I recently read in a National Geographic Magazine that Czechs and Polish don't like each other. I quote: "They (Polish) come like locusts across the border, buy up all the inexpensive Czech food, and go home. Poles, for their part, don't like the Czechs-who, in the Polish view, act too superior." Is there any truth to this, or is this magazine exaggerating?
You might have just as well asked if the Norwegians hate the Pashtuns - the answer is always the same - some of them do, some don't.
There are some historical ressentiments and prejudices, but as for the current state, the relations are exceptionaly friendly, we like each other even with the prejudices . Well, even in the historical perspective of the last millennium, the Czech-Polish relations are exceptionally friendly. Maybe, the information refers to some exceptional era. For example the years 1918-1939 were hostile. This is strange, it should be the other way. Czech Republic is rather expensive for the Poles, and in addition, it is stupid to dislike your customers, isn’t it? There used to be a lot Polish pendlers making some profit of tax differencies on alcohol or tabacco, but that’s all. It is big exaggerating, albeit there is something in it. Czechs were always more westernized than the Poles and had the tendency to be German-oriented, that means to ignore the Poles. For the Poles on the other hand, the Czechs were always precursors of their westernization (Remember Poland was christianized by the Czechs).
Well.... I do not subscribe this line of thoughts, the denial of generalizations. Yes, the Danish hate Germans, considering some of them don't. Yes, Swedish don't like Danish, some of them beeing out of this rule. Yes, Portuguese don't like Spanish, with some exceptions. Yes, Indians don't like Pakistanis, with som exclusions to this rule.
I have personally no problem with Poles. Living 25 years 2 km from border, I remember alcohol, cigaretes, medicals, meat smuggling from one side of border to another (both ways), remember going behind the border for full tank of petrol, when it was cheaper in Poland, I have my plastic christmas tree from Poland, I bought lot of clothes in PL, as it was better price/quality... I remember first day of Schengen when I went on foot to see really nobody is on borders. Most Poles I know in person are very good people, I have some relatives with polish ancestors, I guess here in the border there is no problem at all and people understand each other. In area where I live is strong community of Poles, this place was part of Poland after Muchich threaty (till Poland became part of Germany). However I am working with Poles like 6 years now, and they have kind of different mentality and work discipline, and I sometimes wonder how things build by Poles acctually work. I do not think Poles are going to czech shops just because of prices, rather because of proximity - I would either rather go to polish hypermarket, if it was much closer then czech (as it is where I live - from some vilages in Poland to Tesco here is just 3-5 km, to any polish hypermarket 15-20. So yes, there is lot of people from poland going to shop - but why not, this is what schengen and EU is about, and I like it. I guess there is allways something between nations, czechs-germans, germans-francs, germans-danes, germans-poles, poles-lithuanians, poles-ukrainians, czechs-austrians, even czech-slovaks to find ...
