Mountain Volunteer Rescue Service (GOPR)

All Polish mountains except the Tatras: from the Karkonosze through the Kraków-Częstochowa Jura to the Bieszczady — over 20,000 km² and 7,200 km of trails. In the Carpathians: the Beskidy, Podhale, Krynica and Bieszczady groups.

Mountain emergency — Poland985 · +48 601 100 300 · 112985 — short rescue number in the Polish mountains, 24/7; +48 601 100 300 — 24/7 rescue number of TOPR and GOPR; the Ratunek app dials the same number; 112 — single European emergency number — use it when the signal is weak or 985 does not connect

Contacts GOPR

Mountain Volunteer Rescue Service (GOPR)Górskie Ochotnicze Pogotowie RatunkoweHeadquarters: GOPR Head Office, ul. Piłsudskiego 65, 34-500 Zakopane, PolandOfficial website: gopr.pl
  • 985 short rescue number in the Polish mountains, 24/7
  • +48 601 100 300 24/7 rescue number of TOPR and GOPR; the Ratunek app dials the same number
  • 112 single European emergency number — use it when the signal is weak or 985 does not connect
  • +48 18 20 61 550 head office (not for emergencies)
  • +48 18 20 14 152 head office (not for emergencies)
  • [email protected]
Get directions

The Mountain Volunteer Rescue Service (Górskie Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe, GOPR) is an association that has helped people in the Polish mountains since late 1952. It operates under the Act of 18 August 2011 on safety and rescue in the mountains and on organised ski areas and carries out public tasks commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior and Administration. GOPR is built on volunteers: according to the service, as of 30 July 2025 its 143 professional rescuers were supported by 964 volunteer rescuers. GOPR covers all Polish mountains except the Tatras, where TOPR is in charge.

How to call for help

GOPR recommends first of all the free Ratunek app (iOS and Android): rescuers immediately receive your number and exact location, so you don't have to explain at length where you are. Install it at home. Without the app, dial the short number 985 or the 24/7 number shown below; with a weak signal, dial 112.

When you call, give:

  • the place of the accident;
  • what happened;
  • the condition and number of the injured;
  • their age and sex;
  • your name and a call-back number.

Never hang up first — the rescuer will end the call once they have everything they need. Without coverage, give a light or sound signal six times a minute, and show a helicopter your arms raised in a Y.

Area and groups

GOPR has seven regional groups. Four of them work in the Carpathians: Beskidy (Silesian, Żywiec, Little and Maków Beskids), Podhale (Gorce, Island Beskids, Pieniny, part of the Sądecki Beskids), Krynica (Sądecki Beskids and the western Low Beskids) and Bieszczady (Bieszczady and the Low Beskids). The Jura, Karkonosze and Sudety groups work outside the Carpathians. Altogether the service runs about forty rescue stations.

Good to know

  • According to TOPR, rescue in the Polish mountains is free; on the Slovak side of the border the HZS carries out rescues and charges for them.
  • In winter GOPR also provides rescue cover on organised ski areas.
  • If you witness an accident, don't leave the injured person alone: one person stays while another calls for help or alerts hut or lift staff.

Map of the stations

Official apps

  • Ratunek — Free official app for calling the Polish mountain (GOPR, TOPR) and water rescue services: while dialling 601 100 300 it automatically sends an SMS with your exact location (to about 3 m). Install it before you set out.

Is the rescue free

According to TOPR, rescue in the Polish Tatras and in the other Polish mountains is free of charge. If you fall or stray onto the Slovak side of the border, however, the Slovak HZS carries out the rescue and charges for it, so insurance covering helicopter rescue is advisable on border trails.

Other mountain rescue services: Poland

Last updated: 3 November 2026. Numbers checked against the services' official websites (sources below). If a number does not answer, call 112.

Sources (7)