Creative by nature

Polish nature is extraordinarily rich, among other things, thanks to the diverse climate in Poland and its geographical location. Over 91% of the country's area is lowlands, and the remaining part is covered by uplands and mountains. We have a large variety of animal species that are characteristic of the Atlantic and continental climate. Moreover, bird migration routes cross over Poland. Poland is among the European leaders in terms of forest area – it covers an area of over 9.2 million hectares, which corresponds to an afforestation rate of 29.6 percent. The vast majority of them are forests managed by the State Forests. Foreign tourists and experts appreciate the so called natural wonders. The Land of the Great Masurian Lakes has been recognised in the "New 7 Wonders" global vote and made it to the finale among the 14 most beautiful places in the world. The Wall Street Journal has singled out Morskie Oko as one of the 5 most beautiful lakes in the world. We also have one of the largest concentrations of wandering dunes in Europe, which reach up to 40 m above sea level on the territory of the Słowiński National Park. The network of tourist trails in the Bieszczady National Park is also impressive – it reaches the length of about 130 km. Kampinos National Park covers nearly 400 km2 - such large forest areas near large cities are rare across the world.

Nature inspires entrepreneurs, craftsmen, artists and architects. A spectacular example proving that Polish creativity stems from inspiration from nature is the prototype of the first Polish electric car - Izera. The designers named the car and modelled its body based on the gentle landscape of the Izera Mountains. The side profile of the car with its raised front resembles the outline of mountain peaks on the horizon. The materials used in the interior of the car also refer to nature and art. On 28 July 2020, Electromobility Poland presented two electric vehicles for the first time - a hatchback and an SUV. Izera will have a range of 400 kilometres and take 8 seconds to accelerate to 100 km/h. The creators of the prototype predict that the cars will appear on the streets as early as 2023.

At Expo 2020 Dubai, nature is a source of creativity in the Poland Pavilion, whose main building material is wood. In the "Poland. Inspired by nature" sector, illustrators present the most treasured natural sites in Poland. The five pots represent the landscape and vegetation characteristic of a given region of Poland. The visiting area features works by the following illustrators: Tomasz Opasiński illustrated the sea, Marta Ludwiszewska "Martiszu" showed the mountains, Beata Śliwińska "Barrakuz" captured the beauty of meadows, Krzysztof Domaradzki illustrated forests and wetlands, and Joanna Rusinek showed her vision of lakes and rivers. Thanks to these exceptional works by renowned artists, visitors to the Poland Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai can experience real art and the beauty of Polish nature.

Companies participating in Expo 2020 Dubai in the Partnership Programme, developed by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, show how to be inspired by nature in an innovative way. One of them is Garden Spot, which specialises in creating green spaces with a unique character. These include relaxation areas, vertical gardening systems, pictures made out of flowers, vertical gardens, water wall fountains, green office zones, green boxes and exclusive pots for homes and gardens. Another company that takes an innovative approach to natural raw materials is Szkilnik Design. They handcraft washbasins from precious wood and add to that first-class design and fine finishing. Those and many other companies, as well as artists, craftsmen, architects and designers, prove at every turn how inspiring Polish nature is and how creative and varied are the designs based on it.