Around the world, Polish is spoken by some 50 million people. Yet only 38 million are actually residing in Poland… This has to do with our rich (both painful and hopeful) emigration history. Apart from the pole in the North and in the South, there is probably a bunch of Poles in your country, too!
Many of these fun facts on Poland have actually been collected by the Polish Ministry of Justice (don’t ask me why they did it). I picked the most delectable ones, plus added a little comment from my side! Enjoy discovering Poland just like I do 🙂
1. Poland is a country of solid technology
Poland is number 1 in the European Union in the export of monitors and beamers. Around 90% of TV sets and monitors from Europe are manufactured in Poland, with the total value of EUR 6 billion (2020). Poland is also one of the largest bus manufacturers in the European Union. Not just “any buses”. The Polish company Solaris is number 1 in the market for zero-emission buses in Europe! (2021) Our country’s pride of export is motor vehicle parts and accessories, with a total value of nearly €11 billion (2020). Furniture comes third (€5.22 billion).
We’ve been smart in maths and technical thinking before, too. It was Poles who broke the cipher of Enigma, the German cipher machine – on 31 December 1932.
The Pole Jozef Hoffman is the inventor of windscreen wipers and car springs! In addition, he patented paper clips 🙂 The bulletproof vest was also invented by Poles: Kazimierz Żegleń and Jan Szczepanik.
2. Polish people are forward thinking
He stopped the Sun, moved the Earth! Nicolaus Copernicus is the creator of the heliocentric model of the solar system. You will find most of his traces in Torun and Frombork.
Polish kids have a great role model to watch up to. Maria Curie-Skłodowska is the only person to have received the Nobel Prize twice in different fields of science. Maria Curie-Skłodowska was also one of the first women in the world to obtain a driving licence 🙂
Poland introduced women’s suffrage earlier than the USA, France or Sweden – not to mention Switzerland. Women got their rights to vote right after Poland regaining its independence in 1918.
3. Adventurous Polish spirit
Poles Leszek Cichy and Krzysztof Wielicki were the first people in the world to climb Mount Everest in winter.
But we need to give place here to the featured special: A native of Poland, John Paul II. He was the pope who broke the record for foreign travels made. He visited 132 countries and around 900 places. Was he visiting all the Polish emmigrants and their descendants? The Pope is considered a very special person by many people in Poland. Even though younger generations like to make fun of the saint, I would personally not advise you to make jokes on this pope! Never mind other popes – they are not Polish.
4. Enjoy the rich nature in Poland!
Poland is the largest exporter of amber in the world. This fossilised resin comes in various shades and colours and is sooo beautiful. Amber jewellery or objects decorated with amber are always the best present from Poland. I heard that you can easily buy fake amber in China… Yes, in China you can buy everything. But if you are up to a real amber – get yours in Poland 👍
Poland has the largest deposits of mineral water in Europe and is home to the oldest forest in Europe: Bialowieza Forest. This amazing primary forest is populated by species like wolves or bisons. Currently, our country is home to the largest population of this impressive huge animal.
Yet, it’s not Białowieża Forest where you will find the oldest tree in Poland. The 1300 years old yew tree grows in Henryków Lubański.
Poland also offers the oldest (i.e. the flattest!) mountains in Europe: the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. They were formed around 500 million years ago. You can still have a good hike there, though! Another geological suprise are volcanoes. Would you guess that there are 15 volcanoes in the Sudety Mountains? Don’t worry, they are extinct now. Their last activity took place 20 million years ago.
Poland, however, is not a country of mountains! Our national emblem gives you a hint about the most frequent natual landspace. The white-tailed eagle, which belongs to the hawk family, especially likes to live and hunt near lakes and rivers.
In my eyes, Poland is a country of fields (field = pole). I love watching their irregular shapes upon landing, or while travelling by train. Perhaps that’s why Poland is the largest producer of apples in Europe and the third largest in the world. Also, every third mushroom (pieczarka) in the world comes from Poland!
5. You know: we love our history!
The Polish constitution was the first democratic constitution in Europe and the second in the world, just after the USA. We still celebrate this fact on May 3rd, which is the Constitution Day. Together with May 1st, it creates a nice range of bank holiday which we enjoy on full scale! On Majówka, don’t expect to book any hotel anywhere! They are full already 🙂
Since 1600, our country has been occupied or fought for freedom 43 times. Sometimes I think we are historically more equipped to defend and fight than to negotiate and influence… The respect and memory for men and women fighting for freedom is a special thing in Poland. Especially in Warsaw, you will find statues and plaques commemorating heros of war almost on every corner. By the way, the world’s most narrow house is also located in Warsaw. It’s squeezed in between two buildings and, at its widest point, it is just 1.2 m! Warsaw (the capital of Poland), Lviv (used to be in Poland before 1945), and Verdun are the cities that were honoured with the Order of Virtuti Militari. Freedom is the number one national Polish value. Please always stay respectful to our freedom!
