The Polish culture is the fruit of a mixture of Latin heritages, but also byzantins and all the other cultures and Nations which overtook Poland. Thus the traditional clothes of the Polish nobility in XVIth and XVIIth centuries come from the ornaments of Eastern, and in particular Islamic art. In the same way, the germanisation, russianization and the communist time had an impact on the Polish culture. However, this one always knew to assimilate the exogenic elements to strengthen its unity and its specific cultural inheritance.

The Polish culture is clearly European, like are its great figures: Copernic the astronomist, Chopin the musician, Marie Curie the physician, and the Pope John Paul II... In spite of the forty years of Communism, the Poles are distinguished clearly from the Russians and the other Slavics from the East, topic that Milan Kundera highlighted in his thesis of the kidnapped West.

Security in Poland

Security is a word that appears everywhere in the advertising slogans, on television, in the newspapers. To feel secure is important for the Poles. And sometimes it comes close to obsession.
To ensure their safety, many shopping centers have their own security agents (ochrona). They wear proudly their smart uniforms. Some of them with their ranger look seem to come out straight from an American TV series. Ready to intervene in all cases, they watch out and will not hesitate to employ force.
Due to the same concern on security, most blocks of flats are provided with safety measures preventing the access to the unauthorized people generally in the form of a domofon (intercom).

Animals

Poles adore dogs and especially the pedigree ones. Each one seems to want to win in the competition of owning the most beautiful dog. Having a pedigree dog is a sign of success, as would be wearing smart clothes or driving an expensive car. This is particularly true in the cities where a great many dogs live in flats.

There are much more dogs than cats. In the countryside, farms have at least 4 or 5 dogs and the visitors are often welcomed by a concert of barkings. But these are usually not pedigree dogs.

Cars

Cars are one of the favourite talking subjects of Poles (of men particularly).
For some people, it is an almost inaccessible dream and if someone has got money, he will need to show it buying an expensive car worthy of his rank. A car is a sign of success.
A quality car does not remain in the street without keeping an eye on it. Despite the warning systems, there are still cars disappearing. So supervised car-parks (parking strzezony) are found all over large cities. 

stereotypes

What stereotypes are known about the Polish people? That they are hospitable, friendly and open-minded. They are always helpful, people in need can always turn to them for assistance. The Polish are hard-working and industrious, they feel close to nature. Polish people take pride in their history and achievements, they are freedom-loving. They lead a special way of life, respecting their heroic, Slavic and Christian traditions, meanwhile having a highly developed aesthetic sense. They also worship culinary pleasures as the Polish cuisine combines the Slavic and Latin features of meals. The Polish always observe their family occasions whole-heartedly and wherever they live in the world, they always remain Polish.

Flowers

Flowers form an important part of everyday Polish life. Poles give flowers to express their feelings – gratitude, sympathy or appreciation and as a symbol of friendship or reconciliation. Poland has extensive greenhouses which are able to supply high quality flowers all year round. As a result, buying flowers is almost always more a question of price rather than availability. When paying a visit to someone’s home, one is expected to offer flowers to the lady of the house. Polish homes usually have a stock of spare vases ready to cater to such welcome surprises. Arrivals, goodbyes, school ceremonies, weddings, examination success, theatrical performances, official functions and celebrations are not considered proper without flowers. Red roses carry the same potent symbol of love and affection as in other countries and blooms are always given in odd numbers.

Florists

Florists are everywhere, in shops, kiosks and on the pavement. Those known for their bouquet-making talent will attract people from far away. On certain occasions such as Valentine’s Day and University Graduation days, supplies of flowers are quickly depleted with disappointed purchasers having to resort to lesser tokens.

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