In
Polish culture
The culture of Poland ( pl, Kultura Polski ) is the product of its geography and distinct historical evolution, which is closely connected to an intricate thousand-year history. Polish culture forms an important part of western civilization and ...
, PRL nostalgia is
nostalgia
Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a learned formation of a Greek language, Greek compound, consisting of (''nóstos''), meaning "homecoming", ...
for aspects of life in
Polish People's Republic
The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...
( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL).
As with other manifestations of
Communist nostalgia
Communist nostalgia, also called communism nostalgia or socialist nostalgia, is the nostalgia in various post-communist states of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia for the prior communist states. Bartmanski, DominikSuccessful icons of failed ti ...
, for people who lived in the times of the PRL, the two major factors of PRL nostalgia are the dissatisfaction with the present and the memory of the happy and most recollected past.
Businesses were quick to respond to the phenomenon by renewing the manufacture of products from PRL times, such as
warm ice cream
Warm ice cream ( pl, ciepłe lody) is a Polish dessert made of egg white-based mousse topped by syrup, chocolate, or other topping, and presented in a waffle cup, resembling soft serve ice cream, and as such giving name to the dessert. Relativ ...
,
Polo-Cockta
Polo-Cockta (sometimes written as 'Polo Cockta' or 'Polo-Cocta') is a Polish Coca-Cola-like drink introduced in the 1970s. Polo-Cockta was introduced as a substitute for the original Coca-Cola, which was unavailable in Polish shops due to limited ...
,
Junak motorcycles, Ludwik laundry detergent.
"Products Create Market for Communist Nostalgia in Eastern Europe"
''Spiegel Online'', February 28, 2005
In Ridgewood, Queens
Ridgewood is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It borders the neighborhoods of Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale, as well as the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bushwick and East Williamsburg. Historically, the neighborhood s ...
, New York, in a Polish-American
Polish Americans ( pl, Polonia amerykańska) are Americans who either have total or partial Poles, Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 9.15 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing abou ...
enclave, there is a Pewex pharmacy, health & beauty store, that pays homage to the original Pewex
Pewex () (short for ''Przedsiębiorstwo Eksportu Wewnętrznego'' – Internal Export Company) was a chain of hard-currency shops founded in 1972, during the Communist era in Poland that accepted payment only in United States dollars and other h ...
in the PRL.
See also
* PRL Museum, Kraków
* Communist nostalgia
Communist nostalgia, also called communism nostalgia or socialist nostalgia, is the nostalgia in various post-communist states of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia for the prior communist states. Bartmanski, DominikSuccessful icons of failed ti ...
* Nostalgia for the Soviet Union
The social phenomenon of nostalgia for the era of the Soviet Union (russian: links=no, Ностальгия по СССР, Nostal'giya po SSSR), can include its politics, its society, its culture, its superpower status, or simply its aesth ...
* Ostalgie
In German culture, ''Ostalgie'' () is nostalgia for aspects of life in Communist East Germany. It is a portmanteau of the German words '' Ost'' (east) and ''Nostalgie'' (nostalgia). Its anglicised equivalent, ostalgia (rhyming with "nostalgia" ...
, in the former East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
* Yugo-nostalgia
Yugo-nostalgia ( Slovene, Macedonian, and sh-Latn-Cyrl, jugonostalgija, југоносталгија) is a political and cultural phenomenon found among the populations of the former Yugoslavia, in the present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croati ...
, in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Communism Museum, Warsaw
Polish People's Republic
Polish culture