Polish customs, history, culture, lifestyle, and life

This book is the Polish edition of the World Cultural Journey series and covers Polish customs, history, culture, lifestyle, and general information about life.
Whether you're visiting Poland for business or simply for pleasure, we'll help you make your time in Poland richer and more memorable.
This book contains information about Polish local customs and traditions, history, religion, politics, Polish families, work, leisure, food, clothing, shelter, and communication.

Poland has long served as a bridge between East and West in central Europe.
With an area of ​​312,700㎢, it is one of the largest countries in Europe, slightly larger than Italy and slightly smaller than Germany.
With a population of 37.9 million, it is the fifth largest among the 27 EU countries.
---From "Chapter 1 Territory and People"

Over the years, Polish culture has been influenced by many factors.
The prominent Catholic Church, the proud aristocracy that has endured through the ages, a center of education and trade, constantly shifting borders, countless wars, the countries that occupied Poland, and even communism have all left their mark on Polish culture.

---From "Chapter 2: Values ​​and Way of Thinking"

Few people are as passionate about their holidays as the Poles.
Poles celebrate national holidays, religious events, weddings and name-days.
Moreover, the customs and ways of celebrating traditional Catholic holidays in Poland have strong pagan elements, creating a unique atmosphere.
---From "Chapter 3 Customs and Traditions"

Poles are lively and sociable.
However, in first meetings, especially when they are not introduced by an acquaintance, they are cautious and keep their distance from the other person.
Poles consider it unnatural, pretentious and even a little embarrassing to be too friendly on a first date.
This attitude is in contrast to the warm attitude shown towards friends and relatives.

---From "Chapter 4 Making Friends"

Family is at the heart of Polish culture.
Even though they are of different generations, many Polish people visit their parents frequently and go out to see them every weekend.
For Poles, home is not just a place to live, but a meeting place always open to family and friends.

---From "Chapter 5 Family Life"

One of the most positive changes since the fall of communism has been the dramatic increase in the availability of leisure activities.
Poles tend to work long hours but take a lot of vacation time, and few people want to spend their holidays at home.
International travel has become more common thanks to the reduced cost of travel to Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Alps.

---From "Chapter 6 Leisure Life"

Transportation to and from major cities is fast, safe, and cheap, but if you're traveling to less-traveled areas, the trip can be quite arduous, with little to no interesting cultural experiences.
But as capital flows in, the road network is gradually improving.

---From Chapter 7: Travel, Health, and Safety

Until recently, most of the executives of foreign companies in Poland were foreigners.
But now there are many excellent and experienced Polish executives in foreign companies as well.
Because they interact closely with foreigners and learn about their work, they have a competitive advantage over foreigners who are unfamiliar with Polish affairs.

---From "Chapter 8 Business Status"

Poles are very proud of their native language and consider it a sign of respect for Polish culture when foreigners make the effort to learn Polish.
Moreover, Poles believe that there are not many foreigners who want to learn Polish.
This is because there are many foreigners who have stayed in Poland for a long time but only know how to order drinks.

---From Chapter 9: Communication