Piotrków Trybunalski

According to tradition – not confirmed by historical sources – Piotrków was founded by Piotr Wlostowic, a powerful 12th century magnate from Silesia. The name of the city comes from the name Peter translated into Polish (Piotr), in a diminutive form (Piotrek). The town has been known in Yiddish as פּעטריקעװ or Petrikev, in German as Petrikau, and in Russian as Петроков or Petrokov.
At first a market town and a place of the princes' tribunals (in the 13th and 15th centuries), Piotrków became an administrative centre (the capital of the district since 1418), and in the later centuries it also became an important political centre in Poland. While the importance of Piotrków in the political life of the country had contributed to its development in the 16th century, the city declined in the 17th and 18th centuries, due to fires, epidemics, wars against Sweden, and finally the Partitions of Poland.
Piotrków had the first ghetto for Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland, built as early as October 1939. Approximately 25,000 people from Piotrków and the nearby towns and villages were imprisoned there. 22,000 were sent to the Treblinka extermination camp, while 3,000 were imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps.

By plane

Łódź Władysław Reymont Airport (LCJ) is nearest international airport (about 50 km), but better choice is the largest Polish Warsaw Frédéric Chopin Airport (WAW) (about 160 km).

By train

• Piotrków Trybunalski Railway Station is a terminal station for domestic trains. There are great (but slow) train links from all major Polish cities.

The schedule of trains in Poland

By car

Piotrków is located in junction of roads:

• road A1; E75 Gdańsk - Łódź - Piotrków Trybunalski - Częstochowa - Katowice
• road 8; E67 from state border with Lithuania in Budzisko trought Warsaw - Piotrków - Wrocław and finally to state border with Czech Republic in Kudowa-Zdrój.
• road  12 from state border with Germany in Łęknica trought Leszno - Kalisz - Piotrków - Radom - Lublin and state border with Ukraine in Beredyszcze

By bus

Because of its location at a junction of major roads Piotrków Trybunalski is well connected to almost all major cities in Poland by the PKS lines. From Warsaw or Katowice you can get to Piotrków Trybunalski by the Polski Express. There are some international lines like Eurolines too.

Public transport is operated by MZK Piotrków Trybunalski. The descriptions on bus stops are in Polish only. See the Polish phrasebook if you feel uncomfortable. The schedules are here
Taxis are another option, and they are quite cheap for a Westerner. However, you should make sure that there is a taxi sign atop the cab and that the driver has a permit. Best way is to use one of Taxi companies (phone numbers):

• Radio Taxi Pilica - 9625
• Radio Taxi Plus - 9623

• Trybunalski Square, located about 1 km east from the train station. Is the old market square, with antique tenement houses

• Royal Castle

  phone: +44 6465272
  address: plac Zamkowy 4
  This Gothic-Renaissance structure was built in the 16th century and turned into a museum in 1919. Especially in the 14th and 15th century the castle played an important role in Polish national history.

• Great Synagogue

  address: Jerozolimska 29
  Now a library.
• Orthodox Church on Słowackiego street about 200 m east from train station
• Court of Law on Słowackiego street about 300 m east from train station

For more information visit the "Tourist Information Point" called "Informacja Turystyczna" on Czarnieckiego Square 10, 44 732 36 63 (next to Trybunalski Square)

Cinemas

• Helios Cinema

  phone: +48 44 715 91 55
  address: ul. Słowackiego 123
  Movie selection contains the latest American hits with Polish subtitles.

• The main commercial street in Piotrków Trybunalski is Słowackiego Street

Shopping mall:

• Focus Mall

  phone: +48 44 715 90 00
  address: Juliusza Słowackiego 123

Other places for small shopping:

• Echo

  address: al. Sikorskiego
  Shopping mall

• CarrefourSupermarket, and gallery of (about 20) small shops

• Kaufland - supermarket on Lodzka street, with small gallery of shops (about 8)
• Stadium Market - big open air market located on Dmowskiego street, every Saturday you can buy here everything from vegetables, over clothes to live pets

Budget

• Da Grasso

  phone: +48 44 649 57 60
  address: ul. Wojska Polskiego 38 (corner of Torunska)
  Their big pizza is more than enough for 2 hungry people.

• Tina

  phone: +48 44 647 23 64, +48 44 732 69 00
  address: ul. 3go Maja 20 or ul. Matejki 5

Mid-range

• Randez-vous

  phone: +48 44 649 04 44
  address: ul. Słowackiego 14

• Altamira

  phone: +48 44 733 91 51
  address: ul. Dmowskiego 38

• Dworek pod Debami

  phone: +48 44 732 38 25
  address: ul. Skrajna dz.46

Splurge

• Staromiejska

  phone: +48 44 649 70 53
  address: Trybunalski Square 4

• Ormianin

  phone: +48 44 647 69 63
  address: Trybunalski Square 10

Budget

• Hotel Piocel

  phone: +48 44 646 80 32
  address: ul. Dworska 6a

Mid-range

• Agat

  phone: +48 44 646 28 49
  address: Wojska Polskiego 118

• Best Western

  phone: +48 44 647 87 12
  address: Grota Roweckiego 5

• Mercure

  phone: +48 44 684 00 00
  address: ul. Armii Krajowej 22c, 97-300 Piotrków Trybunalski

• Staromiejski

  phone: +48 44 615 58 56
  address: Rynek Trybunalski 1, 97-300 Piotrków Trybunalski

Splurge

• Bełchatów
• Łódź