Not that many, is the shortest answer. According to yesterday’s Observer, in 2008 (or was it 2009? it wasn’t terribly clear), 1.58m people visited Poland from the UK. That number rose by 1.7% compared to, presumably, the previous year.

In the same period 1.49m people came from Poland to visit the UK, an increase of 15.3%.

It’s unclear whether the figures include any migrants or indeed how precise they are. But they clearly suggest there is more people in the UK who still haven’t visited Poland than those who’ve already sampled kielbasa in its native land.

Spain remains THE destination of choice for most Brits – almost 14 million people chose sangria over Zubrowka. Just under 11 million hopped across the Channel to France.

So let me ask you – how many times have you visited Poland so far? The survey should display in the middle column, to the right of this post. It applies to non-Poles, obviously, but everyone is welcome to leave a comment below.

And if you’re still looking for Bank Holiday ideas, let me just tell you that Gdansk, Wroclaw or Krakow – let alone the Tatra Mountains – look fabulous in May…

]]> http://thepolskiblog.co.uk/2010/04/how-many-times-have-you-visited-poland/feed/ 5 http://thepolskiblog.co.uk/2010/04/green-nobel-for-a-polish-environmentalist/ http://thepolskiblog.co.uk/2010/04/green-nobel-for-a-polish-environmentalist/#comments Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:39:54 +0000 Michał http://thepolskiblog.co.uk/?p=1122

I’ve recommended north-eastern parts of Poland a few times before, but I don’t think I’ve mentioned the Rospuda Valley.

Like many areas in that part of Poland, Rospuda Valley is quite spectacular. To quote a recent AP report:

the Rospuda Valley [is] a pristine area in northeastern Poland containing a peat bog amid a virgin pine forest that is home to endangered bird species, orchids, eagles, lynxes, wolves, elk, wild boars, otters and beavers.

In recent years it also became the bone of contention between the Polish government and many environmentalists as the former wanted to build a motorway right through the Valley.

Via Baltica is to link Warsaw and Helsinki and the Rospuda Valley lies slap bang in the middle. But the government didn’t bother with alternative routes and carried on with its original plans.

A Polish conservationist called Malgorzata Gorska from the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds led a successful campaign to stop the development and yesterday she was awarded this year’s Goldman Environmental Prize, also known as the “Green Nobel.”

Here’s how AP reported Gorska’s fight with the Polish officials:

The Goldman prize said Gorska was “instrumental in fostering a citizens’ movement and developing a case against the Polish government to protect the Rospuda Valley from construction.”

After efforts to persuade the government to stop its plans failed, Gorska took advantage of Poland’s new membership in the EU, which it joined in 2004, making the case that the project violated environment regulations known as the EU’s Natura 2000.

The EU, as a result of her campaign, filed suit against Poland’s government in 2007, forcing it to suspend work until the court could examine the case. While the European Court of Justice did that, a Polish court found the route violated national laws, and in 2009 the Polish government gave up its plans to build the expressway through the valley.

If you’ve ever driven in Poland you know how desperate Poland is for good quality motorways. But not at any cost. So well done to Malgorzata!

Image by Pedalofilo via Flickr used under Creative Commons Attribution licence

If your commute takes ages – like mine – and if you keep complaining about not having enough time to digest your dinner, consider Cittaslow.

It would seem north-eastern Poland, with its lakes and forests and endless green fields, is hoping to attract people who want to live their lives in the slow lane. Hence the idea to join Cittaslow – a growing international network of small towns in 18 countries that have adopted a common set of rules and principles to improve the quality of life for those who live there. And for their visitors too.

The idea is to grow the local community, encourage people to support local food producers, attract visitors an make them feel welcome. A few British cities have already joined Cittaslow UK, but today I came across a mini gallery put together by the Huffington Post and featuring some Polish cities.

According to the site, Lidzbark Warmiński, Reszel, Biskupiec, and Bisztynek have joined the network and it would seem they are the first Polish cities to introduce the movement in Poland. As the Huffington Post says:

Decisions to adopt this philosophy were reached by the councils of the four cities together, to create a Polish network.

Not sure how many people are really willing to give up their cozy urban pads for this life in the slow lane, but it’s great news anyway, at least for the four communities.

But I also have to say it surprised me to learn that four different towns managed to agree on something together.

Is this the beginning of the end for the (in)famous Polish saying: “Where you have two Poles, you’ll have three different points of view”?

Image of Lidzbark Warminski (top) © JerzyW, and Reszel © jophan, both via Flickr and used under Creative Commons licence

This one is for music lovers planning a trip to Warsaw.

To mark the bicentennial of Frederic Chopin’s birth (yes, he was Polish), the Polish capital has published a Chopin audio city guide.

Available in eight languages, the guide will take tourists to some key locations related to the great pianist.

