The European Commission has awarded CPK a significant 162 million PLN in financial support through the "Connecting Europe Facility" (CEF) This funding will be allocated for the design of a 155-kilometer railway section between Sieradz This section is a key part of the future "Y" route which will serve as the backbone of Poland's High-Speed Rail network a press conference was held at the Ministry of Infrastructure regarding the signing of grant agreements from the CEF for railway and port infrastructure development projects Poland will receive over 500 million euros but we are still halfway towards securing EU funding We want the final result of the railway investments to be visible to passengers Railway projects constitute the largest segment of the investments being undertaken for the development of the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) As trains are recognised as the most environmentally friendly mode of public transport they receive considerable support from European institutions CPK has secured over 500 million PLN from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for its railway initiatives The latest agreement was signed by CPK with the European Climate Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) regarding railway line No The construction of this segment is expected to reduce travel time on the Warsaw-Poznań route to approximately 100 minutes It also aims to fulfill the European Commission’s goal for member states to complete the TEN-T core network by 2030 This funded section is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) corridor connecting the North Sea to the Baltic Sea The planned completion date for the project is February 2027 The total eligible expenditures amount to 191 million PLN with 85% of that sum being funded by the European Union CPK will sign a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy as well as the Centre for EU Transport Projects to facilitate the implementation of the funded project The Sieradz – Kalisz – Pleszew – Poznań section which is covered by the grant agreement received today constitutes a key ‘missing link’ in the North Sea – Baltic European Transport Corridor stretching from Finland and the Baltic countries all the way to the seaports of the Netherlands and Belgium EU grants are an exceptional stimulus for the country’s development CPK has advanced railway projects in its portfolio 85 will be part of the largest long-term investment and communication programme in Central and Eastern Europe – the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) This initiative is particularly important as it aims to create a High-Speed Rail network designed for passenger trains that can reach speeds of up to 320 km/h as well as regional express trains capable of speeds up to 160 km/h The railway line connecting Sieradz and Poznań is crucial for Poland’s entire transportation system as it aligns with CPK’s priority investment which links Warsaw and Łódź with Poznań and Wrocław This project will not only integrate the new airport into Poland’s transport network but also significantly reduce travel times from the capital to Poznań and Wrocław it will free up capacity on existing railway lines for new passenger and freight traffic The entire 480-kilometer “Y” route will be constructed in stages linking Warsaw to the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) and Łódź coinciding with the opening of the airport in Baranów including the segments from Łódź to Wrocław and Sieradz to Poznań These plans aim to achieve the “Poland in 100 minutes.” goal which means connecting Warsaw to most major cities with infrastructure that allows for travel times of less than 100 minutes Jan 2, 2020 | Society A priest has installed a 12-metre-tall cross made from solar panels on the front of his church in the small town of Pleszew He hopes to help the environment and save some money “The electricity bills scared me,” says Father Krzysztof Guziałek I was constantly thinking about the words of Pope Francis from the encyclical [Laudato si‘] in which he talks about caring for the world about caring for nature and not destroying it.” When Guziałek looked into installing solar panels he found that the roof of the church received less sunlight than the front of the building The cross is made from 14 photovoltaic panels installed on the front of the church The costs were met partly by Guziałek himself with the rest coming from an “ecocredit” bank loan with very low interest the solar panels supply electricity to lights and heaters in the church they produce around 3.5 kW of electricity per hour; when the sun comes out this reaches 5.2 kW Surplus power is transferred to the electricity grid and the equivalent amount can be used by the church when required Installation was only