Poland

At A glance

Capital City: Warsaw

Land size: 304,255 sq km

Population: 38,093,101 (2022 est.)

Official language: Polish

Currency: Zloty (zł / PLN)

UNESCO properties and sites:

• Auschwitz Birkenau - German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945)
• Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork
• Centennial Hall in Wrocław
• Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica
• Historic Centre of Kraków
• Historic Centre of Warsaw
• Kalwaria Zebrzydowska: the Mannerist Architectural and Park Landscape Complex and Pilgrimage Park
• Krzemionki Prehistoric Striped Flint Mining Region
• Medieval Town of Toruń
• Muskauer Park / Park Mużakowski
• Old City of Zamość
• Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver-Zinc Mine and its Underground Water Management System
• Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines
• Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine
• Wooden Churches of Southern Małopolska
• Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe
• Białowieża Forest

Source: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/poland/


Get ready to fall in love with the captivating spirit of Poland, a country that will leave you with cherished memories and a desire to return. Discover the medieval treasures of Krakow, with its well-preserved Old Town and magnificent Wawel Castle. Explore the tranquil beauty of Masuria, hike through the Tatra Mountains, or visit the numerous wooden churches that dot the country.

Ride through the enchanting landscapes of the Polish countryside, where rolling hills, pristine lakes, and dense forests create a perfect setting for horseback riding adventures. Traverse picturesque trails that wind through national parks, rural villages, and historic sites.
A Polish horse-riding holiday will allow you to discover its hidden gems, meet its warm-hearted people, and create lifelong memories.

 

Brief History

Poland's history as a state began near the middle of the 10th century. By the mid-16th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ruled a vast tract of land in Central and Eastern Europe. During the 18th century, internal disorders weakened the nation, and in a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland among themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war.

Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force with over 10 million members. Free elections in 1989 and 1990 won Solidarity control of the parliament and the presidency, bringing the communist era to a close. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004.


Source: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/poland/

 

Cultural Insights

There is great stress on being polite and courteous.


Source: https://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Poland.html

 

Transportation

By Air
Poland has 12 international airports connecting all regions of the country to the rest of the world. See

Warsaw Airport (WAW)
Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport is the country’s largest and busiest airport, handling more than 40% of the country’s total passenger traffic. It handles approximately 40-50% of Poland’s air passenger traffic. The busiest international flights from the airport are to Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London, Chicago and Paris. There is only one passenger terminal, known as Terminal A.

Wrocław Airport (WRO)
Wrocław Nicolas Copernicus Airport is an international airport serving the city of Wrocław in the South West of Poland. The airport is situated 10km south-west of the city centre. It has two passenger terminals and one cargo terminal.

Krakow Airport (KRK)
Saint John Paul II Airport Krakow–Balice is an international airport in the village of Balice, near Krakow, 11km of the city centre in southern party of the country.

Gdansk Airport (GDN)
Gdansk Airport also known as Lech Wałęsa Airport is an international Polish airport located 12km west of the city of Gdansk. The airport is named after former Polish president.


By Rail
The railway network in Poland is well organized both in respect of convenient connections and the standard of travel. The majority of passenger trains in Poland are operated by PKP JSC, the Polish State Railways.
Express trains (Intercity) run between the larger cities without stopping at smaller stations. Many of them are a higher standard and has restaurant carts.
Fast trains are a bit slower and of a bit less standard. Many have old-style compartments for up to eight people.
Regional trains carry passengers to smaller towns and have more stops, but give you chance to visit smaller Polish towns and villages. These trains usually run over short routes.

The price of a ticket will depend on the type of train, distance and the class. Tickets are available at the ticket windows at railway stations, or on the intercity.pl website.

There are also night trains that link Poland with Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria.
You need to reserve sleeping accommodation or a seat on these trains in advance.


Source: https://getbybus.com/en/blog/airports-in-poland/
https://www.poland.travel/en/plan-your-trip/travel-information/by-train/types-of-trains
https://www.eurail.com/en/get-inspired/top-destinations/poland-train

 

Money

You can exchange money everywhere in Poland, in big cities and small towns. You can use an ATM machine or visit a bank, currency exchange counter in town or at a hotel reception desk.

