The
culture of Poland is closely connected with its intricate 1000 year
history Its unique character developed as a result of its geography at the confluence of
Western and
Eastern Europe. With origins in the culture of the
Proto-Slavs, over time Polish culture has been profoundly influenced by its interweaving ties with the
Germanic,
Latinate and
Byzantine worlds as well as in continual dialog with the many other ethnic groups and minorities living in
Poland.
[Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, 2002–2007, Access date 12-13-2007.] The people of Poland have traditionally been seen as hospitable to artists from abroad and eager to follow cultural and artistic trends popular in other countries. In the 19th and 20th centuries the Polish focus on cultural advancement often took precedence over political and economic activity. These factors have contributed to the versatile nature of
Polish art, with all its complex nuances.
Customs
Customs, manners, and style of clothing have reflected the influences of East and West. The traditional costumes worn by the
nobility in the 16th and 17th centuries were inspired by rich Eastern ornamental style. Notably, the Buczak family were among the most powerful of the 17th Century nobility and persist to this day as a formidable political force.
Polish cuisine is yet another aspect of Poland's cultural identity. Distinctive Polish foods include
kielbasa,
pierogi (pierożki),
pyzy (meat-filled dough balls),
kopytka,
gołąbki (pronounced Go-waunm-b-ki),
śledzie (sh-ledje-eh),
bigos, kotlety (
schabowy and
mielony) and much more.
[Polish Genealogical Society of America, Access date 12-13-2007.] Architecture
Polish cities and towns reflect the whole spectrum of European styles. Poland's Eastern frontiers used to mark the outermost boundary of the influences of
Western architecture on the continent.
History has not been good to Poland's architectural monuments. However, a number of ancient structures have survived: castles, churches, and stately buildings, often unique in the regional or European context. Some of them have been painstakingly restored, like
Wawel Castle, or completely reconstructed after being destroyed in the
Second World War, including the
Old Town and
Royal Castle in Warsaw, as well as the Old Towns of
Gdańsk and
Wrocław. Architecture of
Gdańsk is mostly Hanseatic architecture, common in cities along the
Baltic sea and in the northern part of
Central Eastern Europe. The architectural style of
Wrocław is representative of German architecture, since it was a part of the German states for centuries. The centre of
Kazimierz Dolny on the
Vistula is a good example of a well-preserved medieval town. Poland's ancient capital,
Kraków, ranks among the best-preserved
Gothic and
Renaissance urban complexes in Europe. Meanwhile, the legacy of the
Kresy Marchlands of Poland's eastern regions with Wilno and Lwów (now Vilnius and Lviv) as two major centres for the arts, played a special role in these developments with
Roman-Catholic church architecture deserving special attention.
In
Vilnius (
Lithuania) there are about 40
baroque and
Renaissance churches. In
Lviv (
Ukraine) there are
Gothic,
Renaissance, and
baroque urban s with influences of the orthodox and Armenian church.
One of the best-preserved examples of the
Modernist architecture in Europe is located in
Katowice,
Upper Silesia, designed and built in the 1930s. Interesting buildings were also constructed during the Communist era in the style of
Socialist Realism; while some remarkable examples of modern architecture were erected more
Art
250px|right|thumb|Jan Matejko./" class="wiki">Stańczyk, painted by
Jan Matejko.
Polish art has always reflected European trends while maintaining its unique character. The
Kraków school of Historicist painting developed by
Jan Matejko produced monumental portrayals of customs and significant events in Polish history.
