Poland is expanding its network of air-raid shelters and investing €8 billion in protecting the population

Poland has launched a plan to expand and modernize shelters for the population amid the war in Ukraine and incidents in which Russian drones and missiles have entered its airspace. The government in Warsaw wants to create an “underground shield” and adapt existing infrastructure for emergencies.

In Krakow’s Nowa Huta district, a shelter built in the 1950s is still located in the basement of a school, with its armored door, ventilation system and manual water purification installation all original. There are more than 250 such spaces in the area.

Poland has 85,739 shelters, but only 1,903 are considered high-protection shelters. The network can accommodate approximately 1.43 million people, including 300,000 in nuclear shelters, in a country with a population of around 38 million.

The new “shelter law” requires protected spaces and emergency exits to be provided in newly constructed buildings. The plan includes approximately 32,000 shelters, including in metro stations, car parks and public buildings, funded through an €8 billion program. Authorities have also distributed an emergency manual and launched an app and a website for locating shelters.