You can download the audio guide from Warsaw City Hall’s website (in English and other languages) or you can get in while walking through the capital as there will be several ‘music banks’ with special codes, which you can scan using your mobile – and get the audio files this way.

If you are a Chopin fan, you’ll be pleased to know that next year over 2,000 evens are planned across the globe to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth – and over half of them will take place various cities across Poland.

Just remember that – as Chopin was born to a French father and Polish mother – his name will often be spelt in two different ways in Poland. Frederic Chopin is the internationally recognised spelling of course, but Poles will refer to him as Fryderyk Szopen. The pronunciation is similar, just swap the French accent for a Polish one

So, if you haven’t been yet, it looks like 2010 might be a good year to visit Poland at last!

Frederic Chopin Statue in Warsaw – image © Patrick F via Flickr, used under Creative Commons licence

It’s a strange thing. My first ever visit to the UK years ago brought me to Birmingham, as my family lived in Worcestershire and I had to change there. My first impression? “God, this place is as ugly as Katowice!” Katowice is a big city in the south of Poland and it’s the capital of the most industrialised part of Poland, the Upper Silesia. It also happens to be close to my birth place.

Katowice as a city is old, but not ancient. Its Art Deco quarter is quite atmospheric, although you need to know it’s there as mostly you’re likely to see a mixture of pre-WWII buildings and ugly 1960s architecture. The city seemed a bit purposeless and at times grim. Quite like Birmingham. Although both have made some improvements in recent years.

A few weeks ago I bumped into Pete, also known as The Londoneer at a bloggers’ meet-up in London. He told me he was going to Katowice soon, so I got very excited and wanted to bore him to death with tips. But then I thought – let him discover the city in his own way. And he has.

He has just posted his impressions from Katowice. And guess what? There’s a little reference to Birmingham. Glad I’m not the only one:

I have to start by saying that this is not a pretty place by any means – it has none of the grandeur of Krakow, Wroclaw or Gdansk, although it is more attractive than its northern neighbour, Lodz, which really isn’t saying much!  It also has a really ugly 1960s railway station which is an even more depressing sight than Birmingham New Street (if you’ve been there you know what I mean!)

Ouch. The station IS really ugly, and they’ve been wanting to rebuild it for ages now. Some people say it should be razed to the ground and rebuilt, some claim – and if you’re an architect you may understand their sentiment – that it is a fine example of Brutalist Architecture and as such should be preserved. Perhaps, but do all Brutalist buildings smell of wee?

Anyway, not all about Katowice is so bad:

So why have I returned to London with a smile on my face if that’s all there is? Well, it does have a remarkable concert hall, the Spodek, designed to look like a huge flying saucer, and a towering 100 feet high monument to the involvement of the Polish Army in battles throughout the last 200 years that resembles three gently folded angel wings. Although they’re spread out across the city centre, it also boasts some really lovely restaurants where we enjoyed some perfectly executed Polish dishes which, given that this is by no means a tourist destination, were ridiculously cheap.

Awww, how nice. Pete didn’t have a chance to explore the rest of Upper Silesia, but trust me, there’s so much more to see there – from the 19th century architecture of Bytom to post-industrial landscapes of every major city in the area. One day I’ll write more about Bytom. You can read more about Pete’s trip here.

For now I feel like a perfectly executed Polish dish.

Image © The Londoneer – used with author’s permission

MORE:

→ Visit Poland with The Londoneer

I had a bit of a break and enjoyed a week in New York. But even while there you can’t escape all things Polish.

Every five minutes I saw ads for Sobieski, the Polish vodka, which seems to be getting a big marketing push in New York (and I’m guessing elsewhere in America too):

The posters and even video ads were very visible, but unlike their UK equivalent from last year they were in English.

Belvedere, another, more exclusive Polish vodka, also had a lot of exposure there. But before you accuse me of spreading alcoholism, let me switch to other traces of Poland in New York I noticed.

Williamsburg in Brooklyn is a nice, trendy enclave a couple of Subway stops from Manhattan. With funky bars, chilled out cafes, a few book stores and a few galleries. But it’s also a few minutes from Greenpoint, traditionally a Polish district in New York, a place where generations of working class Poles settled in their search for a better life across the Atlantic.

Whether they’ve found it, I don’t know, but they did turn that part of Brooklyn into Little Poland. And even though I never visited Greenpoint itself, Williamsburg was full of Polish faces, Polish language and a couple of Polish places like this one:

But the biggest surprise was this fantastic exhibition of Polish posters at the Museum of Modern Art in midtown Manhattan:

The best examples of the Polish Poster School are on display there and even though it’s not a massive display, you can see some of the best posters created in Poland between 1945 and 1989 by such great artists as Franciszek Starowieyski, Henryk Tomaszewski or Jan Sawka.

If you happen to be in the area, do visit the Museum, it’s worth it.

