Relations date back to the Middle Ages, when both countries were established in the 9th-10th century. In the 10th century, Bohemia (Czechia) was the only neighbor of Poland, that was effectively Christianized and organized according to Western European standards, so Mieszko I of Poland drew his standards from Bohemia.[1] The founding Piast and Přemyslid dynasties, of Poland and Czechia (Bohemia) respectively, intermarried several times. Prime examples include first Polish ruler Mieszko I who married Princess Doubravka of Bohemia, and first Bohemian king Vratislaus II who married Princess Świętosława of Poland. Polish ruler Bolesław the Brave also ruled Bohemia (Czechia) in 1003–1004, whereas King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia also ruled Poland in 1296–1305. The subsequent Bohemian kings then claimed the Polish crown until 1335. In 1471, Polish prince Vladislaus Jagiellon, son of Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon, became King of Bohemia,[2] and afterwards the two countries were ruled by two closely related branches of the Jagiellonian dynasty until 1526.
April 17–18, 2010, were declared days of national mourning in the Czech Republic to commemorate the 96 victims of the Smolensk air disaster, including Polish President Lech Kaczyński and his wife Maria Kaczyńska.[8]
In a 2010 poll conducted by CVVM in the Czech Republic, relations with Poland were ranked as the second best out of 13 countries, after Slovakia, with 92% of respondents viewing them as very good or rather good.[9]
In 1993, according to polls, the Czechs were liked by 38% of Poles, with 28% negative opinions. There has been a big improvement since then, and recently the Czechs are among the most-liked nations in Poland, leading in the polls since 2010 (53% of favourable opinions in 2010, 56% in 2019).[10][11]
Polish firefighters helped in flood recovery in the Czech Republic during the 2002[12] and 2013 floods.[13]
The Czech Republic and Poland are important trading partners. In 2019, Poland was the third largest source of imports and export destination for the Czech Republic,[14] whereas the Czech Republic was the seventh largest source of imports and the second largest export destination for Poland.[15]
A Czech helicopter contingent has been stationed in Powidz, Poland, since January 2024 as part of NATO cooperation and reinforcement of NATO's eastern flank.[19] When both countries were affected by the 2024 Central European floods, the Czech contingent took part in relief efforts in southwestern Poland.[20]
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