Note: I have decided to shelf this project and stop active development. Because the platform did not gain enough active users to make it sustainable, I chose not to invest more time into ongoing maintenance. I am keeping this post online as a retrospective of what I built and the technical details behind the project.
It’s that gut-punch feeling, isn’t it? You check your pocket and… nothing. Your keys are gone.
That was me a few months ago, panicking and trying to remember what the hell I’d done. My first instinct was to check local Facebook groups. I scrolled through hundreds of pet photos, local news and marketplace ads, hoping to spot a post. Then I thought about printing flyers and sticking them to lamp posts. Seriously? In 2025? It was a mess. It felt like shouting into the void and hoping for the best.
That frustration is exactly why I built Znalazka.org. And yes, it’s completely free to use.
Znalazka (meaning “a find” or “something found” in Polish) is my answer to that chaos. It’s a simple, modern platform with one clear mission: to connect people who have lost something with the kind people who have found it.
A Live Map, Not an Endless Feed
Instead of getting lost in a messy social media feed, Znalazka gives you a bird’s-eye view. The first thing you see is an interactive map of Poland, dotted with recent lost and found reports. You can zoom into your neighborhood and see immediately if someone has found your lost wallet or if a lost pet has been spotted nearby.
It’s a much more human way to search, helping you spot connections at a glance.
Posting an Item in Minutes, Not Hours
When you’re stressed about losing something, the last thing you need is a complicated website. I designed the posting process to be ridiculously simple. It’s just four straightforward steps.
- What is it? Give it a title, description and pick a category.
- Where was it? Pin the location on a map, add the date and add an optional reward.
- Any details? Add photos and other key info.
- How to reach you? Choose your contact method and publish.
That’s it. No fighting with algorithms, no getting buried under other posts. Just a clear, dedicated listing that people in the right area can actually find.
Once your post is live, it’s presented in a clean, easy-to-read format, giving finders all the essential details at a glance.
Just below the main details, a clear map pinpoints the exact location, making it simple for someone to know where to look.
You’re in Control
Building a community tool is all about trust. That’s why I wanted to give you full control over your posts and your data.
- Easy & Secure Login: Create an account with your email and password, or sign in instantly with your Google account - whichever works best for you.
- A Simple Dashboard: Your user profile is your command center. You can track views on your posts, edit details if you remember something new and mark items as “reunited” once they’re found.
- Direct & Private Contact: When someone finds your item, they can contact you via the methods you’ve allowed - email or phone. Your details are only there to help get your stuff back.
The whole experience starts with a simple and secure login page that gets you into your account without any hassle.
Once you’re logged in, your personal dashboard gives you a clear overview of all your active posts.
Browsing other posts is just as straightforward. The “Found Items” page uses a clean, card-based layout so you can easily scan through recent finds.
The same design applies to the “Lost Items” page, making it effortless to see if someone is looking for something you may have come across.
Oh, and About My Keys…
You can probably guess. My own lost key report is one of the first posts on the site! So, hey, if you happen to find a set of keys around Gdańsk or Gdynia… you know where to find me. Hehehe.
Built for Efficiency
For those who followed my last post about self-hosting an e-commerce shop, you’ll know I love efficient tech. Znalazka.org runs on the same idea: a fast Next.js frontend, a lean Golang backend, all humming away on my little Raspberry Pi 5. It’s proof you can build useful, production-ready tools without needing a massive server farm.
A Tool for Us
Ultimately, Znalazka.org is just a tool. Its real power comes from the community - from people like you who take a minute to post a wallet found on a park bench or a scared dog wandering the street.
Please, check out Znalazka.org, spread the word and the next time you lose (or find) something, I hope it’s the first place you think of. Together, we can turn that moment of panic into a story of community and kindness.
Known Issues & To-Do List
Znalazka.org is a brand-new project and like any new build, it has a few quirks I’m still ironing out. In the spirit of transparency, here’s what’s on my to-do list:
- Emails aren’t working yet. Currently, automated emails for things like password resets are not being sent. This is at the top of my list to fix!
- Forgot your password? Since the email system is down, the reset link won’t work. Just write an email to [email protected] and I’ll reset your user for you (hehe, not tell you your password).
- Profile settings glitch. Some settings on the user profile page are not saving correctly after you update them. I’m working on a fix for this as well.
- More Languages. The site is currently only in Polish, but I plan to add support for more languages to make the site accessible to a wider audience.