completed in autumn 2019 so Guziałek says it is too early to tell how much money will be saved which used to sometimes reach up to 2,000 zloty a month in winter He also hopes it will allow him to stop using the church’s old coal-fired heating stove a town of around 17,000 residents an hour and a half’s drive from Poznań All of those interviewed by Gazeta Wyborcza reacted positively “It’s a beautiful idea,” said Ewa economical and ecological,” said Rafał “We should have more such crosses in Poland.” Guziałek has long promoted environmental causes His sermons often touch upon subjects like reducing plastic waste and not dumping rubbish in the forest His church has stopped using plastic bottles “We must not shy away from climate change,” Guziałek told Gazeta Wyborcza “We must do everything to protect the world from destruction But we should ask ourselves what we will leave for future generations.” Over Christmas, the Archbishop of Kraków, Marek Jędraszewski, sparked debate by declaring that “ecologism is a very dangerous phenomenon” and “contrary to the Bible” "Ecologism is very dangerous" and "contrary to the Bible" It is part of a broader threat from new movements that seek "a return to Engels" and "break from the entire Christian tradition", with @GretaThunberg as their "oracle" https://t.co/7EH61iBJ2i — Notes from Poland ?? (@notesfrompoland) December 27, 2019 and noted that they appeared to be at odds with the message of Pope Francis the archbishop’s defenders pointed out that it was “ecologism” that he was describing as a dangerous “ideology” not the idea of protecting the environment Main image credit: Piotr Skornicki /Agencja Gazeta Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications , , Karol Nawrocki even suggested that the state security services were involved in creating the scandal , , The 1,200 square metre national symbol was unfurled on the beach in Międzyzdroje , , The proportion of Poles saying the US has a positive influence on the world has also fallen to its lowest recorded level Apr 30, 2025 | , , , That response will include “large Polish and NATO exercises in Poland” Apr 29, 2025 | , , , Those employed in Poland work on average the third-longest hours in the European Union Apr 28, 2025 | , , , , Westinghouse and Bechtel were first chosen in 2022 as partners on the 192 billion zloty ($51 billion) project please consider helping us to continue and expand it [email protected] Copyright © 2025 Notes From Poland | Design jurko studio | Code by 2sides.pl Senior Research Fellow at the Global Europe Centre ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Weronika Strzyżyńska is currently studying journalism at Goldsmiths as a Scott Trust Bursary recipient She  has written on issues immigration and Brexit for New Statesman and Prospect Agnieszka Wądołowska is managing editor of Notes from Poland She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland and assistant professor of history at the Pedagogical University of Krakow The Independent and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Stanley Bill is the founder and editor-at-large of Notes from Poland.He is also Senior Lecturer in Polish Studies and Director of the Polish Studies Programme at the University of Cambridge Stanley has spent more than ten years living in Poland He founded Notes from Poland in 2014 as a blog dedicated to personal impressions cultural analysis and political commentary He is committed to the promotion of deeper knowledge and understanding of Poland He is the Chair of the Board of the Notes from Poland Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor of European Studies at Oxford University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor at the Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Executive Director of Taube Family Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Associate Professor at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Science ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR the subject of the ‘15-minute city’ began to creep into neighbourhood WhatsApp groups interrupting the usual discussion of lost cats Oxfordshire County Council had proposed a traffic-zoning scheme to reduce car usage in the city – and suggested that to address unnecessary journeys every resident should have ‘all the essentials (shops parks) within a 15-minute walk of their home’ But critics up and down the country hit on the proposals as an example of the ‘international conspiracy’ and ‘tyranny’ of the 15-minute city – which is probably coming to a neighbourhood near you soon.  