Denmark–Poland relations
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Denmark–Poland relations refers to the bilateral relations between Denmark and Poland. Both countries are separated by the Baltic Sea and have had a very long historical contact. Both countries are full members of the
Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...
, European Union, NATO, and the Council of the Baltic Sea States. Relations date back to the Early Middle Ages. Throughout history, the two nations were more often allies than adversaries, with only a handful of clashes in the 11th, 15th and 16th centuries. Modern diplomatic relations were established on 8 September 1919. During the 20th century, relations were turbulent but amicable. The two countries moreover maintained a maritime border dispute until 2018 when it was delineated. Denmark and Poland are now strategic partners due to the
Baltic Pipe The Baltic Pipe is a natural gas pipeline between Europipe II (which traverses the North Sea between Norway and Germany) and Poland. It is a strategic infrastructure project to create a new European gas supply corridor. The Baltic Pipe trans ...
and close military cooperation within the
Multinational Corps Northeast Multinational Corps Northeast was formed on 18 September 1999 at Szczecin, Poland, which became its headquarters. It evolved from what was for many years the only multinational corps in NATO, Allied Land Forces Schleswig-Holstein and Jutland (LAND ...
of NATO.


History


Medieval period

Danish-Polish relations date back to the Middle Ages, with both countries adopting Christianity around 965–966 and thus joining the Western civilization. By 967 the emerging Polish state gained access to the Baltic Sea by obtaining Pomerania with
Wolin Wolin (; formerly german: Wollin ) is the name both of a Polish island in the Baltic Sea, just off the Polish coast, and a town on that island. Administratively, the island belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Wolin is separated from the ...
, the largest Baltic port city at the time, stirring animosity of Denmark, which pursued a policy of conquest in the Baltic and feared the emergence of a potential major rival, thus invaded Wolin several times in the 11th century. Afterwards, in the medieval period, Poland and Denmark entered into alliances several times, incl. in the 1120s, 1315, 1350, 1363 and 1419. In 1320 Denmark also was allied with the duchies of Pomerania and Jawor, both formed in the course of the medieval fragmentation of Poland, in their war against the duchies of Mecklenburg and Saxe-Wittenberg, with Duke
Henry I of Jawor Henry I of Jawor ( pl, Henryk I. Jaworski; german: Heinrich I. von Jauer; – 15 May 1346), was a duke of Jawor-Lwówek-Świdnica-Ziębice during 1301–1312 (with his brothers as co-rulers), sole Duke of Jawor-Lwówek since 1312 and Duke of Głog ...
visiting King Christopher II of Denmark at Vordingborg. In the medieval period, Poland and Denmark had vivid trade relations. From 1396 to 1439, Eric of Pomerania of the House of Griffin was King of Denmark as Eric VII, and his tomb is located in his birth town of Darłowo in Poland. In 1423, Duke
Henry X Rumpold Henry X Rumpold, Duke of Żagań also known as the Younger ( pl, Henryk X Rumpold or Młodszy; c. 1390 – 18 January 1423), was a Duke of Żagań- Głogów during 1397–1412 (as co-ruler of his brothers) and since 1412 ruler over Głogów (as co ...
from the Głogów line of the Polish
Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branch ...
served as a mediator in a dispute between King Eric VII of Denmark and Henry IV, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg. He suddenly died of an unknown disease in Slesvig in 1423 and was buried in Haderslev, making it the northernmost burial place of a Polish ruler. During the Polish-Teutonic wars of 1409–1411 and 1454–1466, Denmark temporarily sided with the Teutonic Knights, however, there were very few Danish-Polish clashes, and a truce between Poland and Denmark was signed in 1458.


