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ABOUT US

The Jagiellonian University’s Center for Polish Language and Culture in the World is one of the most important Polish academic institutions for foreign students. We offer intensive one-semester and one-year programs, summer courses that last several weeks, and a wide range of courses and programs organized in collaboration with Polish and foreign partner institutions. Courses at the Center are led by specialists qualified in teaching Polish as a foreign language. They study methods of teaching Polish as a foreign language and prepare relevant textbooks and dictionaries. Our team creates and implements innovative and, above all, effective teaching methods. We have been pioneers of the communicative approach in teaching Polish as a foreign language. Currently we offer a task-based method promoted by the Council of Europe, which is based on learning through activities. A group of our employees, led by Professor Władysław Miodunka, participated very actively in preparing Polish state certification exams, and have taken part in administering the exams since they began in 2004. Learning the Polish language will always be one ofthe most important aims for the foreigners studying at our Center. However, through the additional courses that are offered, they also have an opportunity to learn about Poland – its history, society, culture and literature. Although most of the students at the Center are foreigners, there is also a group of Polish students  here, learning how to teach Polish as a foreign language. The presence of Polish peers at the Center gives foreigners who are studying here additional opportunities for direct contact with Poles, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of Poland and Polish people. Cultural events and field trips also help the two groups of students to integrate.
Another great virtue of studying with us is the city of Krakow itself – a magical place that is often referred to as the cultural capital of Poland. The Center is located in the very heart of the historic city, at the foot of Wawel Hill on which sits the Royal Castle, a symbol of the Golden Age of Polish culture. Our Center is only a few hundred meters away from the Old Town Square, which constantly bustles with life. Studies at the Center are an interesting combination of the traditions of the oldest Polish university, the knowledge and experience of the Center’s staff members, and their passion and enthusiasm for creating modern, interesting and effective teaching methods. Graduates of our programs praise their diversity and effectiveness, while at the same time emphasizing the unique atmosphere of the place itself in which they have the opportunity to study.
The part of the Center is the School of Polish Language and Culture located at Garbarska 7A Street, at the Professor’s House „Pigoniówka”. The Center mainly provides one-year and one-semester intensive courses of Polish language and Culture and School organizes Summer Programs and intensive and non-intensive courses all year around, both short-and long-term. Founded in 1969, the Jagiellonian University School of Polish Language and Culture is the oldest and one of the most prestigious providers of Polish language and culture education in Poland. The School's academic offer includes intensive and non-intensive Polish language courses,  "semester abroad" programs as well as Polish lessons for individual clients delivered in the face-to-face mode or over the Internet.
The Summer School of Polish Language and Culture is the School's largest and most prestigious program, each year welcoming several hundred students from over forty countries. Besides Polish lessons, the Summer School offers lectures on various aspects of Polish culture and society in Polish, English or German. Past Summer School inauguration ceremonies featured such world-famous speakers as Nobel Prize Winner for Literature Czesław Miłosz, distinguished British historian Professor Norman Davies, Professor Leszek Balcerowicz, film directors Andrzej Wajda and Krzysztof Zanussi, poet Adam Zagajewski, journalist Ryszard Kapuściński, and Swedish slavist and translator of Polish literature Anders Bodegard.
The School also organizes visits to Krakow's finest museums, concert halls and theaters, as well as field trips. The warm student community atmosphere of the School offers participants a truly memorable time spent abroad. Krakow's best Polish language teachers and high-calibre university lecturers employed by the School are the best guarantee of a successful learning experience.
The School also organizes summer camps for learners aged 13-17 for those young learners who want to get the feel of studying at Poland's oldest University, see unique places and historic sites, and improve their Polish
In recognition of its outstanding achievements in promoting Polish culture, in 2000 the Jagiellonian University School of Polish Language and Culture was awarded a prestigious honorary diploma by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland. In 2002, 2005 and 2008, the European Commission granted the School the European Label Award for innovative initiatives in language teaching.