Although the term only gained traction four years ago the 15-minute city is nothing new in town-planning theory The idea of urban areas where amenities can be reached within a 15-minute walk or cycle has been shaping neighbourhoods across Europe for decades and there are flourishing examples across the UK and beyond Already a subscriber? Log in Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3 Already a subscriber? Log in CA Immo exits non-core market Serbia with the sale of the 19,600 sqm office building Sava Business Center in Belgrade. Both the sales price and the buyer are subject to confidentiality. As the PBSA sector finally takes off in Poland, it is now increasingly attracting international operators and investors. Eurobuild CEE spoke to Xior's investment manager, Tomasz Paszkowski, about why it has such confidence in the Polish market. Residential developer Develia has signed a preliminary agreement to acquire all the shares in Bouygues Immobilier Polska, the Polish subsidiary of Bouygues Immobilier. ESA logistika has leased 15,000 sqm in Prologis Park Piotrków. GLP has completed the development of its Wrocław V Logistics Centre and has received a BREEAM rating of Outstanding. Panattoni has secured EUR 40 mln in financing from BNP Paribas for the development of Panattoni Park Sosnowiec IV. Newgate Investment (NGI) and Redkom Development are developing a large retail park in Bydgoszcz. Deutsche Hypo – NORD/LB Real Estate Finance has provided a five-year green loan to Olivia Seven for the refinancing of the Olivia Prime A office building in Gdańsk-Oliwa. US technology, communications and security company Motorola Solutions has signed a five-year lease renewal, starting in August 2027, for app. 18,000 sqm at the Green Office complex in Kraków’s Podgórze district. Falling interest rates and easing monetary policy across the eurozone and CEEi are boosting investor confidence in the region’s commercial real estate market, reveals Colliers in its ‘Beyond Real Estate | Economy’ report. Panattoni is to build the Panattoni Park Mainz Süd in Erbes-Büdesheim bei Alzey. Axi Immo has presented its latest report “Warsaw Office Market – Q1 2025. The market opened in 2025 on a steady footing, with a notable increase in leasing activity and a modest decline in vacancy. While new supply remains constrained, landlords continue to focus on upgrading existing assets and prioritizing quality over quantity.  Convenience store chain Żabka has officially opened a new logistics centre in Kąty Wrocławskie. The first stage of the development will serve 1,500 stores in the Wrocław area. Romanian Post has leased over 5,000 sqm of logistics space in CTPark Bucharest to serve as its temporary regional courier and logistics hub for Bucharest. JLL has announced the sale and leaseback of two properties by a manufacturing company in a deal worth over PLN 1 bln. Warehouse developer CTP is adding 2,000 sqm to its Clubco coworking development in Brno. pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank has extended an investment facility to PineBridge Benson Elliot for the Diuna Office Park in Warsaw. The hotel market in Bucharest continued its recovery in 2024, in terms of RevPAR and occupancy rate, while the ADR has finally surpassed the milestone of EUR 100. Torus has announced its All.inn students’ residence concept that is soon to appear on ul. Konarskiego in Gdańsk. Mall Moldova has opened in Iași. The tenants include. Ikea, Peek & Cloppenburg and Leroy Merlin. BIG Poland has acquired the Multishop Suwałki retail park comprising 13,000 sqm of retail space. The company now owns nine fully commercialized retail parks in Poland, totalling 175,300 sqm gla. Slate Asset Management has sold three OBI retail stores to the Lindner Group from Germany. The price has not been disclosed. Cushman & Wakefield has conducted a survey, the findings of which are presented in the report From Shopping to Experiences: A Customer’s View on Shopping Centres and Retail Parks. Cushman & Wakefield notes that despite evolving shopping trends, both retail formats continue to hold strong appeal. Multi Poland has taken on the management of the Galeria Przymorze shopping centre in Gdańsk. JD Sports is entering Gemini Park Tarnów. The store offers lifestyle and sporting clothing and is to open this spring. According to the "Quo Vadis E-commerce" report released by Cushman & Wakefield, the online commerce continues to be a growth driver for the industrial & logistics real estate sector, generating significant opportunities for developers and investors. Ceetrus, the investor behind the Projekt Góraszka shopping and entertainment complex in Wiązowna on Warsaw’s eastern outskirts, has obtained a building permit for a mixed-use development. Poznan-based company Scallier is opening another facility under the Funshop Park brand in Romania. The retail park of approx. 