CALL THE POLYS SURVIVAL GUIDE

Transcription

1 CALL THE POLYS SURVIVAL GUIDE

2 Dear reader, welcome to the Survival Guide for Summer course: Call the polys, which will take place in Slovakia in Bratislava. Please read carefully our guide. Do not hesitate to ask us any extra information if there is something that is not clear to you. We wish you a very pleasant stay in our country! LBG Bratislavaa 2

3 CONTENT SLOVAKIA 4 BRATISLAVA 5 PLACES 6 IMPORTANT INFO 9 WHAT TO BRING 11 JOURNEY 12 UNIVERSITY 14 LBG BRATISLAVA 14 Contacts 15 3

4 SLOVAKIA Slovakia, long form Slovak republic is a sovereign state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about 49,000 square kilometres. Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is the capital, Bratislava, and the second largest is Košice. Slovakia is a member state of the European Union, Eurozone, Schengen Area, NATO, the United Nations, the OECD and the WTO, among others. The official language is Slovak, a member of the Slavic language family. 4

5 BRATISLAVA The Capital of the Slovak Republic BRATISLAVA, in BEST known as PARTYslava also referred to as the Beauty on the Danube can not only boast interesting history but it also is the centre of the most dynamically developing region of central Europe at present. Bratislava is situated among the warmest places in Slovakia - in the Danube lowland. It offers a lot of opportunities how to use your free time. The history of the city is very rich and it began in the fifth century. At that time the first Slavonic tribes arrived into this locality. They formed their own principality which soon gave a race to the Great Moravian Empire in the 9th century. In 1291 Bratislava become a free royal town. Now it s an administrative, political and economic centre of the state. visit.bratislava.sk First mentioned in year 907 Castle burned to the ground in 1811 (renovation in 1956) The oldest university established in 1490 Alternative old name is Pozsony (hungarian) or Pressburg (german) or Posonium (latin/italian) or Istropolis (greek) Divided to 17 city districts Population from 450k (night) to 650k (day) Candidate for European Youth Capital City in

6 PLACES Bratislavský hrad (eng. Bratislava Castle) The monumental building of the Bratislava Castle is visible from a great distance. Certainly, every visitor of Bratislava notices the pronounced silhouette. The majestic impression is enhanced by the hill it stands on, eighty-five metres above the water level of the Danube river. Surroundings of castle are available for free and there is museum inside castle. Opening hours of museum 1. April November Tuesday - Sunday: Prices Students 2-4 English guide - 15 /group Obchodná ulica (eng. Obchodna street) One of the busiest streets in Bratislava. In slovak language obchod means trade/shop and there are dozens of shops on this street, so exact translation could be trade street or shop street. During the day Obchodná ulica offers various places for eating or buying lots of different stuff, mostly clothes and shoes. By the sunset street change its face. Pubs and clubs increase their number of visitors and place is at least as busy as at day. There are around 100 shops, restaurant and pubs opened. obchodnaulica.sk 6

7 Slavín (eng. Slavin War Memorial) Slavín is a memorial monument and military cemetery in Bratislava. It is the burial ground of thousands of Soviet Army soldiers who fell during World War II while liberating the city in April 1945 from the occupying German Wehrmacht units and the remaining Slovak troops who supported the clero-fascist Tiso government. It is situated on a hill amidst a rich villa quarter of the capital and embassy residences close to the centre of Bratislava. Monument is easy reachable by foot or by public transport. There is spectacular view of Bratislava and a few nice places for relax. Eurovea is a business, retail and residential centre in Bratislava. It connects the Danube riverbank with the city center and offers many stores and leisure time facilities. Opening hours Monday - Sunday: Eurovea and Eurovea Galleria 7

8 Hrad Devín (eng. Devin Castle) Castle is situated in city district Devin. the cliff at the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers was an ideal place for a fort. Its owner could control the important trade route along the Danube. That is why the site has been settled since the Neolithic and fortified since the Bronze and Iron Age. Later, both the Celts and the Romans built strong fortresses there. Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum On the 9th September 2000, less than 15 kilometres south of the centre of Bratislava, on the edge of a peninsula where the mighty Danube flows, the opening of one of the youngest museums of modern art in Europe - Danubiana - took place. The River Danube has lent the museum its name and the rest is the result of the enthusiasm and initiative of the Slovak gallery owner Dr. Vincent Polakovič and the financial resources of the Dutch collector and art patron Gerard H. Meulensteen. Opening hours of museum 1. May September Monday - Sunday: Prices Students 4 danubiana.sk 8

9 IMPORTANT INFO Electricity The voltage and the socket in Slovakia are identical with the most of the European countries. Voltage: 230V / 50Hz; Socket type is E (socket with safety pin). The widely used socket type F is fully compatible with type E used in Slovakia Weather The Slovak climate lies between the temperate and continental climate zones with relatively warm summers. Bratislava lies in the warmest region of Slovakia where temperatures in summer may rise up to 30 C during day and 20 C during night. Currency and money exchange The currency in Slovakia is Euro,. There are money exchange in airport, main train station and bus station. Also you can change money in every bank. But it is recommnended to change your money to euros in your country, because exchange rates are more convenient for you there. Policy and law Drinking in the public places such as: streets, parks, bus/train stations is prohibited. Smoking at bus stops, train stations and similar public places/gathering points is prohibited. The places with prohibited smoking are always marked with the corresponding sign. Fine for traveling with any public transport without the ticket is 50. It is not possible to buy ticket in the bus. In trains you can buy ticket inside, but there is a small additional fee Emergency numbers Emergency number: 112 Police: 158 Fire servise: 150 Ambulance: 155 9

