Polish Blog A daily dose of Polish life

From the comments on this post I deduce that most of my readers don’t want to hear about Milk Bars, Communist Buildings, Polish Food, Dramatic weather shots in Poland or UFO Hotels in the Polish Mountains.

Instead, most would like to see Ania Baranska in a tight top and pants. As some 4000+ have arrived here today searching for terms such as “Anna Baranska sexy” and “Ania Baranska photo” I feel obliged to keep you all happy.

Whilst I’m feeling generous if there is any other Polish female player you want to see, leave a comment.

Ania Baranska

Ania Baranska

Ania Baranska

Ania Baranska

The 263 strong team Poland sent to Beijing is one of their largest squads ever participating in the Olympic Games, expectations are high in Poland with members of the public expecting medals in double figures being won during the games. The first day Cuba beat the Polish women in the preliminary match of pool A. In the men’s gymnastics, world champion Polish vaulter Leszek Blanik scored 16.7. In shooting the last one to make the eight-shooter final was Sylwia Bogacka of Poland. In badminton Poland’s Przemyslaw Wacha, currently ranked 13 in the world, enjoyed a 2-0 win over Estonian Raul Must, playing in his first Olympics.

On the second day of the Beijing Olympics the Polish male volleyball team beat Germany 3-0 while the male handball team were victorious over host China 33-19. Poland’s record breaking Otylia Jedrzejczak competed in the 400 free style but failed to qualify to the finals. In other news, the Polish women’s archery team were defeated by France 218 – 211 after advancing to the semi finals. On the tennis court, Marta Domachowska lost in two sets with Cwetana Pironkowa of Bulgaria 3:6, 4:6.

Poland is represented in 24 disciplines in Beijing with track and field athletes with the largest contingent of the Polish squad. According to Irena Szewinska, the winner of seven Olympic medals and a member of Poland’s Olympic Committee this is where we can see many Olympic attempts with three female hammer throwers and Sydney Olympic gold winner Kamila Skolimowska at the top of the list as well as  hammer thrower Szymon Ziólkowski, an Olympic gold medal winner in Sydney.

Still no gold, silver or bronze medals for Poland yet.

I’m quite a fan of the Polish Women’s Gymnastics team, mainly for the same reasons I’m such a Volleyball fan. Unfortunately there is only one female member, Marta Pihan.

Born on July 23, 1987, in Szczecin, Marta Pihan began training at age 7 and engaged to marry Roman Kulesza. Kulesza was a finalist on high bar at the last three European Championships.

“I don’t know when I will finish and what I will do after,” she said of her post Olympic agenda. “Now I think about Beijing mostly, and about my wedding.”

Marta Pihan

Marta Pihan

Poland has some pretty cool and crazy street art, especially in Warsaw.

Let’s take a look:

Poland Street Art - Warsaw

Poland Street Art

Poland Street Art - Warsaw

"Have more respect for women or I'll gonna shoot that bi*ch!"

Aleksandra Klejnowska came 5th in the 2004 Olympics in the 58 kg weightlifting category and is now looking for a medal in Beijing. She recently won the European Championship so lets hope she can carry on her good run.

I look a little bit like this sat on the toilet the morning after a plateful of Kaszanka’s.

Aleksandra Klejnowska

Defending champion China beat back the challenging Poland 3-1 to clinch a second win. The 1.96-meter middle blocker Zhao Ruirui led the Chinese squad to upset the rivals 22-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-22 in the deafening cheers of more than 15,000 home fans. Zhao contributed the team 17 points while Polish wing spiker Katarzyna Skowronaska impressed the spectators by scoring the highest 26 points.

Poland V China - Olympic Volleyball

Natalia Partyka serves by nestling the pingpong ball in the crook of her arm, just above the stump, then tossing it into the air.

The 19-year-old, who was born with a right arm that ends just below the elbow, is part of the Polish team at the Beijing Olympics – and the first table tennis player ever to compete in both the Olympics and the Paralympics.

“I’m not thinking too much about that but it’s like a dream come true,” she said. “It’s a new beginning.”

The teen from the picturesque seaside city of Gdansk will return home this fall to begin college, where she will major in physical education. But she has big plans for the future.

“I always wanted to play table tennis and I love to play and I would like to play as long as possible,” she said, setting her sights on the individual and team events at the 2012 London Games.

Natalia Partyka

No medals yet, hopefully some on the way soon!

But which one?

Everyone in Poland is going Volleyball mad at the moment, will the women win the Olympic gold? Would Donald Tusk venture out to China for the final? But no one has asked the most important question… until now. We all know Poland has the most attractive women’s team but which one of them is the most attractive player?

This would of course make them the most attractive woman at the Olympics. Place your vote for your favourite in the comments and the winner gets a post with losts of photos for her fans to enjoy.

Is it Agnieszka Bednarek, Malgorzata Glinka-Mogentale, Anna Baranska ??? You Decide!

Sniezka is the highest mountain in the Karkonosze Mountains on the Polish-Czech border.

Rising to 1602 metres, one side of the mountain belongs to the Czech Republic and the other side to Poland, on the Polish half this cool UFO shaped hotel was built in 1976.

Sniezka Hotel - Poland

Sniezka Hotel - Poland

Sniezka Hotel - Poland

Sniezka Hotel - Poland

Sniezka Hotel - Poland

Jan Kulczyk (born June 24, 1950 in Bydgoszcz), Polish businessman, according to the Wprost weekly newspaper, his fortune is estimated at PLN 12.5-billion (approximately USD$ 4-billion), which makes him the richest person in Poland.

He is a law graduate of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan as well as a graduate of foreign trade at the University of Economics in Poznan. He holds a Ph.D. in international law. His business activities are a continuation of a family business tradition into the third generation.

His father set up 3 companies after WW2. These were all taken over by the communist state. In 1981, Kulczyk formed Interkupol (one of the first companies with foreign capital in Poland). In 1988 he established Kulczyk Tradex company, which was the only official dealer of Volkswagen and Audi in Poland. The company’s “big deal”, which made Kulczyk one of the richest people in Poland, was the contract of selling more than 1000 vehicles for Polish Police in 1992. The contract has been give to Kulczyk Tradex without formal public tender, which was investigated later by public prosecutors office.

In 1993 another company established by Kulczyk – Euro Agro Centrum, bought from Polish government 51% of the Browary Wielkopolskie SA, one of the largest brewery company in Poland. Euro Agro Centrum was continuing the participation in privatization of Polish brewery business, and actually (2004) controls about 35% of polish beer market, holding the most popular polish beer brands such as Lech, Tyskie and Zubr.

Jan Kulczyk