10. Amber in Poland

On a holiday in Poland, you can't avoid elements of the landscape that visually "attack" from all sides. We're talking about the Baltic Sea of course, but also about the amber souvenirs of local vendors. Numerous stalls and shops are filled with products made from these orange nuggets, delightful for those who appreciate 'Baltic gold'. Amber was known to the ancient Romans, Egyptians, Arabs and Persians as Sokal, Anbar and Caruba. The Polish term comes from the word bernstein (German: a burning stone).

Many Poles may remember the first historical mention of amber in connection with the so-called "Amber Road". Its history dates back to before Christ, and its heyday falls in the 3rd century AD. The Amber Road was a trade route that passed through the present-day territories of Italy via Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to Russia. In the Roman Empire, the main centre of the amber trade was Aquileia, as it was there that amber deposits brought back from expeditions were sent and used to create everyday objects and exquisite jewellery.

But let's go back to modern times, as after all, these discreet brown-orange nuggets are still much appreciated by tourists and beyond. What is amber really and why is it so popular in Poland? The popular orange-brown amber in Poland has no different structure, as it is still fossilised conifer resin. Over the years, it "migrated" from the trunks of trees and over time formed the famous "stones", which are now used to create jewellery and many other highly prized objects. Such amber deposits have also formed directly beneath the bark of trees, sailing millions of years.

During the festive season, many amber 'hunters' can be found on Polish beaches. Not surprisingly, the nuggets are valued in the hundreds of zlotys and a small stone can make a great gift for loved ones, the Baltic Sea being famous for its amber. Amber is more associated with warm colours, but there are also blue, greenish or purple varieties. In Poland, amber can be found in natural conditions in Wiślińka, Górka Lubartowska, Przeróbka and Możdżanów. Some of these deposits have been thoroughly explored and documented since the 1970s. New amber deposits are being discovered to date in the Lublin region. The largest amber resources are located a little further away in the Kaliningrad region, which neighbours Poland. In the Baltic region there is a variety of amber called 'Baltic gold', and as for other interesting local varieties, there is even Japanese amber, which is different from that mined in Poland as it is opaque.

Although they don't have the largest amber deposits in Europe, the Poles can boast the Amber Highway. The ancients had their own trade route, which I mentioned a little earlier, and contemporaries, thanks to the A1 motorway (Amber motorway), can travel from Gorzyczki (Śląskie) to Gdańsk. Today, this name has only historical and symbolic significance.

Historically, the amber trade was a huge part of the economy of the Celts and Romans, and there is no denying that the amber trade had a cyclical development. Now amber can be admired not only at holiday stalls on the Baltic Sea, but also in many museums around the world. In Poland, the most famous of them is in Gdańsk. Visitors will find nuggets from 40 million years ago and be treated to an extraordinary exhibition. Lesser-known amber museums in Poland are located in Kraków and Jarosławiec. Although Poland is not the only exporter of amber, there is a certain fondness for the material throughout the Polish nation. Some might complain about Polish seaside stalls full of cheap amber souvenirs, but this is a precious 'gold' that Poles can promote themselves to the world for. I always thank them for their promotional work and for constantly reinventing this "gold", Polish specialists being a valuable guide for amber lovers.