placówek

Placówka is a Polish term designating a facility, institution, or service point operated by a larger organization to perform a defined function. The word is used across public and private contexts to refer to local units that provide services, such as schools, health clinics, post offices, police or fire stations, border posts, or company branches that serve customers or users. As a generic term, placówka emphasizes the local, point-of-service aspect rather than corporate status; a placówka may function as part of a ministry, local government office, university, or private enterprise.

Placówki are commonly described in registers and statistics. The form placówek is the genitive plural, used in phrases like liczba placówek (the number of facilities) or sieć placówek (network of facilities). The term is widely used in official language, planning documents, budgets, and reports.

Examples of placówki include: placówka oświatowa, such as a school; placówka zdrowia, such as a clinic or hospital; placówka pocztowa, a post office; placówka Policji, a police station; placówka Straży Granicznej, a border post. In private or corporate contexts, placówka can also refer to a branch office or service point, especially where the emphasis is on public-facing services.

The concept is not a distinct legal category by itself; the exact status of a placówka depends on the overarching organization and applicable law. The term remains common in Polish administrative and everyday language.