Poland is such a diverse and beautiful country. There is a lot to do and see in this land and here are some interesting facts about it.
#1 - During WWII, Warsaw was almost totally destroyed and had to be rebuilt.
Warsaw
The destruction of Warsaw was Nazi Germany's substantially effected razing of the city in late 1944, after the 1944 Warsaw Uprising of the Polish resistance. The uprising infuriated German leaders, who decided to destroy the city as retaliation. The German razing of the city had long been planned.
Because seventy-five years before, the Nazis set about wiping Warsaw off the face of the earth. The planned destruction of Warsaw had been on the cards before German tanks and troops rolled over the border into Poland at the start of September 1939.
#2 - Ruthenian dumplings, not Russian
Pierogi
The word “pierogi” is actually plural, since it is rare to serve just one “pierog”. Poland’s flagship dish of pierogi is a kind of dumpling that originated in China and spread around Eurasia through Silk Road trade. Poland even has its patron for the variety of the dish, Saint Hyacinth (1183–1257). He brought the first recipe from Kyiv. According to legend, he cooked the dumplings and saved people in Kraków from famine.
The most popular kind is the ruskie pierogi – with a filling of quark cheese mixed with boiled potatoes, often served with lardons or fried onion. This recipe is not as old as Saint Hyacinth’s, because potatoes were not a popular staple food in Poland until the 19th century.
Traditional fillings include potato, sauerkraut, and meat. However, they can also be sweeter, filled with cheese or fruit like in our Blueberry Pierogi recipe.
#3 - Diversity of Polish landscape
Nature
The Polish landscape is very diverse because of the many elements that have formed it over millions of years.
Volcanoes, glaciers, water and wind have created beautiful scenery all around Poland, starting from the Mountains in the south through the central lowlands to the Lake District – Masuria and Baltic Sea – in the north.
The whole of southern Poland is covered by mountains and Bieszczady are the highlands in the south east of Poland which are probably the best place for those who enjoy hill walking in wild nature. This is the least populated part of Poland, which gives you more chance of meeting a bear than a person.
#4 - Polish language is very difficult to learn
Language
There are 32 letters in the alphabet.
Yes, you read correctly, 32 letters. The additional letters include extra dots and strokes, called diacritical marks: ą, ć, ę, ł, ń ó, ś, ż, ż. Most foreigners, studying Polish, like me, will surely have a headache or two.
The Poles, on the other hand have a small crush for weird letters and weird sounds. The word that has been acclaimed as the most beautiful one in 2020 is źdźbło (blade of grass). As you see, to make it even more fun, Poles tend to create clusters, like sz, cz, or dż, which give Polish the characteristic buzzing sound.
#5 - Europe's heaviest animals are found in Poland
Bisons
Bisons are the heaviest animals on the continent and undoubtly, one of the most admirable ones. Thanks to intensive conservation programmes, they have been rescued from extinction in Poland.
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