Quick Polish update

I am currently finishing a short family holiday in Poland in the Tatra mountain. So publication schedule has been a bit slower than normal. I will soon resume with a report analyzing the less covered pillar of the Eurasian Tripod, Iran.

I recently wrote about Poland as the emerging dominant power in Eastern Europe.

The New Polish Commonwealth (Part1)

So I thought a few ground observations after 2 weeks in the country could prove interesting.

Polish culture

First Poland is Catholic. Very Catholic. Cities have images of saints, crosses, or angels all over their flag/logo. The churches are packed on Sunday. No post-Christian era in Poland, including in the big cities.

Second, Polish people seem overall healthy. No visible obesity, instead a lot of very fit people. This was true in the capital Warsaw, Krakow, the countryside or the tourist area.

Lastly, outfits and looks are very traditional in most places I visited (with an exception detailed below). No colored hairs, strange outfit of alternative gender in sight.

Together with the visible presence of Christianity in the public square, this confirms the general trend of Poland emerging as a rallying point for conservatism in Europe. Walking the street in Poland felt like being in the video showcasing the ideal society as viewed by a right-wing political party.

Polish Infrastructure

Having driven through Poland countless times over the last 10 years, I must say the progress in road infrastructure is staggering. Most cities and villages can now be avoided through massive highways. Massive and beautifully designed bridges everywhere. New sidewalks in villages, bike roads, etc…

The whole place is building even better infrastructure, on top of a pretty good one already in place. The same seems to hold true for train networks. Most of it is probably EU funding, to be honest, but it was used really well.

Today’s Poland look nothing like a post-Soviet country anymore.

The other observation is how new 50-80% of houses look, including in the deep country side (thanks to creative “shortcuts” by Google Maps, I really can confirm that…). Much better than in countries like France.

People put a LOT of money into their houses and take great care of their gardens. Most grow food in addition to flowers. Postcard landscape everywhere really.

Polish Economy

From billboards abundant everywhere and TV ads, it feels like the consumer economy is driven by

• Construction material

• Plant and garden sales

• Cars and car parts

• Photovoltaic sales

More seriously, I was shocked at the number of new or expanding massive factory buildings. Plastics, furniture, metal, machinery, shoes, trams, you name it, it’s made in Poland. The dynamism of 30 years of continuous economic growth is visible everywhere.

Regarding energy, a lot of households commonly still use coal )and wood) to stay warm. A wheelbarrow of coal by a house can be commonly spotted. Quite a lot of solar panels on roofs and large windmills on the North coast. Despite that, the economy is still essentially coal-powered.

This most likely explains why Polish don’t feel the need to save on gas, despite German pressures. The EU still holding back Covid-relief funding probably doesn’t help to make Poland feel sympathy for Germany being suddenly short of Russian gas.

Polish-Ukraine relationship & war

In the Baltic countries, the Ukraine flag is everywhere. On cars, official buildings, shops, etc… Surprisingly, not so in Poland. I struggled to see any anywhere.

I suspect Poland's support of Ukraine is more motivated by resistance to Russia than its love for Ukraine. The massacre of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists in WWII is probably not forgotten.

This would point to a more likely post-war scenario of Ukraine's vassalization by Poland than a partnership between equals.

Poland's military is clearly on high alert. We saw heavy equipment (artillery, tanks, troop transports) on highways, presumably returning from exercises on the Eastern border. The country has also recently signed a massive deal with South Korea for the delivery of 1000 tanks, 672 artillery and 48 warplanes.

Touring Poland

At last, a less serious note about visiting Poland.

Overall the country feels extremely safe and clean. Probably more than most of Europe frankly: less messy than South of Europe, less criminality than in the West.

Prices are also much lower, with fuel at 1.5EUR/L, cheap food, and beer. The family pension we stayed in the Tatra mountain did cost 350 EUR for 10 nights for 3 people.

Warsaw is beautiful, and the rebuilding of the old town was done extraordinarily well.

Krakow is beautiful too, and the countryside south of the city is dotted with medieval castles, pretty villages, and beautiful forests.

The North-East corner around Augustow and Suwalki is lovely, dotted with hills and small lakes.

The Tatra mountains are gorgeous and on par with the Swiss or Austrian Alps. The one negative point I would give the Tatra is that it is crowded. Far too many people on too few paths. If like me you like mountains for solitude and peace, hoping to the Slovakian side might be better

once you saw the main landmark of the Polish Tatra. On the good side, the paths are extremely friendly for small children or the elderly, to the point of a large (pedestrian) asphalt road up to a 1500m high gorgeous mountain lake, Morskie Oko. Just add in real a LOT of people in the picture below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morskie_Oko#/media/File:Morskie_Oko_o_poranku.jpg

Gdansk, the least polish town in Poland?

To counterbalance my Poland= a conservative paradise point, I would single out Gdansk. The city itself is beautiful, mixing artfully medieval, neoclassic, and modern buildings. It still felt extremely Western compared to even the capital Warsaw.

Depending on where you stand on the political spectrum, you would either love it or hate it. Gdansk had way more modern vibes than any other place we stopped at. It could easily have been a neighborhood of Berlin.

This means a lot more restaurant diversity, a lot of cultural life, and very dynamic vibes. This also means a lot more overweight people, tattoos, and “non-traditional” lifestyles on display. This is also the only Polish city where I saw any trash in the streets (and quite a lot of it).

Interestingly, the city was also choke full of Ukrainian flags and even activists with signs on the street.

Overall, this left me wondering if some of the Western parts of Poland are not at odds with the rest of the country's cultural direction. Not sure if this is a Gdansk-specific phenomenon or an East-West divide.

Conclusion

Poland is the place few think to visit but should. This visit confirmed to me that the country is likely to turn into a model to look up to for Eastern Europeans. It is also a great place to be a tourist and enjoy picturesque villages, beautiful nature, and splendid cities, all of it for a remarkably cheap price.

What surprised me is the rarity of public support for Ukraine. I might have underestimated the weight of a bloody history on the relationship between the 2 countries. Military support is one thing, actually friendly relations are another.

Hopefully, recent initiatives will bridge the gap. Notably easier visas for Poles, no need for a work permit of starting a company in Ukraine, and access to medical care and education. This might be the first step toward the creation of my forecasted “New Polish Commonwealth“.

The less charitable interpretation is a slow takeover of Ukraine by Poland. Maybe both can be true at the same time, depending on how the war evolved.

I hope these “boots on the ground” observations were of some interest to you.

I am curious to hear other people's opinions on what is now the most interesting country in Europe in my opinion. Tell me in the comments if you have any experience that confirms or contradicts some points of this article.