Country Guide: Poland

Name: Poland (in Polish: Polska)

Continent: Europe

Capital (and Largest) City: Warsaw (in Polish: Warszawa)

Language: Polish

Currency: Polish Złoty

Drives on the: Right

Time Zone: Central European Time

Adaptor Types: Type C and Type E

Description: Poland is a relatively large country in Eastern Europe, which borders the Baltic Sea in the north and the Carpathian Mountains in the south, as well as several other European countries. It is known for its historic cities, including Kraków, Warsaw and Gdańsk, and it's also a popular hiking and skiing destination.

Why You Should Visit: I had a really fantastic and memorable time in Poland when I volunteered there in 2019, teaching English with the Angloville programme. There are many beautiful places to see throughout the country (I only saw a few, but I would definitely go back in the future). In addition, the people are very friendly, and everything is cheap, so you're sure to have a great time!

Fun Fact: The world's largest castle (the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork) is located in Poland!

My Blogposts About Poland

Charlotte's Travel Adventures

- Kraków

- Ciężkowice

- Volunteering in Poland With Angloville (Modrzewiowe Wzgórze)

- Travel Tips: My Ten Favourite Cities (Kraków)

- Travel Tips: My Ten Favourite Castles and Palaces (Wawel Castle, Kraków)

- UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Kraków)

- Travel Tips: My Top Five Mountain Destinations (The Tatra Mountains)

- Charlotte's Travel Adventures is 5 Years Old! (Kraków)

Clockwise starting from top left: St Mary's Basilica, Kraków; Wawel Castle, Kraków; Modrzewiowe Wzgórze; Statue of Ignacy Jan Paderewski in Ciężkowice; Kraków Cloth Hall

Check out the rest of my Country Guides here!

Ciężkowice

Halfway through the Angloville programme, we had a field trip to the town of Ciężkowice. A typically hard Polish name to pronounce! We were meant to go to a city of ancient rocks, but because it was tipping it down with rain, the plan was changed.

First of all, we went to a museum of natural history with an array of stuffed animals, just like in Wollaton Hall. Here we listened to a very robotic "English" voice telling us about the different wildlife that can be found in Poland. It turns out that there's quite a variety of creatures to be found there compared to the UK. This is something I'd already found out from my time at the Angloville venue!

Afterwards, we went to the town centre, where we could finally visit a shop and buy some food, after three days of surviving mostly on Nutella and stale bread! I picked up some snacks that looked uniquely Polish, or that at least couldn't be found in England!

Afterwards, I went for a bit of a walk around the town, which I found very charming.

The most famous sight is the statue of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, a Polish pianist and composer. If you press a button, the piano plays one of his compositions!

I think my favourite place was the church, which was surprisingly big and impressive given the size of the town.

It was really nice to escape from the venue and return to civilisation for a little while! It was also great to see a place that felt very authentic and untouched by mass tourism.

A cool thing I realised is that Ciężkowice is the furthest east I've ever travelled! So that was another reason why I enjoyed the field trip.

Next I will be posting about my time volunteering with Angloville in the venue of Modrzewiowe Wzgórze (try saying that)! It was a very varied but truly amazing experience, and I have a lot to write about it!