We are also proud of the fact that Poland is the only country that has ever succeeded in conquering Moscow. We don’t mind the little detail that the Kremlin was occupied as long ago as 1610-1612.
Polish soldiers were an important part of Napoleon army, too. We do have a Museum of Napoleonic Wars in Witaszyce, and would you believe? – it houses a hair of Napoleon. It must have been offered to Poland’s national heritage as a special merit.
There are even amazing bits of pre-history in Poland! Did you know that the world’s oldest boomerang made from a mammoth blow was found in the Obłazowa Cave? It is estimated to be 23,000 years old. Might it be that the Poles pre-invented the famous Australian weapon?
Coming back to the fight and independence thing – you can imagine that living in Poland at times might have been less safe that going elsewhere, even to an unknown destination. Perhaps that’s why the world’s second most Polish city after Warsaw is… Chicago, a city in the state of Illinois. We love the fact that Argentina actually celebrates a Pole’s Day! Every 8th June commemorates the arrival of the first Poles in Argentina. Would you know of any other countries in the world to celebrate us, Poles?
6. A bit of culture, too
Eight Poles have been awarded the Nobel Prize, five of them in the domain of literature. That’s why it does make sense to learn Polish! Read these amazing books in the language they’ve been written in! Olga Tokarczuk’s, the most recent laureate, writing (2018) is not quite the easiest, even for us native Polish. But it’s definitely worth the effort.
Do you like chess? But what if there are three of you hoping to play? One always needs to sit aside and watch… Not in Poland! Tomasz Jacek Filek invented chess for three people! (1992)
This list wouldn’t be complete if you don’t learn how to get around in Poland. The most popular male names in Poland are Piotr (i.e. Peter) – 694 913 men · Krzysztof (Krzysiek, Krzyś, i.e. Christoph, Chris) – 649 962 men · Andrzej (i.e. Andrew) – 552 430 men · Tomasz (i.e. Thomas) – 539 395 men. For women, the most popular first names are Anna – 1 072 616 women (!!) · Katarzyna (Kasia, Kaśka, i.e. Kate, Katrin) – 604 753 women · Maria (Marysia, Mania) – 585 573 · Małgorzata (Małgosia, Małgośka, Gosia, Gośka, Gocha, i.e. Margaret) – 577 214.
The most popular surnames in Poland are Kowalski and Nowak.
So if you ever forget someone’s name, what about trying Piotr Kowalski, and Anna Nowak?
7. A few places you might want to see in Poland
This part does deserve a separate entry! For the time being, just a bunch of facts:
- Malbork Castle is the largest Gothic castle in the world.
- The salt mine in Kłodawa is home to the world’s deepest Underground Tourist Route. It runs 600 m underground.
- Wrocław is a city famous for its dwarf figures. It is estimated that there are more than 300 of them.
- The Gdańsk crane is the oldest surviving harbour crane in Europe.
- In Gliwice, there is a wooden radio station 111 m high. It is the tallest wooden structure in the world.
So… when are you coming?
If you have read until this point, thank you! 🙂 What brought you to look for fun facts on Poland? Please share with me in the comments, below!
Seeing Poland and our Polish culture with the eyes of people coming from another country is a priviledge. It gives us an opportunity to win additional insights into who we are, what we are! This also helps us to better explain Polish culture to others: international leaders, expats, members of international teams, or adventure seekers. This is what we do at ETTA. We believe that meeting across cultures is the best way to learn for both sides. We stay humble in working on our intercultural competence, and we help leaders and teams work on their intercultural competence to make things happen in a better way!
For us at ETTA, intercultural competence is a part of inclusive leadership. We support the development of human centric leaders in the virtual and international environment. ETTA team will guide you in business psychology, inclusive leadership, cross-cultural communication, and virtual teams. We work remotely for groups from all over the world, conducting trainings, workshops and webinars in English, Polish, German, or French. With ETTA, you can do more with what you have, plus work on future skills like critical thinking or innovative mindset. Please do feel welcome to get in touch 👍😊
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