Szczecin in Europe
Szczecin is only 140 kilometres from Berlin, 265 from Poznan, 363 from Wrocław, 467 from Copenhagen, 499 from Prague, 565 from Warsaw and 1058 from Oslo. Contrary to common belief, Szczecin does not lie on the sea – but only 80 kilometres separate it from the beaches of the Baltic.
Szczecin is the historical capital of the Pomeranian Princedom, whose western section, together with Rugen island, is now part of Germany. It is the largest city of the Euro-region Pomerania.
Living in Szczecin, you can easily discover Europe – travelling on land, by air, and even by sea! Flight connections form Szczecin-Goleniów airport include such cities as: Warsaw, Dublin, Liverpool, London Stansted, London Luton, Oslo, Stavanger
From nearby Świnoujście there are ferries to Sweden – to Ystad and Trelleborg. Through Sweden you can also go to Denmark, on the Świnoujście – Copenhagen line.
Places
Get to know the most interesting places in the city!
Life in Szczecin
Apartments
Szczecin’s real estate market offers a wide range of places to rent – one- or two-room, of various prices and standards. Costs are comparable to those of Poznan and lower than those of Wrocław or Warsaw. New residents of Szczecin gladly move into the low blocks of the green district of Pogodno, towers of the university district of Gumience, or the traditional tenement buildings near the centre. From any of these areas one can easily get to the METRO offices.
Cost of Living
Szczecin is friendly to its residents’ wallets. The cost of living is about average for the rest of the country – one person is able to reside, eat and get around the city for 1500-2000 PLN. A monthly bus/tram ticket for all routes costs 100 PLN, and on ‘Cheap Tuesday’ you can go to some cinemas for 14 PLN. For coffee in popular café-chains you’ll pay, unfortunately, as much as elsewhere… however, it’s worth visiting the cozy, locally-run cafes!
Local transport
Szczecin’s network of bus and tram routes allows one to get to many places, and is constantly being expanded. You’ll find the latest information on www.zditm.szczecin.pl. The long-awaited Szczecin Rapid Tram, connecting the two sides of the Odra river, is expected to start running before the end of the year. Car traffic runs rather smoothly (our traffic jams are nothing compared to those in Warsaw or Poznan!), and a large amount of greenery and clean air in the city encourage going for walks.
City bike
In warmer months of the year, the residents of Szczecin can take advantage of an alternative form of transport in the city: since recently our more active residents can make use of Szczecin City Bikes in the period from March to December! There are more and more stations where a bike can be borrowed or returned, and you can find them on the map here. Bicycles have become very popular – Szczecin residents are happy to take advantage of this healthy and environmentally-friendly mode of transport.
Government Offices
Most of the institutions necessary for official matters are in the city centre. The City Hall (Urząd Miasta) is located in the heart of Jasne Błonia on Plac Armii Krajowej, and nearby – the building of Tax Office No. 2 (II Urząd Skarbowy) on ul. Felczaka. You’ll find Tax Office No. 1 near Brama Portowa at ul. Drzymały 5, and Tax Office Nr 3 in the Prawobrzeże district, on ul. Rydla. You can get your passport made in the building of the Regional Government Office (Urząd Wojewódzki) along the picturesque Wały Chrobrego.
Business
For a number of years, business has been dynamically developing in Szczecin. Currently there are over 67 thousand companies operating here! The city boasts modern office complexes, and total office area reaches 80,000 m2. There are more than 20 companies operating in the SSC/BPO/ITO sector. Outsourcing centres and related services offer services in more than ten foreign languages. Szczecin is attracting more and more people from other regions of Poland and abroad – one can increasingly make use of language skills and obtain international experience.
Source of photographs: www.szczecin.eu.
Useful links
Invest in Szczecin – everything about Szczecin on one website
Szczecin.eu – an official informational portal of the city of Szczecin
Bilety.fm – a portal where you can get know more about cultural and sports events and buy tickets for them
Echo Szczecina – an informational portal about current events and clubs in the city