10,000 sqm, located in the Arad district, is nearing completion. According to the latest report “At a Glance: Modern Retail Market in Poland, Q4 2024” from BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland, Poland’s retail market experienced record growth in 2024, expanding at its fastest pace since 2015. Cushman &Wakefield has summarised the situation on the Polish retail market. Over half a mln sqm of new retail space came on stream last year, marking the highest new supply level in Poland since 2015. This robust development activity occurred amid rising demand from new retailers and improving consumer sentiment which boosted retail sales. A new retail park with a total area of 24,000 sqm is set to be developed in Otwock under the name Świderek. The investment will be led by Redkom Development. Empik has opened a flagship store in the revitalised former Cepelia pavilion in the centre of Warsaw. Neglected for years, the modernist building has regained its former glory and once again impresses with its original appearance and modern interior. Trei Real Estate Poland has opened its 40th Vendo Park. The investment was created in Wrocław and has 5,000 sqm. Vendo Park Wrocław is the first facility under this banner in the capital of Lower Silesia. The retail park was built on a plot of approx. 15,000 sqm. An 800 sqm Biedronka grocery store is to open on the ground floor of the Moje Bielany residential complex, which is being developed by CeMat A/S at ul. Wólczyńska 121 in Warsaw’s Bielany district. Spring has very much sprung and everywhere is bathed in the first warm sunshine of the year. Even though, as I write this editorial, I have in the back of my mind the terrifying fo ... The Polish warehouse market has finally stabilised after the post-pandemic boom, but new challenges and opportunities are on the horizon for the sector, as Michał Chodecki, the hea ... UBM Development has been given the go-ahead for the first wooden office building in Poland: Timber Park in Poleczki Business Park in Warsaw. So, Eurobuild CEE spoke to Sebastian Ve ... The office market in Warsaw is currently experiencing a period of stability in terms of supply and take-up. Recent data on overall tenant activity indicates that clients in the cap ... Receive all the latest information from the world of real estate by e-mail In Winogrady district of Poznań, the construction of the Aura residential building, designed by Robert Konieczny's office KWK Promes, has begun. The f ... According to a report by research company Spectis “Construction companies in Poland 2025-2030”, the total revenues of the 300 leading construction gro ... The Globalworth Foundation has provided the authorities in Bucharest with office space for a Covid vaccination centre. Panattoni BTS and Commercecon together support the establishment of the second Centaurus Foundation centre in Poland to help horses and other animals. Shopee is ending its operations in Poland. The Asian e-commerce platform, which debuted in Poland in 2021, intends to focus on operations in other reg ... Six class A office buildings in the PRO Portfolio, which is jointly owned by PineBridge Benson Elliot and Sharow Capital have been granted BREEAM In-U ... Who won this year's 14th edition of the Eurobuild Awards? The jury and guests gathered at the Double Tree by Hilton hotel in Warsaw chose this year's ... As the PBSA sector finally takes off in Poland, it is now increasingly attracting international operators and investors. Eurobuild CEE spoke to Xior' ... Enjoy the last set of recordings with comments straight from this year's MIPIM. This time, we asked experts from our home country for their input. The Back to the Future conference, organised by Urban Land Institute Polska, will take place on 9-10 April 2025 at the Norblin Factory Event Hall in W ... After a long break, we invite you to hot episode of the "Eye to eye" podcast! Today we talk with Władysław Grochowski, the head and founder of Arche. The UN Nansen Refugee Award award will go to Poland for the first time. According to the office of the UNHCR High Commissioner this year's regional wi ... Czech developer CTP has been granted a EUR 200 mln loan from the European Investment Bank for the roll-out of its large-scale solar panel installation ... The hotel market in Bucharest continued its recovery in 2024, in terms of RevPAR and occupancy rate, while the ADR has finally surpassed the milestone ... Jarosław Szanajca plans to resign from the position of president of the management board of Dom Development at the end of the year and join the superv ... The Polish and Danish governments have entered preliminary discussions for the construction of a tunnel between Szczecin and Copenhagen underneath the ... Viterra has moved into its ​​new 1,500 sqm offices in Olivia Prime, part of the Olivia Centre business complex in Gdańsk. The Design Anatomy studio is ... CA Immo exits non-core market Serbia with the sale