Letter from Poland

By Ben Sixsmith

“I’m going to Poland,” I told my Gran almost ten years ago. “Holland?” she replied. I’m not
sure if she misheard or if the idea of someone moving to Poland was inexplicable. British
people didn’t move to Poland. Polish people moved to Britain.

Of course, the latter remains more accurate than the former. But I don’t think people
would be half as surprised and confused if someone they knew was moving to Poland in
2023 than they would have been in 2013. Poland has long had one of the fastest growing
economies in Europe – making it possible, though by no means certain, that it could
become richer, at least per capita, than Britain.

Post-pandemic and mid-war inflation has afflicted Poles, and an ageing population
presents a challenge, but Poland has an emerging tech sector, attractive markets for
investment and a wealth of talent, with Polish students getting some of the world’s top
results at school. The conflict in Ukraine has given it tremendous geopolitical relevance –
though with that has come with the risk of excessive reliance on the United States, as well
as the risk of military escalation.

Of course, nations are not merely economic units, or political entities. But Poland is, above
all, a beautiful place. If you haven’t been to Warsaw and Kraków, you have doubtless heard
of their cultural and architectural riches from your friends and relatives. But there is also