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Geography and History of Poland on a Map

How much do you know about Poland's geography, history and culture? Good luck have fun!
Answers are accepted in local languages
Try the rest of the series here
Quiz by
Maxibon
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Last updated: January 1, 2026
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First submittedJanuary 1, 2026
Times taken77
Average score33.0%
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Hint
Voivodeships
Coastal northern province forming part of a greater historical region
Pomerania
Province known for its nature, originally controlled by Lithuania
Podlaskie
'Cradle of Poland' that was the site of a major uprising just after WWI
Greater Poland
Former duchy and largest province by both area and population
Masovia
Historically industrial region named after a local mountain range
Świętokrzyskie
Small southern region home to many ethnic Germans
Opole
Former Prussian province containing a large number of castles
Lower Silesia
Densely populated mountainous province with six World Heritage Sites
Lesser Poland
 
 
Hint
Largest Cities
1,861,599
Warsaw
806,201
Kraków
673,743
Wrocław
652,015
Łódź
538,439
Poznań
487,371
Gdańsk
389,066
Szczecin
329,565
Lublin
326,434
Bydgoszcz
291,688
Białystok
 
 
Hint
Cultural Cities
Major city and provincial capital that was formerly an industrial centre
Katowice
Southern town at the base of a mountain range, nicknamed the winter capital of Poland
Zakopane
One of the oldest cities in Poland, which lost around 90% of its population in World War I
Kalisz
Northeastern city with a notable geopolitical 'Gap' named after it
Suwałki
City located a few kilometres from the Baltic Sea, formerly known as 'Cöslin'
Koszalin
Geographically central city serving as the capital of Poland in the 11th and 12th centuries
Płock
Major city known for its airshow, briefly under Austrian control
Radom
Historic riverside city famous for its gingerbread
Toruń
Winemaking city whose name translates to 'green mountain'
Zielona Góra
Hanseatic League city founded by the Teutonic Order, no longer coastal due to silting
Elbląg
Fortified Galician city close to the border with Ukraine
Przemyśl
Small town located along a river and namesake of a medieval duchy
Sandomierz
Warmian city founded by the Teutonic Order as 'Allenstein'
Olsztyn
First capital of Poland, whose historic cathedral was a site for several coronations
Gniezno
Renaissance-era city, whose old town is a World Heritage Site
Zamość
 
 
Hint
Bodies of Water
In 1920 there was a 'miracle' on this river traversing Poland from north to south
Vistula
Western river whose tributaries include the Warta and the Western Neisse
Oder
Largest lake in Poland, located in the Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship
Śniardwy
Tributary river forming some of Poland's eastern borders
Bug
 
 
Hint
Mountains
The Goral people inhabit this major mountain range spanning from Austria to Serbia
Carpathian Mountains
Highest mountain in Poland, whose name means 'scratches'
Rysy
Western range which the German speaking part of Czechoslovakia was named after
Sudeten Mountains
Mountain range in the above system and source of the river Elbe
Giant Mountains
Mountains along the Slovakian border, home to the Eye of the Sea
Tatra Mountains
 
