Poland reinstates controversial bus route 666 despite pressure from religious organizations

In Poland, the bus operator FlixBus has announced the return of bus route No. 666 to the Polish seaside resort of Hel, reports UNN with reference to the BBC.

Details

This revives the controversial "Highway to Hel" bus route, which was previously operated by the local company PKS Gdynia.

Religious conservative organizations strongly opposed the "satanic" No. 666 connection to Hel, which led to the number being changed to No. 669 in 2023.

The new 13-hour route operated by FlixBus will connect Krakow with Hel, passing through other major Polish regional cities, including the capital, Warsaw.

FlixBus spokesperson Aleksander Kalenik told the Polish news service TVN24: "The number 666 was intentionally chosen as a marketing communication element aimed at increasing the visibility of the connection on the popular resort route to Hel."

Back in June 2023, a spokesperson for PKS Gdynia told the media: "The management buckled under the weight of letters and requests sent to us, perhaps not in great numbers, but periodically over many years, asking to change the line number."

One Polish religious organization accused the bus company of "spreading Satanism."

The Bible identifies 666 as the "number of the beast," and Hel is a word similar to the English word for the place of eternal punishment.

Poland is a predominantly Roman Catholic country where the church has traditionally held influence.

Hel is located at the tip of the 35-kilometer Hel Peninsula, which juts into the Gulf of Gdansk on Poland's northern coast.

Tourists are drawn to the sandy beaches of the Hel resort, its ancient architecture, and the seal sanctuary.

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