Travelling through Poland, we will quickly discover that it is a country full of colours, flavours and incredible places. Therefore, choosing the best souvenirs from Poland is super important to remember our trip for a long time. Here, we tell you, what original products you can take home, you will be left with a square eye. Let’s start!
Definitely, if you are looking for an exclusive souvenir, but above all an original product of the Baltic Sea, amber is your choice. Known as the “gold of Poland”, if you are in the capital of amber in “Gdansk” you can buy it in the famous jewelry stores that are on Mariacka street. In fact, we visited a store on our city trip! (Watch on Youtube).
However, as it is very popular, it can be found in jewelry stores all over Poland, especially those in the historic center. Some of the designs they offer are of great variety, just to name a few: rings, earrings, bracelets, pipes, pendants, cufflinks, checkerboard and much more! It is even acquired because amber has healing properties.
If you want to delve into the world of amber during your visit to Gdańsk, don’t forget to sign up for our Free Tour in English as soon as you arrive in the city!
Second, on our list of the best souvenirs from Poland, we find the Huta Julia crystal. The characteristic of this unique crystal has a specific brilliance because it is cut with diamonds, it is supported by the sum of transparency of the glass imitating the “rock crystal”. It is carved and then a fine relief is made, with a perfect edge that creates the design. Currently, we can find endless products; glasses, cups, bottles, ashtrays, glasses, bowls, decanters and candlesticks. The designs are a mix of traditional and modern craftsmanship. This would definitely be one of the most exclusive and sophisticated souvenirs.
Originally, this pottery was used by farmers, and over time craftsmen from the Bolesławiec region undertook to create new designs for use in their homes. Changing and improving techniques, they began to be in great demand. Currently, it is known as Polish pottery. We can mention two of the most famous designs, the “peacock eyed” (Pfauenauge) and the other is the dots with their typical blue, cobalt and white colors, emphasizing traditional Polish motifs. Who wouldn’t like to have a hand-painted ceramic piece in their kitchen? You can buy the pieces in traditional stores, local markets, and online stores such as Polmedia and polishhouse.
One of the handicrafts that cannot be missed are napkins embroidered with crochet thread and to obtain the original Polish effect, a “Koniakow” lace technique is used. With unique patterns, they are made with very good quality materials, but above all the variety of models that exist, you will not know which one to choose. You can find them in most regional markets.
Here we will find a great diversity of typical costumes due to the different regions that the Polish territory covers, together with the distributions that existed in Poland in the period between the wars. All this contributed to create a mixture of traditions and customs, modifying the regional costumes. Currently there are 8 national costumes (Greater Poland, Lesser Poland, Pomerania, Prussia (including Warmia), Masovia, Kujawy, Podlasie and Silesia). Here we will tell you about the Great Poland costumes.
The Greater Poland costume could be defined as the original typical costume of the XVII – XIII century. The man’s attire is a red shirt, white pants, navy knee-length vest, jacket or coat, boots, and hat. The women and girls wore a giant crown about 23 cm high, adorned with colorful flowers, very visible red coral necklaces, long skirts with colorful embroidery, a colorful blouse, the most representative piece is the shawl, which is It crosses over the chest and is tied at the back. The easiest piece to find in Polish markets is the colorful shawl, with its respective colored decorations and the red necklace, the perfect souvenir for women!
Felt has been known throughout Europe since the 12th and 17th century. Currently, it has taken up a trend to position itself in Polish homes, with felt products being one of the favorites. Thanks to the designers, you will be able to appreciate felt in endless products, from a very basic piece to the most sophisticated, some ideas for a souvenir could be: slippers, bags, cup holders, hats, belts, rugs, pads.
The first factory of glass ornaments was in a small town Milicz, located in the Lower Silesian region. For a long time it was one of the factories with the highest production in the entire country, it was there that they developed different methods such as silvering glass, decorative techniques. If you happen to be in Poland during Christmas Eve, you will surely have already noticed the Christmas pine trees adorned with Polish spheres.
You may be wondering, what is so original about Polish pantyhose? The answer is, if you are a woman, you will be fascinated by the variety of designs, colors, textures, quality, different brands that you can find in any supermarket in Poland. Here because of the cold climates, there is more tendency for women to wear pantyhose, that has created a good demand, the result is fantastic because here you will not get bored with pantyhose, every day you can wear a different model. It is the perfect souvenir for your friends. Some of the known brands are: Calzedonia, Gatta, Gabriella
These beautiful decorations were born in Łowicz located in the center of Poland thanks to its rich influence of bishops, kings, the most powerful people of that time flocked to this region. Consequently they had great parties, music bands and religious celebrations were some of the best, this contributed to the artists starting with the first embroideries with silk threads and mouliné threads, doing a magnificent decorative work, using popular fabrics. The main elements are purple, red, yellow roosters, flowers (especially roses), geometric motifs, or representations of their regional festivals. Little by little, the patterns were used by women and men due to their great beauty. They were applied to wide sleeves, collars of women’s shirts, velvet bras or petticoats, and aprons.
Currently, the famous folk decorations of the rooster and colored flowers, we will see it in a large part of the local stores, and in the markets, it is a great icon of Poland, surely you can take the product that you like the most such as bags, blouses, tissues, cups, pens, you will find in the markets what best suits your budget.
“Szopki krakowskie” were nativity scenes originally created by masons, during the winter season, in order to compensate for their income, they took economic refuge in the nativity scenes without knowing that today they are a UNESCO heritage site, they mainly exhibit small works of Christmas dinners or the cultural life of Krakow, the main material used is wood, full of colors and detailed with great imagination. If you are one of those who love miniatures, surely this would be the best souvenir you can take with you.
It is a sedimentary rock composed of crystalline quartz, which is located on the edge of the Świętokrzyskie mountains. It is an extraordinary grain with a beautiful union of lines, and an abundance of matte colours. Today it is used in the production of jewelry.
It is a figure of a bearded horseman wearing a tall peaked hat, conspicuously decorated, riding a white horse and very allegorically clad in red colors and gold details, singing and riding his horse, it was first seen in the parade organized by the Mongols , is currently a popular figure in the Krakow region so much so that one of the typical festivals in Krakow one of the characters expected by the public is the horseman Lajkonik, you can find him in many representations such as magnets, key rings, wooden figures, for Christmas tree decoration.
If you are in this beautiful city, located in Lower Silesia, surely you have already noticed the number of dwarfs in the city. They are the most popular tourist attraction. The story, where it all began as a social movement against the Soviet regime, called “Orange Alternative” imagines that dissatisfied citizens wanted to demonstrate, but at the same time they did not want to go to jail, what better idea than to draw little elves on each monument, and from one day to the next, many drawn elves appeared everywhere. And if you want to continue learning about the history of elves and this beautiful city during your visit to Wroclaw, I recommend you attend the free tours.
Today we find a lot of “Krasnoludk” dwarfs of all kinds, there is even a map to find them, in souvenir shops you will find magnets, pens, elf-shaped keyrings that you can take home.
How about some “bambosze kapcie” slippers? Lined with wool with designs, floral and colorful prints, they may or may not have a heel. The goal is for it to be something comfortable, elegant, and for use at home.
In the souvenir shops, if you are looking for something for the little ones, the best gift will be a wooden toy. Some of the best known products are: blocks, rag dolls, tambourines, whistles, cars, horses.
We have reached the end of the top 15 best souvenirs from Poland. We want to know your opinion. What did you think of our list? Know of anything else we should add? Write to us in the comments!
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