Modern period

In 1516, Denmark and Poland signed an alliance and a trade agreement. Denmark and Poland were initially allies in the Northern Seven Years' War since 1563, although eventually a conflict arose over shipping through the port of
Narva Narva, russian: Нарва is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru County, Ida-Viru county, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which ...
, and, in 1568, Poland formed an alliance with
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, and afterwards helped conclude the Danish-Swedish peace at
Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...
in 1570. The deterioration of Dano-Polish relations resulted in a Danish naval raid on Hel in Poland in 1571. King
Frederick II of Denmark Frederick II (1 July 1534 – 4 April 1588) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein from 1559 until his death. A member of the House of Oldenburg, Frederick began his personal rule of Denmark-Norway at the age of ...
sought sole supremacy in the Baltic Sea, thus he attempted to hinder the growth of Poland as a maritime power, supported the rebellion of the bourgeoisie of
Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...
, the largest port city of Poland, against Polish King Stephen Báthory and entered into talks to take Gdańsk under Danish suzerainty. Polish King Stephen Báthory still offered privileged terms to Denmark regarding trade in the Baltic Sea in an effort to make a new Dano-Polish alliance possible. Exaggerated rumors of an allegedly detailed plan to divide Denmark between Sweden and Spain with the participation of Poland and the forcible re-introduction of Catholicism in Denmark spread across Europe, causing concern in Protestant countries, even though Polish-Swedish talks of a potential new alliance had barely begun. In 1579, Frederick II of Denmark offered Poland an alliance against Russia, which, however, in view of the conflict of interests, was not concluded, but Danish-Polish relations remained good afterwards with the Danish Navy blocking Russian trade through the Baltic Sea. Denmark and Poland were allies against Sweden again during the
Northern War of 1655–1660 The Northern War of 1655–1660, also known as the Second Northern War, First Northern War or Little Northern War, was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1655–60), the Tsardom of Russia ( 1656 ...
, with Swedes invading both countries, and the Poles helping to drive Swedish occupiers out of Denmark.
Prince George of Denmark Prince George of Denmark ( da, Jørgen; 2 April 165328 October 1708) was the husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. He was the consort of the British monarch from Anne's accession on 8 March 1702 until his death in 1708. The marriage of Georg ...
was a candidate in the 1674 Polish–Lithuanian royal election. Denmark supported the Polish national uprisings when the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth fell in 1795. By 1904, there was a Polish community consisting of several thousand workers scattered throughout Denmark. ''Polak w Danii'' ("Pole in Denmark"), the oldest Polish newspaper in Denmark, was first published in July 1918, several months before Poland regained independence.


Interwar period

Modern relations stem back to the
Interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...
. Contacts between Denmark and the new
Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...
began in the first weeks after independence, when Poland asked Denmark to care for Poles in Germany and Russia. On 30 May 1919, Denmark decided to recognize the independence of Poland and diplomatic relations were ultimately established on 8 September 1919. The Polish legation was established in the Hotel Phoenix Copenhagen in 1919 with Aleksander Dzieduszycki as the first representative. In the following months, the Danish legation in Warsaw would send reports back on Polish border conflicts, war with Russia and domestic problems, while the territorial ambitions of the new county were met with caution. Before the
Locarno conference The Locarno Treaties were seven agreements negotiated at Locarno, Switzerland, during 5 to 16 October 1925 and formally signed in London on 1 December, in which the First World War Western European Allied powers and the new states of Central ...
in 1925, mainstream Polish media called for Poland and Denmark to cooperate so that both countries could be included in the defense pact negotiated by the Western powers with Germany. However, there was no negotiation and consequently no cooperation. Geographical integration itself was less productive, as Polish politicians simply found it difficult to grasp the Danish security doctrine of supporting disarmament during the interwar period. Honorary vice-consulates of Poland were founded in
Aalborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of Aalb ...
,
Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...
, Hasle in 1921 and in Odense in 1922, and an honorary consular agency Kolding in 1923. A conciliation and arbitration treaty was signed on 23 April 1926 in Copenhagen. This was followed by a period of systematic contacts aimed at improving mutual familiarity. For example, the fleets of the two countries would make friendly crossings over the Baltic Sea. In 1930, the Danish fleet arrived in Gdynia, while the Polish Dar Pomorza arrived to Denmark in 1933. Poland generally tried to take a more active role in the Baltic Sea region throughout the 1930s. For this, Denmark was a target of Polish diplomacy because of its advantageous location at the straits that connect the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. The appointment of Michał Sokolnicki as envoy to Copenhagen in 1931 was one indication of growing Polish interest in Denmark. Sokolnicki was a close friend and associate of Józef Piłsudski during the Polish–Soviet War. In 1934, Polish Foreign Minister Józef Beck visited Copenhagen. However, by the mid-1930s, Danish import of Polish coal decreased due to the end of the coal strike in the United Kingdom. During the interwar period, Poland had military intelligence people in Denmark who cooperated with their Danish counterparts against Germany.