10 PRICES Bus ticket 0.9 Beer in store Beer in pub Bottle of Tatra Tea 16 Slice of pizza Menu Kebab 2 4 Juice in store 1 2 Pack of cigarettes Bread Milk Pastry 0.7 USEFUL SLOVAK PHRASES The official language in Slovakia is Slovak. English and German are the most often used foreign languages. Hello / Hi - Ahoj Yes - Áno No - Nie [nje] Thank you - Ďakujem [Djakuyem] Please - Prosím [Prosi:m] Excuse me - Prepáčte [Prepa:cztje] How are you? - Ako sa máš [Ako sa ma:sh?] I like you Páčiš sa mi I love you Milujem Ťa Good bye - Dovidenia Cheers! - Na zdravie! How much does it cost? - Koľko to stojí? [Kolko to stoji:?] Help! - Pomoc! Bus - Autobus Train - Vlak Tea - Čaj [Czay] Please, where can I find...? - Prosím Vás, kde nájdem...? Where is my baggage? - Kde je moja batožina? Please, where is the bust stop? - Prosím Vás, kde je autobusova zastávka? Please, I d like to buy one hour bus ticket - Prosím si jeden hodinový lístok. I m lost! Stratil som sa! Where is the pub? Kde je tu krčma? One beer, please. Jedno pivo, prosím. 10

11 WHAT TO BRING Travel insurance (Basic travel insurances don t cover sport accidents) Medical insurance Passport / ID card / Visa ISIC or other student card Money (cash according to your possibilities for exchange/ withdrawal) Slippers or flip-flops! Swimmsuit Clothes for rainy weather Goods for International Evening (for example: National alcohol, food, sweets,...) Personal hygiene items Medications Camera Smaller bag for day trips Pocket money Clothes which you can get dirty/ tally destroy 11

12 JOURNEY Plane Most of planes heading to Slovakia land on M. R. Stefanik Airport in Bratislava and it is very unlikely you will land in another slovak city. In this chase you can contact us and we will help you. Bus number 61 will take you to the city It is possible to land in Budapest. Connection with Bratislava is provided by buses and trains Also you can use services of Vienna International Airport. Connection is ensured again by buses and trains. Another option is airport in Prague which is furthest from Bratislava. Buses and trains are only possible ways of transport to Bratislava. Be aware that you will have to use public transport for moving from airport to bus or train station. studentagency.eu slovaklines.sk blaguss.sk slovakrail.sk ALL IN ONE cp.sk There is english button in right bottom corner 12

13 Train If you decide to travel by train, you would arrive to main train station in Bratislava (sk. Bratislava hlavná stanica). You can change our money in the building or buy some food. There are taxi and public transport platforms outside the station. Each part of city is easy reachable from here. After picking Blaguss, Student Agency or Slovak Lines, you will arrive to bus station (sk. Autobusová stanica Mlynské nivy). Inside the building is money exchange and also opportunity to buy little snacks). There always waiting taxis outside and two public transport platforms available. Coming from Vienna Also you can use services of Vienna International Airport. We highly recommend you to check a bus connection from / to Vienna International Airport, it s cheaper and more comfortable because with train you can only come to the borders of Vienna.. Public Transport Bus Almost all vehicles of public transport are red. You need to buy a ticket before ride. and after entering vehicle you have to stamp your ticket in stamping machine. You can change vehicle anytime. There are two types of tickets. First ticket costs 0,70, lasts 15 minutes. Second ticket costs 0,90, lasts 30 minutes. There is also possibility to buy 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 24-hour, 48-hour, 3-day or week ticket. On the webpage of a company you can plan your route in Journey Planner. dpb.sk imhd.zoznam.sk 13

14 UNIVERSITY Slovak university of technology in Bratislava (STU) is a modern educational and scientific institution. Since its foundation in the year 1937 more than students have graduated. In average, students study at the STU every year. At present, the STU consists of seven faculties based in Bratislava and Trnava. All the faculties provide a study in accredited study programmes within the complex system of a bachelor, master and PhD. study. Faculties realise credit system compatible with the European credit transfer system enabling mutual mobility of students within European Union member countries and a larger European space. In the area of scientific and research activities the STU successfully joins European Union programmes. LBG BRATISLAVA Local BEST group in Bratislava is organiser of Summer course: Learn to Be Greater year we celebrated 24 years of living, but right now we feel much younger and full of energy. Together we have been through a lot of things and there are bunch of great memories in our heads. But we are looking forward and our group finally find perfect ratio between work and fun. With 4 internationally involved members and 30 members in general, our group is ready to take up new challenges! 14

15 CONTACTS Main organiser Veronika Fukasová Tel.: President of LBG Bratislava Richard Kopál Tel.: