszcz, Wełniany Rynek 2 Street

… and many, many others.