Qibla direction in Płock

How to face the Qibla in Płock

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 34.2° towards east: the result is the bearing of 145.8°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “south” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Płock.

The scholars distinguish two cases: the one who sees the Kaaba aims at the building itself, while the one who cannot see it, as anywhere in Płock, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque is a quick way to confirm the result. If you travel or move house, check the angle again, since it changes from place to place.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Płock to Mecca points to 153.3° (south-east), 7.5° away from the correct 145.8°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 8 km longer than the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.

The value of 145.8° is the direction in which the shortest route from 52.5468° N, 19.7064° E sets off towards the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. Every accurate Qibla calculator, and the plans of well-oriented mosques, arrive at the same angle for this point.

Distance from Płock to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 3,866 km from Płock as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,544 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 03 min, although most pilgrims from Płock connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Płock run 2 hours behind Mecca in winter and 1 hour behind Mecca in summer, because of daylight saving time. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Płock rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Płock

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Płock while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in January (31 days); for example, on 1 January 2027 it happens at 09:16 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Płock during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Płock: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Płock compared with other cities

Compared with Warsaw, 95 km away, the Qibla in Płock is turned 1.8° further anticlockwise (145.8° against 147.6°), and Mecca is 78 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Włocławek (45 km), prays towards 145.0°, a difference of 0.9°.

Across the 33 cities in Poland on this site, the Qibla ranges from 139.1° in Szczecin to 151.6° in Bialystok, a spread of 12.6°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Poland.

Qibla in cities near Płock

• Włocławek145.0° · 45 km
• Lodz144.8° · 88 km
• Torun144.5° · 91 km
• Warsaw147.6° · 95 km
• Bydgoszcz143.8° · 131 km
• Kalisz142.7° · 141 km