The major exports of Poland consist of machinery and transportation goods. This country is in Central Europe with borders on the Baltic Sea and the countries of the Czech Republic, Ukraine, the Slovak Republic and Russia. Its currency is the zlotchy. The symbol is PLN. The rate is 100-grozy equal 1 zloty.
History
The history of coinage in Poland is as old as the recorded history. The founder of Poland, Prince Mieszko I (960-962), issued silver denars in the bohemian and Russian style. They featured a crown on the front and a cross on the reverse. His successors continued to mint coins. Yet, a shortage of minted money also saw the circulation of other currency. This included German denars or pfennigs. The majority of these coins from Saxony were called Sachsenpfennige. There were also some imitation Sachsenpfennige in circulation in the 10th and 11th centuries.
In the 11th and 12th centuries the Polish Kings continued to issue denars some biface, others bracheates. There was a great variety of designs among this era. There were also several issuing authorities. Not all of Poland fell under the Polish kings. Not all of the country remained at peace. In 1225, the Teutonic Knights, for instance, had their own coinage struck in eastern Prussia. The Capital of the Duchy of Pomerania, which contained a portion of today’s Poland, had German-style coins.
In the 14th century, Casimir the Great (1333-1370) introduced coins beside the denar. The most notable one was the “groz” It began as a Polish version of the Bohemian coin, the Prauergroschen. Instead of the Bohemian lion, the money featured an eagle. The mint in this instance was in Cracow. Casmir’s successors did not mint the groz but continued with the production of dinars. In his Russian territories, he did mint silver kwartniks. The silver kwartniks became adopted by Poland in 1394 under the rule of Ladislas Jagielli (1386-1434).They were called half-groz or polygrosz.
In northern Poland, coins for Western Prussia consisted of denars and schillings. The Teutonic Kingdom continued to print its own currency of a groschen-type a “halbskoter” as well as a schilling. The latter coin featured the name of the master on the obverse and the shield. This was the main coin of the kingdom until the dissolution of the knights in 1525.
Sigismund I (1506-1548) reformed the currency. He restricted production at the various mints and introduced new royal coins. These were the silver denar, the ternar and the grozy. At Danzig and Thorn, minting continued to produce coins similar to those circulating in Western Prussia. Meanwhile, later in the 16th century, the son of Sigismund, Sigismund Augustus, used the mint in Lithuania to provide more coins for Poland. At the same time, the mint in Danzig remained active and foreign currency such as Sicilian scodos circulated. Many of the scudos were countermarked.
Henri de Valois was elected king in 1573. He imported the French écus. In the 16th century, Stephen Bathory, Prince of Transylvania, became the elected king. He unified the monetary system for the entire kingdom, choosing talers and ducats. As a result of his tactics, some siege coins featured Christ instead of the royal portrait. The next two kings extended the coinage taking it to higher standards of both content and artistry. Unfortunately, others places throughout Poland did not maintain such high standards. The Swedish occupied territories of for example debased their currency through counterfeiting. Poland was also coming under increasing political pressure from other European countries, among them Sweden and Russia. A silver shortage in the mid 17th century, token coins and other problems resulted in economic problems.
In the l18th century, Sweden occupied parts of the country. They used Swedish money. In the late 18th century, Stanislas II Augustus Poniatowski (1746-1796) decided to reform the currency in Poland. He issued new silver coins as well as copper and gold. The choice was grosz, schillings and ducats. However, by 1796, Poland vanished, divided into three parts. This remained a fluctuating situation until napoleon Bonaparte in the 19th century began to reorganize the country. He created the Dutchy of Warsaw out of parts of Austria and Prussia. In 1807, the ruler was Frederick Augustus, King of Saxony. He issued coinage in his name from 1810 to 1814.
The
kingdom was short-lived. After Napoleon’s defeat, Prussia took back
their lands and the rest became a kingdom under Russia. In 1832, Russia
aligned their money. The zlotych remained as 15 kopeks. The coins
featured Russian designs. An exception was Cracow, an independent
republic in 1815. It struck its own currency consisting in 1835 of both
grozy and zloty. There was also local issue for the parts of Poland
controlled by the King of Prussia in 1846.
A failed bid for
liberty of parts of Poland saw the minting of Polish revolutionary
coinage in 1830-1831. By 1850, however, all coins were Russian. This
remained the case until the occupation of the Germans during WWI. After
the war, there were 1, 2, 10 and 20 fenigow of iron and zinc under the
joint control of Austria and Germany.
Independence
came two years after the war. Decimal coinage with 100 groszy equal to
1 zloty arrived later in 1923. The Great Depression and WWII made an
impact, creating coins of debased metal. After the war, Poland was once
again under the control of a larger state. This time, the USSR made
Poland a people’s republic. This state of communist rule with highly
artificially regulated currency lasted until 1989.
Since 1989,
the currency has changed to reflect the markets. In 1995, Poland
introduced a new zloty. In the future, it may use the euro. Today, its
coins consist of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 groz as well as 1, 2 and 5
zlotych. Its banknotes come in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200
zlotych.
Obtaining Polish Zlotychs
Obtaining Polish currency is easy in this country. You can exchange your money at exchange windows in any of the major banks. Most banks usually have a “Bankomat” (ATM) for you to use. These are often quicker. Check, first, to compare the rates with convenience. There are more and more ATMs appearing across the country to facilitate your business. You can locate them in the major towns and cities.
Protecting Your Currency
Crime is generally low in Poland. Crime is more prevalent in the urban regions. Even petty crime is on the decline since the major problems of the 1990s. This does not mean you do not need to take precautions. Be careful in tourist areas and on the transportations from and to Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport.
Using Your Polish Zlotychs
Poland provides many opportunities to spend its local currency. Try some of the local cheese and fruit. There is Polish chocolate and honey. For souvenirs and gifts consider the folk art of glass paintings or the sheep skin products of Zakopane, a mountain village. There are famed laces from Kroniakow and the beautiful silver jewelry. Another suggestion to spend your hard-earned groszy and zlotych on is Polish amber.
Travel Tips and Warnings
- If you go hiking in the woods, take precautions against tick-borne encephalitis.
- Head to Gdańsk with its Amber and torture Museum.
- Visit Warsaw with its old town, St. John’s Cathedral, Chopin Memorial and the 18th Palaces of Lazienki Park.
- While in Poland pay your respects to the country’s Jewish heritage in the former Warsaw Ghetto including the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
- For a revisit of the horrendous past, go to the center at the former death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
- You can also follow the Trail of Eagles’ Nest or hike in Tatra National Park in the Carpathians.
- There are historical museums in many places and a Museum of Historical Instruments in Poznań.
- You can visit the Teutonic Knights Castle in Toruń.
Overview
Poland
is a former East European country moving into the 21st century. It is a
land of history and rugged beauty and a land of cultural and
unmitigated horror. There are castles and torture chambers; thriving
businesses and the remains of work camps.
For factual information and data, go to www.polandforall.com.
Currency Summary
Current currency: zloty (zlotych, plural)
100 grozy equal 1 zloty
Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 groszy; 1, 2 and 5 zlotych
Banknotes: 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 zlotych