In the rich tapestry of Poland’s history, few events have had such a profound and lasting impact as the Baptism of Poland. This transformative event marked the official conversion of the Polish people to Christianity, forever altering the nation’s course and its cultural development. Let us delve into the historical background, the conversion of Mieszko…
Hussars or winged hussars (Husaria in Polish) were the elite heavy cavalry of the Polish Republic. Their distinctive feature being a pair of wings mounted on the back of the saddle, richly gilded armor, and equipment with an exotic pelt underneath. To this day, the image of a hussar with two wings attached to the…
The story of Wojtek, the bear, seems unbelievable at first. But after hearing it, it seems more plausible, even if you harbour a grain or two of doubt. If you then start to learn more about Polish culture, history and some of the things that Poland and its people have gone through, the concept of…
The phenomenon of religion in Poland makes the country what it is. And it’s important to note that there’s so much more to religion in Poland than the Catholic Church. Nearly every Polish city is home to a church, but there are thousands that also have synagogues, mosques, temples or other places of worship. Various…
If you’re thinking about dating someone from the eastern part of Europe, you should know a few things about their culture. Europe is one of the best places to live as an American, and as an Australian myself, I can vouch for it being pretty darn good. But dating and meeting people is a whole…
Polish names, just like the rest of the Polish language, aren’t always easy to pronounce. To add insult to injury, mispronouncing your Polish friend’s name can be quite embarrassing. And these are just the first or given names. When we start to look at Polish last names, the difficulty goes up a level. But look…
Polish people characteristics. They’re almost impossible to describe. In a 1543 dialogue titled ‘A short dissertation between three people, a Lord, a Mayor and a Priest‘ (Krótka rozprawa między trzema osobami, Panem, Wójtem a Plebanem), Poland is a country in which nobody fulfils their duties properly. Doing the bare minimum to get by is the…
The Polish Special Forces or Wojska Specjalne aren’t as well known as the Green Berets or the Navy Seals. They do however play a very important role in the safety and security of Poland and her allies. Any to just about anyone with a little bit of an interest in militaries of the world, Poland’s…
Poland is a country with many important cultural traditions. One of those is Fat Thursday (also known as tlusty czwartek), a day where Poles celebrate the beginning of Lent by eating as many sugary doughnuts for good luck. Poles celebrate this day with lots of fatty and sugary sweets, and many big businesses spend several…
Ask just about any Pole and they’ll tell you that the role of the Polish President is nothing more than that of a representative or figurehead. And to many Poles who don’t pay close attention to their constitution, that’s true. He doesn’t do much other than – well, he doesn’t do much. But when you…