Trade relations

A trade and navigation treaty was signed between Denmark and Poland in 1924. After 1926, Poland replaced the United Kingdom as a supplier of coal to Denmark. In 1925, the amount of Polish coal exports was 220,000 tons, 942,000 tons in 1926 and 1.3 million tons in 1927. By 1931, Danish import from Poland amounted to 2.3% while the Polish import of Danish goods was less than one percent. In 1930, Polish Minister of Industry and Trade
Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski (30 December 1888, Kraków – 22 August 1974, Kraków) was a Polish politician and economist, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, government minister and manager of the Second Polish Republic. Biography He studied at the pr ...
visited Denmark to strengthen trade relations.


Polish representatives in Denmark

List of Polish representatives of the Second Polish Republic to Denmark: * Aleksander Dzieduszycki (1919–1924) * Konstanty Rozwadowski (1924–1928) * Jan Zygmunt Michałowski (1928–1931) * Michał Sokolnicki (1931–1936) * Jan Starzewski (1936–1940) * Seweryn Sokołowski (designated to succeed Starzewski in 1939)


World War II

During the German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared neutrality. A majority of Polish diplomatic and consular personnel from Germany were evacuated to Denmark. Józef Lipski, evacuated Polish Ambassador to Berlin, stressed that evacuated Poles received a most hospitable and cordial welcome in Denmark. In 1940, Denmark became the second country to be invaded by Germany during the war. King Christian X of Denmark obtained an approval from Germany so that the representatives of Poland were able to safely leave Denmark. Polish intelligence officers fled to Sweden for safety. Danish-Polish diplomatic relations were considered legally intact. During the German occupation of both countries relations were minimal. A Polish intelligence organization was established in Denmark, which recruited both Danish and Polish citizens. The Polish Home Army co-operated with the vice-consul of Denmark in German-occupied
Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...
. Both Poles and Danes were among the prisoners of the Nazi German Sonnenburg concentration camp in Słońsk. In 1944–1945, Poland was occupied by the Soviet Union, which installed a communist regime. In July 1945 Denmark went on to withdraw diplomatic recognition of the Polish government-in-exile in July 1945.


Relations during the Cold war (1945–1990)