 
Hint
Battles
Battle in Danzig, considered the first engagement in the European front of WWII
Battle of Westerplatte
Decisive Mongol victory in southwestern Poland
Battle of Legnica
Major Polish-Lithuanian victory over the Teutonic Order in 1410
Battle of Grunwald
Battle in the opening stages of the First World War, seen as Teutonic revenge for the above
Battle of Tannenberg
Soviet operation in 1944, resulting in great advances in Eastern Europe
Operation Bagration
Major Swedish victory in the Great Northern War, despite being outnumbered 2:1
Battle of Kliszów
Polish victory leading to them defending their capital from the Soviets in 1920
Battle of Radzymin
False flag Nazi attack on a radio station, done to justify their invasion of Poland
Gleiwitz Incident
Siege in the War of the Fourth Coalition, ended by the Peace of Tilsit
Siege of Kolberg
Major battle, delaying the eventual Nazi German capture of the Polish Capital
Battle of the Bzura
German victory led by Hindenburg, pushing Russia out of East Prussia
First Battle of the Masurian Lakes
Deadly offensive by the Central Powers into southeastern Poland
Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive
Hint
People
Renaissance polymath who proposed the idea of heliocentrism
Nicolaus Copernicus
Marshal of Poland who led the country to several victories in the early 20th century
Józef Piłsudski
Physician who created Esperanto in attempt to achieve world peace
L. L. Zamenhof
First Pole in space who was a cosmonaut aboard the Soyuz 30
Mirosław Hermaszewski
Polish Lithuanian lieutenant general who fought in the American Revolutionary War
Tadeusz Kościuszko
Wife of Louis XV and longest reigning queen of France
Marie Leszczyńska
Romantic pianist who wrote the first of his 'polonaises' at age 7
Frédéric Chopin
Marshal of Poland and commander-in-chief during the Invasion of Poland
Edward Śmigły-Rydz
Female poet who won the 1996 Nobel Prize in Literature
Wisława Szymborska
19th century painter known for his historical works such as 'Stańczyk' and 'Rejtan'
Jan Matejko
Minister of National Defence and dictator of the Polish People's Republic
Wojciech Jaruzelski
Former Formula 1 driver and winner of the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans
Robert Kubica
Controversial filmmaker who directed 'The Pianist' and 'Rosemary's Baby'
Roman Polanski
Female Nobel Prize winner who discovered polonium
Marie Curie
Winner of the Ski Jumping World Cup and three-time Winter Olympic gold medalist
Kamil Stoch
Member of the Jagiellonian dynasty who was the first leader of Poland-Lithuania
Sigismund II Augustus
Striker and one of the top goalscorers of all time, who played for Bayern Munich
Robert Lewandowski
Mathematician who played a key role in deciphering the Enigma code
Marian Rejewski
'Quo Vadis' is written by this author, also known as Litwos
Henryk Sienkiewicz
Current prime minister and former president of the European Council
Donald Tusk
Patron saint of prisoners, who became a martyr at Auschwitz
Maximilian Kolbe
President of Poland and leader of the Solidarity movement
Lech Wałęsa
Modern female writer known for 'The Books of Jacob'
Olga Tokarczuk
Jewish pianist whose career lasted from 1904-1976
Arthur Rubinstein
 
 
Hint
Landmarks
Former headquarters of the Teutonic Order and largest castle by land area
Malbork Castle
Socialist realist style 'palace' and former tallest building in Poland
Palace of Culture and Science
National park known for its sand dunes, located along the Baltic Sea
Slovincian National Park
Historic salt mine which, along with the one in Bochnia, is a World Heritage Site
Wieliczka Salt Mine
Baroque royal palace in the capital, built in the 17th century
Wilanów Palace
Castle located in some forested foothills, which was to become one of Hitler's headquarters
Książ Castle
Wooden Lutheran church built as a result of the Peace of Westphalia
Holy Trinity Church of Peace
Oldest Polish cathedral, where Mieszko I, Bolesław I the Brave and other monarchs are buried
Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul
Major park in the capital, home to the Palace on the Isle
Łazienki Park
Old-growth forest along the border with Belarus, populated by European Bison
Białowieża Forest
Royal residence, hilltop castle and highly visited art museum
Wawel Castle
Monastery and popular pilgrimage site besieged by Sweden in 1655
Jasna Góra Monastery
 
 
Hint
Cuisine
Type of bread with a hole in the middle, usually sprinkled with poppy or sesame seeds
Bagel
Filled doughnuts traditionally eaten on Fat Thursday
Pączki
Dumplings that can be either sweet or savory, likely originating from China
Pierogi
Smirnoff and Absolut are both brands of this alcoholic drink
Vodka
Hot stew consisting of meat paired with sauerkraut
Bigos
Sausage whose varieties include 'biała' and 'kabanos'
Kielbasa
Beetroot soup from Ukraine which in Poland is eaten on Christmas Eve
Barszcz
Cabbage rolls often filled with rice and meat
Gołąbki
Smoked cheese made from sheep milk, produced in a mountainous region
Oscypek
Street food consisting of half a baguette with mushrooms, cheese and ketchup
Zapiekanka
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5 Comments
+2
Level 65
Jan 1, 2026
Love this series! Glad to see you continuing it
+1
Level 73
Jan 1, 2026
Thanks, I will continue this series as long as there are places left to be covered.
+2
Level 69
Jan 4, 2026
Can you maybe add some German type ins for the cities? Cause a lot of them where German for most of their history like Danzig/Gdansk and are also well known like this.

Maybe Danzig, Stettin, Posen, Breslau, Bromberg etc.

+1
Level 73
Jan 4, 2026
I was conflicted on adding them when making the quiz, but decided against it since the cities are not really known by that anymore, I see it like accepting Burma for Myanmar, it's a historic name not a current one. Also, the amount of German speakers in these cities are quite low as well, so it can't really be considered a local language.

If you have any counter-points feel free to share!

+1
Level 46
Apr 14, 2026
In my opinion it would be very disrespectful.

Also you should read about the history of Gdańsk, if you think it was German through most of it.