Every country has to deal with national stereotypes, and Poland is no exception˳
Despite the many years that have passed from the fall of the communist regime and Poland’s entry in the European Union, many nations around the world still consider the country a reclusive Eastern European corner where people eat pierogi, fight the Soviet state, and go to church every Sunday˳ And this is not Poland would like to be famous for˳
While some of these stereotypical ideas about Poland still hold true (pierogi are just as delicious as ever), many things have changed and Poles would like others to acknowledge them˳
So what is Poland famous for?
Changing a country’s reputation takes a lot of time and effort:
We’re talking years of promoting all things Polish˳
As the image of Poland slowly changes, we get to appreciate the discrepancies between what the Polish wish their country was known for and what are the actual common associations that other nations have when they hear about Poland˳
Of course, there are many popular typical Polish things and famous Poles known worldwide˳ All off them are worth remembering˳ However, you can also dig into those things that are less obvious, but still important about our country˳
Here are the things that the Polish would like to be famous for and what they’re actually famous for˳
What are Polish people known for?
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Hospitability
Once you enter a Polish home, expect to be treated like a member of the royalty˳ We have a popular saying here, which rougly translates to having a guest in the house is like having a God in the house˳
You will surely be well fed and taken care of with devotion and respect!
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Beautiful girls
While wandering around the streets of Poland, you will surely notice that there is no shortage of truly gorgeous women˳
The unique Slavic beauty combined with warm, charming personalities make Polish women the ultimate dreamgirls for many men from all around the world˳
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Complaining
If you ask a Pole how is he doing, the response will be… honest˳ You won’t hear the polite fine! no matter the circumstances˳ If he is having a great day then sure, he will let you know, but otherwise – be prepared to hear him out when he talks about bad weather, horrible traffic, annoying politicians, unsatisfying job˳
We like to believe that it’s not that we like to complain – we just like to tell you how it is!
Delicious food
It’s hard to compete with other European nations like Italy or France for the title of the best cuisine on the continent˳ But most of the time, the Polish are convinced that pierogi are just as delicious as tortellini, and deserve to be appreciated by foodies˳
Polish food is not only pierogi, but also quite specific things, such as tripe, cucumbers pickled in salty brine, sauerkraut, curd, buttermilk and kefir˳
Unfortunately, when asked about the Polish cuisine, most people are likely to recall pierogi, potatoes, or sauerkraut˳ Not a very attractive set, is it?
But there’s so much more to Polish cuisine than this˳ In fact, regional delicacies often remain hidden from sight˳
Even though Poles like their local cuisine, Polish dishes take hours to prepare and only the most patriotic Poles out there show the determination required to organize a real Polish dinner for their friends˳
And that’s why Poland remains known as the country of pierogi and potatoes˳
And nobody even appreciates the creativity that goes behind creating the myriad potato dishes Poland is famous for! Whether they’re baked and topped with a creamy mushroom sauce, or made into side dishes like kopytka, pyzy, and countless other dumplings, potatoes are just the best – and that’s what every Pole knows deep in their heart˳
Different drinking culture
If you meet a Pole abroad and ask them how much vodka they’ve had the last weekend, they will probably try to convince you that the drinking culture has changed in their country and looks nothing like during the Soviet times˳
They’ll try to convince you that the Polish now prefer to have a pint of hipster artisan beer or a glass of expensive French wine˳ After all, we are third European beer producer˳
But don’t be fooled˳
Poles might not start their day with a shot of vodka for breakfast, but when it comes to drinking, they still pick vodka over other kinds of alcoholic beverages˳ And no wonder – Polish vodka is very good and very cheap˳
Now…
Poles might claim that they drink only when the occasion calls for it˳ But any occasion is a good occasion for a drink in Poland˳
The Polish don’t want to be famous for their drinking habits, but they actually are˳ And once you get into their inner circle, you’ll see that their fame is well-deserved˳ Keeping up with the Polish when they party is challenging, especially since Poles like to brag about how much alcohol they can hold and how little it affects them˳
If you want to make some real friends in Poland, you simply need to go out drinking together˳ That’s how Poles get to really know each other – your best friends are usually the people who have seen you wasted˳
Poland = a modern democracy
Poles would like to be known as a progressive nation that managed to come out of the 2008 economic crisis relatively unscathed and can now be proud of its steady economic growth˳
