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 Poland |  Spain |
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Poland–Spain relations (Polish:Stosunki Polska–Hiszpania;Spanish:Relaciones Polonia-España) are cultural and political relations betweenPoland andSpain. Both nations are members ofNATO, theEuropean Union,OECD,OSCE, theCouncil of Europe and theUnited Nations.Spain has given full support to Poland's membership in theEuropean Union andNATO.
First contact between the Kingdoms of Poland and Spain date toLate Middle Ages, where merchants, travelers andJesuits traveled between both countries. Early Polish diplomats in Spain in the 16th century includedJohannes Dantiscus and Piotr Dunin-Wolski.[1][2] While the Polish and Spanish forms of governments evolved in a different direction, the diplomacy of both countries was more likely to support one another than not.[3][4] DuringHabsburg Spain andVasaPolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth eras, both countries had an increase in cultural exchange, due to the travel ofmercenary soldiers to serve in the Army of the other throughSpanish Netherlands and/orHabsburg Austrian monarchy, usually to fight against common enemies during theOttoman wars in Europe andReligious wars in Europe, as both Catholic monarchies werede facto allies.[5]
In 1557, QueenBona Sforza of Poland made a loan to KingPhilip II of Spain, most of which was never repaid, despite Polish diplomatic efforts and requests (seeNeapolitan sums). In 1639 the two kingdoms signed amilitary treaty; however, it has not been implemented. Polish writer and translatorAndrzej Chryzostom Załuski was a Polish diplomat in Spain in the 1670s. Spain was the only country to protest over theFirst Partition of Poland, and in 1795, following the finalThird Partition of Poland, Spanish diplomat DonDomingo d'Yriarte was one of the last foreign diplomats to vacate his post inWarsaw.[4]
During thePeninsular War (1809–1814) in Spain, a number of Polish soldiers foughton the side of Napoleon. TheVistula Legion gained fame at theBattle of Saragossa.[6] The PolishChevau-léger regiment distinguished itself at theBattle of Somosierra in 1808.[4]
Poles formed 22% of theFrench Foreign Legion, which fought in theFirst Carlist War of 1833–1840 in Spain, and the Polish Lancers Regiment was formed inNavarre in 1836.[7] Poles of the Lancers Regiment participated in a total of 46 battles.[8] Seven Polish officers were killed or wounded in the war, and 22 Polish officers were awarded theRoyal and Military Order of Saint Ferdinand, twonon-commissioned officers were awarded theOrder of Isabella II, and seven officers were awarded theOrder of Isabella the Catholic.[9] 14 Polish officers stayed in Spain after the war and joined the Spanish Army.[10]
In February 1864, Spanish authorities arrested inMálaga a Polish ship with arms and ammunition, which had been organized by Polish émigré activists in Western Europe to support the ongoing PolishJanuary Uprising in partitioned Poland.[11]
Spain operated two consulates in the territory of partitioned Poland, located inGdańsk and Warsaw.
Poland and Spain re-established diplomatic relations on 30 May 1919, after Poland regained independence in the aftermath ofWorld War I.[12]
In 1936–1939, anumber of Polish volunteers participated in the Spanish Civil War on theRepublican side and were primarily assigned to theDabrowski Battalion.[13][14] During theSpanish Civil War, the Polish Embassy inMadrid provided shelter and asylum to more than 400 people, Poles and Spaniards, mostly fleeing from Republican forces, but some also fromNationalists.[15] The asylum recipients were men, women and children, people from various social strata with various political views, including survivors of anarchist massacres, e.g. theCárcel Modelo massacre, merchants, civil servants, lawyers, industrialists, professors, teachers, students, etc.[16] 120 people were successfully evacuated toMarseille, France andGdynia, Poland, many of whom eventually returned to Spain.[17] Spanish evacuees pointed out the extraordinary hospitality of Poles during their stay in Poland.[18] Honorary Consul of Poland inValencia Vicente Noguera Bonora was murdered by pro-Republican communist militants just before his planned evacuation from Valencia in August 1936, to which both the Polish government and the Polish Embassy in Madrid responded with an official protest to the then- Republican Spanish authorities.[19][20][21]
DuringWorld War II, Spain remained neutral and did not participate in the war directly. Despite pressure fromGermany, Spain did not close the Polish embassy, which was thus still able to represent thePolish government-in-exile. The Honorary Consulate of Poland inBarcelona organized temporary accommodation, false documents and transport for Polish civilians and military who fled fromFrance to Spain in 1939–1942 with the intention of reaching the Polish-alliedUnited Kingdom.[22] During the war, some Spanish nationals, alike Poles, were imprisoned by the Germans in theStalag VIII-Cprisoner-of-war camp inŻagań, theSonnenburg concentration camp inSłońsk, and a subcamp of theGross-Rosen concentration camp inOsła.[23][24][25]
In 1945, theGerman occupation of Poland ended and the country's independence was restored, although with aSoviet-installed puppet communist regime. ThePolish government-in-exile was officially recognized by Spain as the Polish government until ‘halfway through 1968’ according to Jacek Majchrowski’s study; diplomatic relations with thePeople’s Republic of Poland were established only in 31 January 1977, as the government of the People's Republic of Poland refused to recognize the government of GeneralFrancisco Franco.[12] Adouble tax avoidance agreement was signed between the two countries inMadrid in 1979.[26] After theAutumn of Nations and formation of a new, non-communist Polish government, both countries signed a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 1992.[12] In 1998, both countries signed a Common Polish-Spanish Declaration.[12]
Since 2003, irregular bilateral conferences between prime ministers of both nations take place; as of 2012 eight such meetings have taken place.[12][27]
April 12, 2010, was declared a day of national mourning in Spain to commemorate the 96 victims of theSmolensk air disaster, including Polish PresidentLech Kaczyński and his wifeMaria Mackiewicz.[28]
Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits from Poland to Spain[29]
Royal and Prime Ministerial visits from Spain to Poland
Certain ties in Polish and Spanish cultures can be explained by the fact that Poland and Spain had the highest percentage ofpetty nobility in Europe (hidalgos,szlachta), which encouraged ties between educated elites, and mutual references.[3][30] Even more importantly, both countries also shared a strongCatholic history, on the frontier of struggles againstIslamic conquest (Antemurale Christianitatis,Reconquista).[3] Spain had a significant influence on Polish culture, particularly in literature.[3][4] Spanish works have been translated into Polish and Spain was a setting of some famous Polish works such asThe Manuscript Found in Saragossa, and influenced major Polish literary figures, such asJuliusz Słowacki.[31]
In the 21st century both governments promoted their partner's culture at home, with the Polish Year in Spain in 2002 and the Spanish Year in Poland in 2003.[32] There areCervantes Institutes in Warsaw andKraków, and aPolish Institute inMadrid. Spain is a popular tourist destination for Poles, with about half a million of Poles visiting Spain each year. TheSpanish language is a popular foreign language in Poland.
Spain has an estimated Polish community of 100,000 people, many who arrived to Spain after World War II and after Poland joined the European Union in 2004.[12]
In 2017, trade between Poland Spain totaled €8 billion Euros.[29] Poland's main exports to Spain include: automobile, machinery, pharmaceutical products, electronics and furniture. Spain's main exports to Poland include: automobiles, electrical equipment, electronics and machinery.[33] In 2016, Spanish companies invested €171 million Euros in Poland, becoming the 6th largest foreign direct investor in the country.[29]
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