LOCATION GUIDE POLAND CONTENTS WELCOME TO POLAND 3 Location and Travel 4 General Information 6 Natural Conditions 7 Shooting Permits 8 Location Scouting 11 LOCATIONS 13 Castles & Palaces 16 Historic Districts 18 Sacred Architecture 20 Stairs 21 Socialist Realism 22 Residential 24 Modern 26 Parks & Gardens 28 Landscapes 30 Mountains 32 Seaside 34 Lakes & Rivers 35 Roads 36 Bridges 37 Transportation 38 Industrial 40 Military 42 Underground 44 WELCOME TO POLAND Polish Film Institute (PISF) is the national film fund that offers comprehensive support for the Polish film industry, including film production, education and dissemination of film culture and international promotion. The Institute was established in 2005 and to date has co-financed more than 600 films. PISF is the first contact point for international professionals interested in making films in Poland. Film Commission Poland (FCP) operates within the structure of the Polish Film Institute and its main goal is to promote the immense potential of the Polish film industry and variety of locations abroad. FCP closely cooperates with the network of regional film commissions, runs a comprehensive database of film locations and acts as the liaison between international producers and companies and professionals in the Polish film industry. Polish Film Institute ul. Kruczkowskiego 2 BACK TO CONTENTS 00-412 Warsaw, Poland www.pisf.pl SLØBORN (2020), DIR. CHRISTIAN ALVART, ADOLFO J. KOLMERER ICELAND 4 LOCATION AND TRAVEL Road Transport 5 The condition of Polish roads could be Poland is situated at the very centre described as good. In some cases, of Europe and has borders with seven the train travel time is distinctively countries: Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, FINLAND shorter than driving. Ukraine, Slovakia, Czech Republic and NORWAY Germany. The northern border runs Gdańsk along the coast of the Baltic Sea. ESTONIA RUSSIA SWEDEN Szczecin LATVIA Olsztyn IRELAND DENMARK 3h 20min Air Transport LITHUANIA UNITED KINGDOM Poland can be reached by air from 5h 30min THE NETHERLANDS Belarus every major city in Europe in a mere 2h 40min Białystok POLAND two to three hours. Warsaw has direct BELGIUM GERMANY fight connections with all the major 4h 30min UKRAINE cities in Poland. Thanks to the central Czech Republic SLOVAKIA 2h 40min location of Warsaw, all the flights to FRANCE Poznań AUSTRIA MOLDOVA other cities take usually about an hour. SWITZERLAND HUNGARY 2h 40min SLOVENIA ROMANIA CROATIA Warsaw AIRPORTS SERVICING PASSENGER FLIGHT PORTUGAL BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA 2h 30min SERBIA SPAIN ITALY BULGARIA 3h 1h 30min MONTENEGRO 3h MACEDONIA ALBANIA Łódź ✈ GDAŃSK Lublin ✈ OLSZTYN TURKKEY 3h 30min 4h ✈ 4h SZCZECIN GREECE Wrocław 3h ✈ BYDGOSZCZ Flight time from Warsaw. Distance and approximate travel time between cities in Poland. ✈ MODLIN ✈ POZNAŃ Warsaw → Berlin – 1h 25min 1h ✈ WARSAW Warsaw → Moscow – 1h 55min Kraków → Gdańsk – 583 km, 5h 30min Rzeszów ✈ ZIELONA GÓRA → Kraków → Katowice – 80 km, 1h Katowice ✈ RADOM Warsaw Oslo – 1h 50min Warsaw → Paris – 2h 15min Kraków → Wrocław – 271 km, 3h Kraków ✈ ŁÓDŹ Warsaw → London – 2h 25min Warsaw → Białystok – 197 km, 2h 40min ✈ LUBLIN Warsaw → Tel Aviv – 3h 50min Warsaw → Gdańsk – 416 km, 3h 20min Warsaw → Lublin – 183 km, 2h 30min ✈ WROCŁAW Warsaw → Doha – 5h 35min Warsaw → Beijing – 8h 05min Warsaw → Łódź – 136 km, 1h 30min Warsaw → New York City – 8h 30min Warsaw → Kraków – 300 km, 4h Warsaw → Toronto – 8h 35min Warsaw → Katowice – 289 km, 3h 30min ✈ KATOWICE Warsaw → Mumbai – 10h 20min Warsaw → Poznań – 310 km, 2h 40min Warsaw → Olsztyn – 214 km, 2h 40min BACK TO CONTENTS ✈ RZESZÓW Warsaw → Seoul – 10h 35min ✈ KRAKOW Warsaw → Los Angeles – 11h 35min Warsaw → Rzeszów – 297 km, 4h Warsaw → Szczecin – 572 km, 4h 30min Warsaw → Wrocław – 354 km, 3h Wrocław → Poznań – 175 km, 3h BACK TO CONTENTS 6 GENERAL INFORMATION NATURAL CONDITIONS 7 About Poland Visa Regulations Climate and Weather Capital city: Warsaw, with a population of more than 1.7 Poland belongs to the European Union and the Schengen The climate in Poland can be described as a temperate million 2 2 Area. In order to enter the area, citizens of third countries climate, passing gradually from maritime to continental, Area: 312,679 km / 120,726 mi must hold a valid travel document and, if required, a visa. with relatively cold winters and warm summers. Poland has Coastal line: 770 km / 478.455 mi long 4 seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. The greatest Official language: Polish Visa-free countries amount of sunshine in summer is to be found on the Baltic Population: 38.5 million The citizens of more than 90 countries are not required coast, while in winter – in the Carpathian Mountains. The 2 2 Population density: 123 people per km / 318.6 people per mi to be in a possession of a visa when entering Poland average monthly temperature in July is 19°C (66°F), but Administrative division: 16 voivodships for a period shorter than 90 