Moreover, the Polish want others to know that their communist past is behind them and today Poland stands strong as a modern democratic country˳
Unfortunately, many people believe that Poland still somehow remains under the Russian influence and the remnants of the communist regime are very much present in the Polish culture˳
There’s no denying that the communist architecture style dominates over many Polish cityscapes, but just in case you missed out on that moment – it’s been more than 25 years since Poland became an independent democratic country˳
Speaking of communist architecture, it is impossible to overlook a very characteristic building, which is not only the tallest building in Poland, but one of the Polish landmarks˳ It is the Palace of Culture and Science located in the center of Warsaw, which was entered in the register of monuments in 2007˳ The building was erected in the years 1952-1955 according to the design of the Soviet architect Lev Rudnev and is inspired by Moscow skyscrapers˳
Many Poles suffered the consequences of the Soviet rule and remember the communist regime very well, but if you ask anyone in their early 30s and younger, you’ll only get blank stares˳
This generation grew up surrounded by Western influences that exploded in the country during the 1990s and has no memories at all of communist Poland˳ To young Poles, PRL times feel like ancient history˳
Talented athletes
Poland can boast of international successes in many fields of sport because Polish people love to compete˳ You will certainly hear them tell stories of our bloved athletes more than once˳ We cannot only boast of success in team sports – volleyball and handball, but we also have many individual multi-medalists˳
Also when people ask, what is Poland known for, we think of low temperatures, long winters and a large amount of snow˳ That is why – although our mountains are not impressive in terms of altitude – it is not surprising that we achieve many significant successes in winter sports˳
Let’s start with ski jumping, a discipline that Polish people love and what is Poland famous for˳ You will certainly hear about Adam Małysz and Kamil Stoch – as they are considered almost national heroes! What’s more, if you come to Poland during the ski jumping competition season, Polish people will encourage you to see the Polish ski jumper’s efforts with your own eyes˳ The competitions organized in Zakopane are truly festive event˳
Speaking of winter sports, Justyna Kowalczyk, a Polish cross-country skier, and among others an Olympic champion and multi-medalist winner, for many seasons provided Poles with deep emotion when competing with her rivals from Norway or Sweden˳
Another sport discipline in which we have achieved numerous successes is tennis˳ Agnieszka Radwańska’s matches were followed by many Poles, and now tennis enthusiasts rave about her young successor, Iga Świątek˳
Polish people also love fast cars… Therefore, it is no surprise that as soon as Robert Kubica started competing in Formula 1 racing, all his fellow country-men watched his tests and his races in the Grand Prix as he made his first win˳ Many people consider Kubica as one of the most popular Poles in the world˳
Amazing football team
Poles simply love football˳ They’re easily the most passionate football enthusiasts out there˳ And they really, really want you to know that Poland has an amazing football team that just somehow never got around to winning a championship˳
Well, that one is quite obvious…
While Polish players provide their talents to many different teams all over over the world, the Polish national football team hasn’t realized that common dream many Poles share yet˳
Instead of being known for a great team of football players, the Polish have to accept the fact that their country will never be famous for figures like Robert Lewandowski, but always associated with Lech Walesa (the founder of the Solidarity movement that contributed to the fall of the Iron Curtain) and Pope John Paul II˳
The association is so widespread that it sometimes makes most Poles cringe with irritation˳ Sure, both these figures played an important role in local and global history, but to have their names shouted at you every time you mention that you come from Poland gets old after a while˳
Poland was invaded and fought for freedom 43 times from 1600 till 1945, but the Polish don’t want to be constantly reminded of their tragic history˳ Instead, they want to look toward the future and have their country associated with someone modern and exciting˳
Famous Polish football players
We have already mentioned Robert Lewandowski, who is currently the brightest star of Polish football, but there are (and were) more incredibly talented footbalers in our country˳
Remember Zbigniew Boniek? He is currently the president of Polish Football Association, but in his years as an active player he was scoring goals for (amongst others) the giants such as Juventus and Roma˳
Kazimierz Deyna was one of the absolute best in his generation˳ The incredibly talented attacking midfielder died tragically in 1989 at just 41, having managed to build a very impressive career before that˳
Today we have Kuba Błaszczykowski, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Łukasz Piszczek, Wojciech Szczęsny and many other gifted and accomplished footballers who are making it big in the best clubs all around the globe˳ And we keep our fingers crossed for their success – as we already mentioned, Poles take their football very seriously!