All major foreign currencies may be exchanged for Polish money at a bank or exchange counter, (identified by the name Kantor). Over the counter exchange is available at larger hotels, at border crossings or in dedicated outlets across towns and cities. Transactions in kantors cannot be reversed.

In Poland, the use of credit cards is widely accepted, particularly in major towns and tourist attractions.
In supermarkets and most shops credit cards are a standard form of payment.

The most widely used cards are Europay International, MasterCard International, Visa International, and American Express, both embossed and electronic versions.
Electronic cards (Maestro, Visa Electron) can be used only in cash dispensers and at points of sale equipped with electronic card readers. Embossed cards (Eurocard/Mastercard, VISA) are not subject to such restrictions.


Source: https://www.poland.travel/en/plan-your-trip/about-poland/money

 

Health

If you need emergency medical assistance during your trip, dial 112 and ask for an ambulance. If you are referred to a medical facility for treatment you should contact your insurance/medical assistance company immediately.

In general, public medical facilities in Poland are good. Adequate medical care is available, but the quality of hospitals and nursing support may not be comparable to U.S. standards in all regions of Poland. Emergency services may be lacking in small towns and rural areas. Physicians are generally well-trained, and many younger doctors speak English (nurses and staff may not).

While medication and treatment are generally substantially less-costly than in the United States, doctors and hospitals often expect cash payment prior to treatment. Private hospitals usually require advance payment or proof of adequate insurance before admitting a patient.

Always carry your prescription medication in original packaging, along with your doctor’s prescription. Check with the Ministry of Health Poland to ensure the medication is legal in Poland.


Source: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/poland
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Poland.html

 

Electricity

Poland operates on a 230V supply voltage and uses type C and E plugs.

The Type C electrical plug (or Europlug) is a two-wire plug that has two round pins. It fits into any socket that accepts 4.0 – 4.8 mm round contacts on 19 mm centres. They are being replaced by E, F, J, K or N sockets which work perfectly with Type C plugs.

The Type E electrical plug has two 4.8 mm round pins spaced 19 mm apart and a hole for the socket's male earthing pin. The Type E plug has a rounded shape and the Type E socket has a round recess. Type E plugs are rated 16 amps.
Note: The CEE 7/7 plug was developed to work with Type E and Type F sockets with a female contact (to accept the earthing pin of the Type E socket) and has earthing clips on both sides (to work with Type F sockets).


Source: https://www.iec.ch/world-plugs

 

Communication

Time zone in Poland: Central European Standard Time (GMT +1)

International country code – 48

The regulatory environment has encouraged market competition, partly by encouraging operators to secure spectrum and also by ensuring access to cable and fiber infrastructure. The mobile market in recent years has been characterized by the rapid extension of LTE networks and the development of mobile data services based on newly released and re-farmed spectrum.


Source: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/poland/


Phrasebook

English	Polish
Hello!	Dzien dobry
Goodbye	Do widzenia
Good morning	Dzien dobry
Good evening	Dobry wieczor
Good night	Dobranoc
Please	Proszę
Thank you	Dziękuję
Yes	Tak
No	Nie

Source: https://www.poland.travel/en/plan-your-trip/about-poland/dzien-dobry-15-phrases-you-will-find-useful-in-poland

 

Entry Requirements

There are many countries whose citizens can visit Poland as tourists without visas. These include all European Union countries.
Visa free travel to Poland is also available to citizens of many countries outside the European Union.

Countries whose citizens can travel to Poland for up to 90 days without a visa include:
Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao (SAR), Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Vatican & Venezuela.

A visa is still required for a stay of longer than three months or when entering the country to take up paid employment.

Detailed information on rules covering entry and stay in Poland can be obtained from Polish embassies and consular offices.


