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(This is the newsletter content sent to our subscribers last week.). A few weeks ago, I got an email titled “Quite Remarkable” from John – a longtime returning client who’s now a good friend. The message body was empty, with just an attached article from the Wall Street Journal about Europe’s economy in 2025. After covering broader European picture, the article highlighted this: “Meanwhile, Poland’s economy topped $1 trillion last year, punctuating a decades-long boom that is in stark contrast to the faltering economies of its much bigger European neighbors. The milestone, confirmed by data released Friday by the country’s statistics agency, likely lifted Poland into the world’s top 20 economies for 2025. It is expected to supplant Switzerland, which has not yet released its end-of-year tally. Poland now sits eight behind No. 19 Saudi Arabia’s $1.3 trillion economy.” Three-and-a-half decades ago, under an isolated communist regime, the purchasing power of an average Pole – adjusted for local prices – was on par with Jamaica. Now, it is higher than Japan.” I responded to John: “For a guy raised in communist Poland it reads unreal…” For the scale of this economic change here is one more indicator from official sources. In 1990, a year after we got rid of socialism, our gross domestic product was $66 billion. Last year, 2025, it amounted to $1.04 trillion. From $66 billion to $1,040 billion… That growth is almost incomprehensible to me when I think back to grey communism and remember standing in long lines from early morning, waiting for a rationed stick of butter or a loaf of bread. Yet here we are in 2026 – safe, clean, and thriving. Poland today ranks among the safest countries in the world. According to Eurostat, it has some of the lowest levels of violent crime in the European Union. Studies on travel safety also place Poland among the safest destinations for travelers, including solo women. In the Safe Destinations Index, Warsaw ranks #3 and Kraków #5 among Europe’s safest cities. Crime has fallen dramatically since the 1990s, and surveys consistently show that both residents and visitors feel safe in Polish cities, day and night. Safety is one of the things our guests repeatedly mention, right alongside hospitality, excellent food, and modern infrastructure. Time and again they tell us they feel comfortable walking the streets of our cities or driving with us along country roads. Cleanliness is another thing that stands out. A few days ago I saw the headline “Kraków Ranked World’s Cleanest City.” The ranking was based on the opinions of 70,000 tourists, the most credible judges. Beside Kraków as the no. 1, Warsaw placed No. 4, behind Sharjah and Singapore. Source article: https://qazinform.com/news/ Sure, Poland has its own problems. Being right in the middle of Europe, between world’s empires, has meant dealing with security worries for generations, and many of us are just used to it by now…. We also have long-term population issues, like a low birth rate. But even with all that, there are still plenty of reasons to feel hopeful about the future and proud from the last decades. Both Kraków and Warsaw are cities you can visit on our North-South Poland Tour. There are more of them on the itinerary like Gdańsk, Toruń or Częstochowa. That group tour runs May 16-27, 2026, and we are accepting enrollments only until March 15 (a week left). More about the North-South Poland Tour here: https://polishorigins.com/ If you prefer a private trip, we still have guides and dates available to create tailor-made tours – whether you want to visit your ancestors’ villages, historical sites, or the real, cultural experiences such as pierogi workshops or country parties. Tell us what you wish to experience by filling out the tour request form. Zenon Znamirowski |