Seen any other Polish traces? Wanna share them on this blog? Drop me an email:

My second Polish travel tip for the summer is aimed at those of you who love water – and big lakes in particular:

1. What is it?

Mazury is famous for its wild, largely unspoilt nature and numerous lakes. It’s very popular in the summer, many Poles go there for their summer holidays.

2. Where is it?

Mazury is a region in north-eastern Poland; easy to reach from Warsaw or Gdańsk.

3. Why bother?

Whether you love spending time on a boat, do a bit of bird-watching or just relaxing in the middle of nowhere, the Mazury lake district is big enough to cater for all those needs.

4. And you don’t want to miss…

… Śniardwy, the largest lake in Poland, and the neighbouring town of Mikołajki.

5. Want to know more?

Visit this site (in Polish, but with a nice Google map with photos). ALternatively read all about Mazury on Wikipedia.

→ More travel tips

Image © ekieraM via Flickr, used under Creative Commons licence

I’ve been asked by a few people to post something on basic questions regarding directions and asking for help in Polish. And as the summer holiday season is upon us, here are some basic phrases you may need while travelling in Poland.

Let’s start by buying a ticket. Any ticket.

Bilet

Ticket. The plural is:

Bilety.

If you want a normal one, you need

Bilet normalny.

However if you need a discounted fare, you will ask for

Bilet ulgowy.

Usually if you are at a station you’ll get your ticket from

Kasa (biletowa)

A ticket desk. And if they speak English there, then you’re in luck. Otherwise, try asking for a ticket by saying:

Poproszę bilet do Krakowa

“Can I have a ticket to Krakow, please?”

Poproszę bilet

will do the trick if the ticket desk sells only one kind of tickets, for example tram or bus tickets. Now, you might already have your ticket, but you cannot find the station. Ask for directions:

Przepraszam, gdzie jest stacja (kolejowa)?

which translates as “Excuse me, where is the (train) station?” As everywhere, it pays to be polite to the locals, hence the word ‘przepraszam’ at the beginning. You can also try a similar pharse:

Przepraszam, jak dojść do stacji?

“Excuse me, how do I get to the station?” Which is probably more useful as it’s not train station specific and can be used for all sorts of stations. Obviously.

Right, that will do for now. I’m exhausted just writing this stuff, you must be exhausting trying to put all the consonants together. Most travel phrases next time!

→ More ‘polish your Polish’ language tips

Summer is almost here, many people are planning trips to Poland, time for some travel tips. Every now and then I’ll be publishing short travel tips focussing on some great places to visit in Poland.

I’ll try to keep them brief. To kick the series off, here’s the first one – why not try something really cool this summer, like visiting Wieliczka.

1. What is it?

It’s a stunning old salt mine, the only one in the world which has been in use since the Middle Ages.

2. Where is it?

Just outside Kraków, a short drive from the city in the town of Wieliczka.

3. Why bother?

It’s a breathtaking journey through endless underground corridors and chambers, which have been carved in rock and salt by generations of salt miners. The most stunning bits are the massive salt chandeliers, altars and sculptures.

4. And you don’t want to miss…

… the music concerts 135 meters below the surface, the spa and the New Year’s Ball.

5. Want to know more?

Visit their official site (in English)

More tips soon. You too can add yours here! Just email me your tips – ideally in the format above :

Image © Pete Reed via Flickr used under Creative Commons licence

During a recent bloggers meet-up in London I had a nice chat with many bloggers, but missed one, whose blog – The Londoneer – I discovered post factum.

The Londoneer is well-travelled and recently published a couple of posts after his visit to Lodz, an old industrial city in the heart of Poland, not far from Warszawa. So I got in touch with Pete, the blog’s author to ask if I could republish some of his pics and quote his Polish posts here.

I like the way he writes about Poland – trying to explain why things are the way the are, how the history shaped the country, its cities and people, paying an equal amount of attention to the ugly side of Lodz:

We were a little surprised to discover exactly how ugly Lodz is, for the most part. It has no beautiful main square like most big Polish cities, not even a reconstructed one – the one here is the ugliest town square I’ve ever seen – a brutalist 1950s communist replacement that is being allowed to slowly decay.

as well as the nicer one:

It’s not all doom and gloom however. Strangely, whilst the city is ugly, its citizens are beautiful – in fact I have never seen so many attractive people all in one place. Walking around the city centre was like walking around a film set or through the pages of a fashion catalogue. Also, its really worth noting that Lodz’ inhabitants have an unusually sunny and friendly disposition – the nicest folk in Poland I have encountered so far.

You can find out more about the once thriving industrial city here and about its dark past here.

Also, check his post on the beautiful city of Wrocław (below). There are some lovely descriptions of Wrocław’s architecture, its people and some great tips for eating out too.

I wonder if any of you have been to Lodz or Wroclaw – if so, what do you think? Do you agree with Pete’s impressions of those places?

All images ©thelondoneer, reproduced with the author’s permission

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