A few months ago, I (Gonzalo) did a trip to Poland. While Alfonso couldn´t join the trip, I learned a lot from the popular Polish culture. Time later when we talked about the country, we realized how different our opinion from Poland is. And the truth is that there are many Poland stereotypes. That is why we are telling you “What is Poland famous for?” The reality about it! We want to let you know that Poland is not the old country where the only thing they do is drink Vodka, there is way more than that.
Next you will find all the things Poland is famous for:
What is Poland?
First of all let us tell you What is Poland?!
Poland, also known as the Republic of Poland, is a country located in central Europe. The 7 countries that border Poland are: Russia, Germany, Lithuania, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Belarus .
When talking about Poland size and population, the country covers about 312.000 square kilometres and there are around 40.000 million people.
Poland´s capital and largest city is Warsaw and Poland official language is Polish.
Poland is divided into 16 provinces, and the official coin of Poland is the Polish złoty.
What are the famous places in Poland?
Before visiting Poland all I heard was that Poland was not a beautiful and it´s only famous for their history. After I visited it, I got mad with the comments I had heard before, because I saw with my own eyes incredible cities with fantastic streets and also a lot of green areas with the awesome landscapes of Poland.
Of course, many people know about the main two cities of Poland: Krakow and Warsaw. But there are also other fantastic cities to visit like Wroclaw and Gdansk or even the colourful Poznan. And if you are looking for other type of famous places, like natural parks, you can either go to Tatra or visit Zakopane to do hikes around that area. The famous places of Poland are on the top of the things Poland is known for!!
What are some famous landmarks in Poland?
Everyone talks about the famous landmarks in Europe like the Eiffel Tower, the Sagrada Familia of Barcelona or the Colosseum in Rome and there may not be as famous as the ones mention before, but the famous landmarks of Poland are also really impressive.
Some of the famous landmarks in Poland are castles, like the Malbork castle or the Wawel castle, which is located in Krakow. But not just that, other important landmarks are historical places like Auschwitz Memorial and the Museum. And of course, we can´t forget about the royal castle in Warsaw. Definitely there is more than just one wonder in Poland.
Famous rivers and mountains in Poland
One of the 5 interesting things about Poland is their geography, the famous rivers and mountains of Poland. As we said before Poland is not just famous because of their cities. One of the main elements that make Poland famous are their natural parks (mountains and rivers). If you travel to Poland, we recommend you to focus on doing hikes and visiting the mountains. You will have impressive viewpoints and landscapes to enjoy.
Of all the famous mountains in Poland, the one you may know about is the Tatras mountains, these are the most beautiful for many people. The Karkonosze National Park is also popular as there are many animals on that area. And when talking about rivers the Vistula and the Oder are really well known for being the largest rivers in Poland.
What is Poland famous food?
If you know a little bit about Polish food, you probably know that the famous Poland food is heavy and if you are worry about your weight then you can forget about trying the local and traditional food of Poland. Despite what people say German and Polish food is not that similar, but they do agree in one thing, they both eat a lot with bread and sausages.
What is Poland famous food? As we think gaining a few kilos in your trip to Poland is not a big deal, we are going to recommend you the best and most famous Polish dishes: The famous Pierogi is the most popular dish in Poland, they eat it a lot in Christmas and it´s a must! Another Polish dish I enjoyed a lot is the Gołąbki, which is basically a roll made of pork, rice, mushrooms and onions. And as a dessert you cannot miss the typical Polish croissant cookies. These are delicious!
Brief history of Poland
As we said before, when someone thinks about what is Poland famous for, many people would say for its history. And believe it or not, the history of Poland is shorter than what everyone thinks.
Brief history of Poland timeline
- It starts in the 10th century with the Piast dynasty.
- Then until the WWI, Poland keeps joining and dividing in different countries because of the wars and the first and second partition.
- During WWI Poland joins Germany and Austria and ends up becoming an independent nation, with Pilsudski as the dictator.
- In 1939 Poland divides in two between Germany and the Soviet Union at WWII.
- In 1941 millions of Jewish were killed in concentration camps in Polish territory because of the Holocaust.
- Russia invades and takes Germany out, finishing the war in 1945.
- Poland joins the Soviet Union in 1947 and becomes communist.
- The country goes through new elections in 1989 and Lech Walesa wins the elections.
- In 2004 Poland joins the EU