Source: https://www.poland.travel/en/plan-your-trip/about-poland/rules-regulations

 

Embassies and Consulates

U.S. Embassy in Warsaw
Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31
00-540 Warsaw
Tel.: +48 22 504 2000

U.S. Consulate General in Krakow
ul. Stolarska 9
31-043 Krakow
Tel.: +48 12 424 5100

Consular Agency in Poznan
ul. Paderewskiego 8
61-770 Poznan
Tel.: +48 61 851 8516


Embassy of Canada in Poland
ul. Jana Matejki 1/5
00-481 Warsaw
Tel.:  +48 22 584 3100


Source: for USA https://www.usembassy.gov/
For Canada: https://travel.gc.ca/assistance/embassies-consulates

 

UNESCO Sites

Auschwitz Birkenau - German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945)
The fortified walls, barbed wire, platforms, barracks, gallows, gas chambers and cremation ovens show the conditions within which the Nazi genocide took place in the former concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest in the Third Reich. According to historical investigations, 1.5 million people, among them a great number of Jews, were systematically starved, tortured and murdered in this camp, the symbol of humanity's cruelty to its fellow human beings in the 20th century.

Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork
This 13th-century fortified monastery belonging to the Teutonic Order was substantially enlarged and embellished after 1309, when the seat of the Grand Master moved here from Venice. A particularly fine example of a medieval brick castle, it later fell into decay, but was meticulously restored in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the conservation techniques now accepted as standard were evolved here. Following severe damage in the Second World War it was once again restored, using the detailed documentation prepared by earlier conservators.

Centennial Hall in Wrocław
The Centennial Hall, a landmark in the history of reinforced concrete architecture, was erected in 1911-1913 by the architect Max Berg as a multi-purpose recreational building, situated in the Exhibition Grounds. In form it is a symmetrical quatrefoil with a vast circular central space that can seat some 6,000 persons. The 23m-high dome is topped with a lantern in steel and glass. The Centennial Hall is a pioneering work of modern engineering and architecture, which exhibits an important interchange of influences in the early 20th century, becoming a key reference in the later development of reinforced concrete structures.

Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica
The Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica, the largest timber-framed religious buildings in Europe, were built in the former Silesia in the mid-17th century, amid the religious strife that followed the Peace of Westphalia. Constrained by the physical and political conditions, the Churches of Peace bear testimony to the quest for religious freedom and are a rare expression of Lutheran ideology in an idiom generally associated with the Catholic Church.



Photo by Camille Loiseau

Historic Centre of Kraków
The Historic Centre of Kraków, the former capital of Poland, is situated at the foot of the Royal Wawel Castle. The 13th-century merchants' town has Europe's largest market square and numerous historical houses, palaces and churches with their magnificent interiors. Further evidence of the town's fascinating history is provided by the remnants of the 14th-century fortifications and the medieval site of Kazimierz with its ancient synagogues in the southern part of town, Jagellonian University and the Gothic cathedral where the kings of Poland were buried.

Historic Centre of Warsaw
During the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944, more than 85% of Warsaw's historic centre was destroyed by Nazi troops. After the war, a five-year reconstruction campaign by its citizens resulted in today's meticulous restoration of the Old Town, with its churches, palaces and market-place. It is an outstanding example of a near-total reconstruction of a span of history covering the 13th to the 20th century.

Kalwaria Zebrzydowska: the Mannerist Architectural and Park Landscape Complex and Pilgrimage Park
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska is a breathtaking cultural landscape of great spiritual significance. Its natural setting – in which a series of symbolic places of worship relating to the Passion of Jesus Christ and the life of the Virgin Mary was laid out at the beginning of the 17th century – has remained virtually unchanged. It is still today a place of pilgrimage.

Krzemionki Prehistoric Striped Flint Mining Region
Located in the mountain region of Świętokrzyskie, Krzemionki is an ensemble of four mining sites, dating from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age (about 3900 to 1600 BCE), dedicated to the extraction and processing of striped flint, which was mainly used for axe-making. With its underground mining structures, flint workshops and some 4,000 shafts and pits, the property features one of the most comprehensive prehistoric underground flint extraction and processing systems identified to date. The property provides information about life and work in prehistoric settlements and bears witness to an extinct cultural tradition. It is an exceptional testimony of the importance of the prehistoric period and of flint mining for tool production in human history.

Medieval Town of Toruń
Torun owes its origins to the Teutonic Order, which built a castle there in the mid-13th century as a base for the conquest and evangelization of Prussia. It soon developed a commercial role as part of the Hanseatic League. In the Old and New Town, the many imposing public and private buildings from the 14th and 15th centuries (among them the house of Copernicus) are striking evidence of Torun's importance.