days. The list of those sometimes in summer the temperature rises above 30°C Currency: 1 zloty (PLN) = 100 groszy (singular: grosz) countries can be found here: https://www.msz.gov. (86°F). In the mountains the snow lies till April or some Time zone: winter CET (UTC+1) / summer CEST (UTC+2) pl/en/travel_to_poland/entering_poland/visa_free/ years even until May. The annual rainfall is 500–700mm, of Drives on the: right visa_free_countries which snow constitutes only 5–20%. International dialling code: +48 The above list does not involve residence, work or any Internet domain: .pl other paid activity (not applicable to citizens of the In Warsaw, the capital of Poland, temperatures range ISO 3166 code: PL EU/EEA Member States). from between 20 to 25°C (68 to 77°F) during the summer Artists can legally work in Poland up to 30 days within 12 months and 0 to –5°C (32 to 23°F) in winter. calendar months. Once they would like to increase this Administrative Division of Poland period of time - need to apply for a working visa. Visa required The citizens of countries not listed above are required to be in a possession of one of the following documents: • a uniform short-stay Schengen visa (C); pomorskie AVERAGE DAY LENGTH SELECTED WEATHER CONDITIONS IN POLAND, 2019 warmińsko–mazurskie • a Polish long-stay national visa (D); zachodnio– IN POLAND, 2020 pomorskie • a Polish residence permit; • a residence permit or a national long-stay visa issued by kujawsko– podlaskie I 8h 20min pomorskie another Schengen state. I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII II 9h 58min mazowieckie III 11h 58min average air temperature (°C) -1 2 6 12 18 20 22 22 18 13 5 1 lubuskie wielkopolskie Before submitting an application for a Schengen or national IV 14h average air temperature (°F) 30.2 35.6 42.8 53.6 64.4 68 71.6 71.6 64.4 55.4 41 33.8 visa, the application must be registered electronically at total precipitation (mm) 30 15 25 30 50 40 100 35 50 50 15 60 a Polish Consular Office. This can be done at: V 15h 46min łódzkie total precipitation (in) 1.18 0.59 0.98 1.18 1.96 1.57 3.93 1.37 1.96 1.96 0.59 2.36 VI 16h 41min lubelskie https://secure.e-konsulat.gov.pl/ sunshine duration (h) per day 3 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 6 5 3 2 dolnośląskie VII 16h 10min świętokrzyskie VIII 14h 33min opolskie Poland belongs to the Taxation and Customs Union IX 12h 35min śląskie together with the other European Union Member States BACK TO CONTENTS podkarpackie and goods brought into, and taken out of, the country from X 10h 34min małopolskie within the EU are not liable for duty. Poland is also a signa- XI 8h 45min tory of the Convention on Temporary Admissions. ATA XII 7h 44 min Carnets are thus honoured, making the transportation of Average day length 12h 16min film equipment over the border a simpler matter. BACK TO CONTENTS 8 SHOOTING PERMITS 1. Do I need permission to film in 2. Do I need a permit in order to film 3. Do I need a permit in order to 4. Do I need a permit in order to film 5. Do I need a permit in order to film 9 Poland? on a road? carry out aerial filming? in green spaces? on water? Frequently Asked Questions NO, not if you will be filming in public YES, two procedures are obligatory; YES, a permit is required to carry out YES, if you want to film in: YES, permission can be obtained from places such as streets or squares, a permit must be obtained for oc- drone aerial filming in Poland. The • municipal parks, forests, urban the owner or managing authority of Please note that the information pro- will not be occupying a traffic lane or cupying a traffic lane (zajęcie pasa drone pilot has to hold a special certifi- green spaces, then you will need a river, lake, dam, hydroelectric com- vided in this section is only a general pavement or using tripods and will be drogowego) and for the specific use of cate of qualifications. The issue of the to obtain a permit from the local plex or other body of water, waterway outline and guideline. When consider- working with a small crew of two to a road (wykorzystanie drogi w sposób flight area over which a permit to film authority’s department of the or water-related facility. In the case of ing a specific location, it is always three people. Nonetheless, even in szczególny). In order to obtain permis- is required is complex, and it is advised environment and green spaces state-owned land, either the appropri- best to contact a local fixer or the film those circumstances, we recommend sion to film, it is necessary to apply to to contact a company professionally (wydział środowiska, wydział ate document is issued by the regional commission for the region in question that you contact Film Commission the offices responsible for the type of providing drone aerial filming services ochrony środowiska, zarząd zieleni water authority (regionalny zarząd in order to ascertain what regulations Poland or the relevant regional film road in question: (a list of such companies is available at miejskiej).