of the 19,600 sqm office building Sava Business Center in Belgrade. Both the sales price and the bu ... Panattoni has acquired two properties near Gothenburg, Sweden. The brownfield sites will be replaced by a modern 43,000 sqm facility. Contemporary cities are grappling with the challenge of fostering dynamic growth while alleviating environmental pressures. Traditional infrastructure ... US technology, communications and security company Motorola Solutions has signed a five-year lease renewal, starting in August 2027, for app. 18,000 ... Colliers has taken over the management of the Studio B office building located in the Warsaw Wola district. The property is owned by Stena Real Estate ... The University of Warsaw has signed a contract with the general contractor for a project at ul. Bednarska 2/4. The new building will house the faculti ... Velis Real Estate Tech is officially changing its name to Singu, adopting the title of its property management product. The rebranding aims to both re ... With the symbolic groundbreaking, the construction of the Panattoni Park Unterfranken has officially started. By the beginning of 2026, a modern and s ... Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Video footage shows a 30m crane tower being toppled by the severe weather in Krakow I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Violent storms have wrought havoc across Poland reportedly killing at least three people and leaving hundreds of thousands of households without power The extreme weather struck Poland on Wednesday and Thursday ripping through buildings and damaging cars Footage shared online shows a 30m crane tower being toppled by strong winds in Krakow an incident which killed two construction workers and injured four others Local media also reported that a 70-year-old man died when a tree fell on his vehicle in the western Lubuskie province Severe storms have lashed central Europe this week, with falling trees also causing a casualty in Germany, and the UK is bracing for Storm Eunice which is expected to bring winds of up to 100mph and could be the country’s worst in three decades the National Fire Brigade described the destruction in the central town of Dobrzyca as “really massive” and said that firefighters were trying to take control of the situation A local fire brigade spokesperson from Pleszew County said 50 homes had been damaged county-wide by the storm “But also in the (central) Lodzkie and Mazowieckie provinces damaged buildings,” the national spokesperson added the most difficult situation is in Pleszew County in the Wielkopolskie province.” According to the Government Security Centre as of Thursday morning at least 324,00 homes and businesses had lost power nationally Poland's meteorology directorate warned that winds could exceed 62mph in some regions It comes as German national railway company Deutsche Bahn said it has stopped long-distance train services in seven out of the country's 16 states after Storm Ylenia slammed northern Germany in the early hours of Thursday morning who died in a car after a tree collapsed on to a country road near the town of Bad Bevensen in Lower Saxony The storms also caused a spate of power cuts across the country According to the Stoerungsauskunft website that partners with German energy suppliers to collect data about current outages more than 170 towns and cities were affected In Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) the power cuts affected around 50,000 households according to a statement on the official website of the region's Borken district The UK is also facing its most intense storm weather in years as Storm Eunice sweeps the nation. A rare red warning has been issued across southern England and London from the Met Office - indicating a “danger to life” is imminent. Winds up to 100mph could “sweep people off streets” when Storm Eunice hits, an expert has said as army is on standby to assist and widespread school closures have been announced in Wales and Devon. The storm is expected to bring blizzard conditions further north, and will hit just days after Storm Dudley saw winds and rain sweep across Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland, knocking out power for tens of thousands of people and bringing trains to a standstill. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies 2016Get email notification for articles from David B is the date on which Rabbi Eliyahu Guttmacher teacher and mystic who was an early proponent of the Jews’ return to the Land of Israel who served as the rabbi of the Polish town of Pleschen (today Pleszew) was a colleague and ideological partner of Zvi Hirsch Kalischer who is remembered as the ideological forebear of the proto-Zionist Hibat Zion movement but his name is far less well-known than Kalischer’s.