Muskauer Park / Park Mużakowski
A landscaped park of 559.9 ha astride the Neisse River and the border between Poland and Germany, it was created by Prince Hermann von Puckler-Muskau from 1815 to 1844. Blending seamlessly with the surrounding farmed landscape, the park pioneered new approaches to landscape design and influenced the development of landscape architecture in Europe and America. Designed as a ‘painting with plants’, it did not seek to evoke classical landscapes, paradise, or some lost perfection, instead using local plants to enhance the inherent qualities of the existing landscape. This integrated landscape extends into the town of Muskau with green passages that formed urban parks framing areas for development. The town thus became a design component in a utopian landscape. The site also features a reconstructed castle, bridges and an arboretum.

Old City of Zamość
Zamosc was founded in the 16th century by the chancellor Jan Zamoysky on the trade route linking western and northern Europe with the Black Sea. Modelled on Italian theories of the 'ideal city' and built by the architect Bernando Morando, a native of Padua, Zamosc is a perfect example of a late-16th-century Renaissance town. It has retained its original layout and fortifications and a large number of buildings that combine Italian and central European architectural traditions.

Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver-Zinc Mine and its Underground Water Management System
Located in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland, one of the main mining areas of central Europe, the property includes the entire underground mine with adits, shafts, galleries and other features of the water management system. Most of the property is situated underground while the surface mining topography features relics of shafts and waste heaps, as well as the remains of the 19th century steam water pumping station. The elements of the water management system, located underground and on the surface, testify to continuous efforts over three centuries to drain the underground extraction zone and to use undesirable water from the mines to supply towns and industry. Tarnowskie Góry represents a significant contribution to the global production of lead and zinc.



Photo by Camille Loiseau

Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines
The deposit of rock salt in Wieliczka and Bochnia has been mined since the 13th century. This major industrial undertaking has royal status and is the oldest of its type in Europe. The site is a serial property consisting of Wieliczka and Bochnia salt mines and Wieliczka Saltworks Castle. The Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines illustrate the historic stages of the development of mining techniques in Europe from the 13th to the 20th centuries: both mines have hundreds of kilometers of galleries with works of art, underground chapels and statues sculpted in the salt, making a fascinating pilgrimage into the past. The mines were administratively and technically run by Wieliczka Saltworks Castle, which dates from the medieval period and has been rebuilt several times in the course of its history.

Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine
Situated in the eastern fringe of Central Europe, the transnational property numbers a selection of sixteen tserkvas (churches). They were built of horizontal wooden logs between the 16th and 19th centuries by communities of Orthodox and Greek Catholic faiths. The tserkvas bear testimony to a distinct building tradition rooted in Orthodox ecclesiastic design interwoven with elements of local tradition, and symbolic references to their communities’ cosmogony.  The tserkvas are built on a tri-partite plan surmounted by open quadrilateral or octagonal domes and cupolas. Integral to tserkvas are iconostasis screens, interior polychrome decorations, and other historic furnishings. Important elements of some tserkvas include wooden bell towers, churchyards, gatehouses and graveyards.

Wooden Churches of Southern Małopolska
The wooden churches of southern Little Poland represent outstanding examples of the different aspects of medieval church-building traditions in Roman Catholic culture. Built using the horizontal log technique, common in eastern and northern Europe since the Middle Ages, these churches were sponsored by noble families and became status symbols. They offered an alternative to the stone structures erected in urban centres.

Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe
This transnational property includes 94 component parts in 18 countries. Since the end of the last Ice Age, European Beech spread from a few isolated refuge areas in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides, Mediterranean and Pyrenees over a short period of a few thousand years in a process that is still ongoing. The successful expansion across a whole continent is related to the tree’s adaptability and tolerance of different climatic, geographical and physical conditions.

Białowieża Forest
The Białowieża Forest World Heritage site, on the border between Poland and Belarus, is an immense range of primary forest including both conifers and broadleaved trees covering a total area of 141,885 hectares. Situated on the watershed of the Baltic Sea and Black Sea, this transboundary property is exceptional for the opportunities it offers for biodiversity conservation. It is home to the largest population of the property’s iconic species, the European bison.


Source: https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/pl