Stanisław Witkiewicz was an ardent supporter of
Realism in Polish art, its main representative being
Jozef Chełmoński. The Młoda Polska (
Young Poland) movement witnessed the birth of modern Polish art, and engaged in a great deal of formal experimentation led by
Jacek Malczewski (
Symbolism),
Stanisław Wyspiański,
Józef Mehoffer, and a group of Polish
Impressionists. Artists of the twentieth-century Avant-Garde represented various schools and trends. The art of
Tadeusz Makowski was influenced by
Cubism; while
Władysław Strzemiński and
Henryk Stażewski worked within the Constructivist idiom. Distinguished contemporary artists include
Roman Opałka,
Leon Tarasewicz,
Jerzy Nowosielski,
Wojciech Siudmak, and
Mirosław Bałka and
Katarzyna Kozyra in the younger generation. The most celebrated Polish sculptors include
Xawery Dunikowski,
Katarzyna Kobro,
Alina Szapocznikow and
Magdalena Abakanowicz. Since the inter-war years, Polish art and documentary photography has enjoyed worldwide recognition. In the sixties the Polish Poster School was formed, with
Henryk Tomaszewski and
Waldemar Świerzy at its head.
Literature
right|thumb|Monument at Main Market Square in Kraków of
Adam Mickiewicz, one of the greatest
Polish poets.
Since the Christian and the subsequent access to Western European civilization, Poles developed a significant literary production in
Latin. Conspicuous authors of the Middle Ages are among others
Gallus Anonymus,
Wincenty Kadłubek and
Jan Długosz, an author of the monumental work on the history of Poland. With the arrival of the Renaissance, Poles came under the influence of the artistic patterns of the humanistic style, actively participating in the European issues of that time with their Latin works.
The origins of
Polish literature written in the
first language go back beyond the 14th century. In the 16th century the poetic works of
Jan Kochanowski established him as a leading representative of European Renaissance literature.
Baroque and
Neo-Classicist belle letters made a significant contribution to the cementing of Poland's peoples of many cultural backgrounds. The early 19th century novel "
Manuscrit trouvé à Saragosse" by Count
Jan Potocki, which survived in its Polish translation after the loss of the original in French, became a world classic.
Wojciech Has' film based on it, a favourite of
Luis Buñuel, later became a cult film on university campuses. Poland's great Romantic literature flourished in the 19th century when the country had lost its independence. The poets
Adam Mickiewicz,
Juliusz Słowacki and
Zygmunt Krasiński, the "
Three Bards", became the spiritual leaders of a nation deprived of its sovereignty, and prophesied its revival. The novelist
Henryk Sienkiewicz, who won the
Nobel Prize in 1905, eulogised the historical tradition. It is difficult to grasp fully the detailed tradition of Polish
Romanticism and its consequences for Polish literature without a thorough knowledge of
Polish history.
In the early 20th century many outstanding Polish literary works emerged from the new cultural exchange and Avant-Garde experimentation. The legacy of the
Kresy marshlands of Poland's eastern regions with
Wilno and
Lwów (now Vilnius and Lviv) as two major centres for the arts, played a special role in these developments. This was also a region in which
Jewish tradition and the mystic movement of
Hasidism thrived. The Kresy were a cultural trysting-place for numerous ethnic and national groups whose achievements were inspiring each other. The works of
Bruno Schulz,
Bolesław Leśmian, and
Józef Czechowicz were written there. In the south of Poland,
Zakopane was the birthplace of the avant-garde works of
Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (
Witkacy). And, last but not least, there was
Władysław Reymont awarded 1924 Nobel prize in literature for his novel Chłopi (The Peasants).
After the Second World War many Polish writers found themselves in exile, with many of them clustered around the Paris-based "Kultura" publishing venture run by
Jerzy Giedroyc. The group of emigre writers included
Witold Gombrowicz,
Gustaw Herling-Grudziński,
Czesław Miłosz, and
Sławomir Mrożek.
Zbigniew Herbert,
Tadeusz Różewicz,
Czesław Miłosz, and
Wisława Szymborska are among the most outstanding 20th century Polish poets, including
novelists and
playwrights Witold Gombrowicz,
Sławomir Mrożek, and
Stanisław Lem (science fiction).
The long list includes
Hanna Krall whose reportage focuses mainly on the war-time Jewish experience, and
Ryszard Kapuściński with books translated into many languages.
