Country Facts

Poland map
  • Capital City: Warsaw
  • Currency: Zloty = 100 groszy
  • International dialling code: +48
  • Official language: Polish
  • Official name: Republic of Poland
  • Population: 39 million
  • Religion: Christianity (Catholic)
  • Web domain: .pl
  • Biggest holidays and celebrations: New Year's Day, Epiphany (6 Jan), Easter - a major holiday, celebrated from Palm Sunday to Wet Monday (Śmigus-dyngus). Labour Day (1 May - a remaining celebration from the Communist era), Constitution Day (3 May). The whole period from 1 - 3 May is called Majówka. Boże Ciało (Corpus Christi) is a Catholic church Holiday celebrated on 9th Thursday after Easter. All Saints' Day (1 Nov), Independence Day (11 Nov), Christmas.
  • Celebrities you should know: Doda - singer/'trouble-maker', Joanna Krupa - Polish-American model, Kuba Wojewódzki - journalist/TV presenter known for his unique sarcasm, Grycanki - known as 'Polish Kardashians', Ola Kwaśniewska - popular with the media, Ola is a daughter of ex-president Alexander Kwaśniewski, Patricia Kazadi - Polish/Congolese singer and actress, Roman Polański - French/Polish film director, Ewa Chodakowska - popular personal trainer and author of fitness programmes.
  • Historical figures: Mieszko I of Poland, Bolesław I the Brave, Casimir III the Great, Władysław II Jagiełło, Józef Piłsudski, Tadeusz Kościuszko, Lech Wałęsa. Pope John Paul II, Nicholas Copernicus, Fryderyk Chopin, Maria Skłodowska-Curie, Wisława Szymborska, Henryk Sienkiewicz.
  • Common Ways to Commute: Every large and medium-sized city has a good bus network. Some cities have tram and trolleybus. Warsaw is the only city with a metro. Public transport usually operates from 5am to 11pm.
  • Food taboos and favourites: Animal body parts such as the tongue, feet, claws and tail are generally avoided. Cats and dogs meat sparks controversy. Fresh sea food doesn't belong to the traditional Polish food culture. Instead, people eat pork, beef and chicken. Religious people may not eat meat on Fridays, which is when Jesus was crucified. Favourite dishes: dumplings, cabbage roll, herring in oil with onion, Hunter’s stew, pancakes. Popular soups: żurek, broth, beetroot soups (Christmas tradition). Alcohol plays a vital role in social events and ranges from vodka to beer and wine.
  • Government: Democracy. Two chambers of parliament: house of parliament (Sejm) and Senate. Member of the European Union.
  • Landmarks and places of cultural significance: Gniezno (city) - known as the legendary place where Poland began. Biskupin - the archaeological open-air museum of an Iron Age, often described as the first official Polish village. Malbork - the world's largest 13th century castle measured by land area, a German Roman Catholic religious order of crusaders and the centre of most bloody religious wars. Westerplatte - a peninsula in Gdańsk and the place of first battle in the Invasion of Poland, it marked the start of the Second World War in Europe on 1 September 1939. The Gdańsk Shipyard where in September 1980 the Solidarity movement began: the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union. It's founder, Lech Wałęsa, was Polish president from 1990 to 1995.
  • Music genres: Pop, rock, dance, classical, hip-hop.
  • Languages and foreigners: Many young Poles speak English quite well and older people may speak German or Russian which used to be taught at school. Polish people appreciate when foreigners try to learn a few words in Polish. Main ethnic minorities living in Poland include Belarusians, Czechs, Lithuanians, Germans, Armenians, Russians, Slovaks, Ukrainians and Jews. The Kashubians are a regional linguistic minority.
  • Sports: Football, volleyball, Formula One, boxing.
  • Symbols of identity: Polish main symbols of identity are the white and red flag, and the White Eagle emblem. According to the legend, Poland's founder Lech saw a white eagle's nest with the red sunset behind. He though it would be a safe place to settle down and the colours became the national colours of Poland. Over the centuries and during Polands fights for independence, the white colour meant peace and the red meant blood, reminding people of the unstable periods. Poland disappeared from the map three times during the 18th century and was occupied by Russia and Germany in the I and II World Wars.
  • Key words and national identity: kombinować - 'to work an angle', 'to be up to no good', or to go around the rules; załatwić - use personal charm or connections to get something done quickly; 'tell it straight from the bridge' - mówić prosto z mostu - means speaking bluntly (as Poles often do); zaufanie - trust (key in relationship building); zaimponować - to impress someone; przyjaciel - although translates as 'friend' - it means much more than that.
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