Denmark recognized the Provisional Government of National Unity in Poland on 7 July 1945 and started sending humanitarian aid to Poland that continued after the Cold War had commenced. The period from 1949 to 1953 was the most disconsolate period in the diplomatic relations between the two countries as Denmark had joined NATO and Poland was directly subordinate to Stalin and the Soviet Union. However, two protocols on the claims and compensation for nationalised Danish property were signed in 1949 and 1953. After the death of Stalin, Denmark joined the Anglo-American strategy of subtly encouraging satellite nations of the Soviet Union to assert their independence by fostering trade and cultural ties with Western nations. In the 1950s, Danish-Polish relations improved with Poland elevating their representation in Copenhagen to an embassy on 15 August 1957 and appointed Stanisław Wincenty Dobrowolski ambassador. Conversely, Denmark appointed their first ambassador to Poland in February 1960. In September 1960, Danish Foreign Minister Jens Otto Krag became the first foreign minister from a NATO country to visit a Soviet satellite state, when he visited Poland to meet Foreign Minister
Adam Rapacki Adam Rapacki (24 December 1909 – 10 October 1970) was a leading Polish Communist politician and diplomat from 1947 to 1968. He started in the socialist movement but in 1948 joined the Central Committee of the new Polish United Workers' Par ...
. During their meetings, they agreed to avoid provocative military acts in the Baltic Sea. They moreover agreed to develop economic and cultural exchange but Denmark refused to include the
Rapacki Plan The Rapacki Plan (pronounced Rapatz-ki) was a proposal presented in a speech by Polish Foreign Minister Adam Rapacki to the United Nations General Assembly on 2 October 1957 as a limited plan for nuclear disarmament and demilitarization in Centra ...
in their joint communique for fear of it being used as propaganda. Denmark did privately raise the proposal to their NATO allies and did themselves ban the presence of nuclear weapons on their territory. Foreign Minister Rapacki visited Copenhagen in June 1960 where he was received by King
Frederik IX of Denmark Frederick IX ( da, Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg; 11 March 1899 – 14 January 1972) was King of Denmark from 1947 to 1972. Born into the House of Glücksburg, Frederick was the elder son of King Christian X and Queen ...
and Prime Minister Viggo Kampmann. A cultural and scientific cooperation treaty was signed between Denmark and Poland on 8 June 1960. By the 1970s, Poland had become the largest trading partner for Denmark among the communist bloc and they moreover began negotiations on finding a solution on the maritime borders in 1972 which would continue until 2018 when Poland handed Denmark 80% of the disputed area. In the 1980s, communication decreased as Denmark joined other Western countries in pressuring Poland to re-establish dialogue with Solidarność and the Church. Only in 1987, did communication normalize as Polish authorities began political reforms and appeared to decompose.


Defense cooperation (1990s)

Danish and Polish defense cooperation began in October 1993, when the first bilateral cooperation agreement was signed. The cooperation was further developed in January 1994 with the two countries signing the first annual programme, which would determine the concrete activities which were to be carried out in the year. It was firstly a matter of a number of high-level visits. In September 1994, Denmark took part in the five-day Partnership for Peace military exercise codenamed "Cooperative Bridge 94" in
Biedrusko Biedrusko is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Suchy Las, within Poznań County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies on the Warta river, approximately north of the regional capital Poznań. In 2006 the vil ...
. The two countries moreover joined forces in 1995 during the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...
with the creation of the IFOR Nordic-Polish brigade. For the year 1996, the two countries agreed to organize 64 activities on defense which was an increase from the 30 in 1995. In 1997, the
Multinational Corps Northeast Multinational Corps Northeast was formed on 18 September 1999 at Szczecin, Poland, which became its headquarters. It evolved from what was for many years the only multinational corps in NATO, Allied Land Forces Schleswig-Holstein and Jutland (LAND ...
was formed to lead to the integration of Poland into NATO which took place 12 March 1999.


Environmental assistance (1990s)

From 1991 to 2000, Denmark was one of the largest contributors to the Polish environmental sector comprising more than 35 per cent of the total bilateral assistance to the country. During this period, Denmark supported 232 projects in Poland amounting to 635 million DKK or 73 million USD.


Trade

The following table shows the annual trade numbers between the two countries from 1988 to 2022 in euro:


Maritime borders

In 2018, Denmark and Poland ended 40 years of maritime border dispute when they signed an agreement concerning of Baltic Sea between
Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...
and Poland, with Denmark receiving 80% of the area. This paved the way for the
Baltic Pipe The Baltic Pipe is a natural gas pipeline between Europipe II (which traverses the North Sea between Norway and Germany) and Poland. It is a strategic infrastructure project to create a new European gas supply corridor. The Baltic Pipe trans ...
, connecting Norway with Denmark and Poland, which was commissioned in September 2022.


Resident diplomatic missions

* Denmark has an embassy in Warsaw. * Poland has an embassy in Copenhagen. File:Centrum Królewska w Warszawie 2021.jpg, Building hosting the Embassy of Denmark in Warsaw File:Ambasada RP w Kopenhadze.jpg, Embassy of Poland in Copenhagen File:Kamienica, Kraków, ul. św. Anny 5, A-672 01.jpg, Honorary Consulate of Denmark in Kraków


See also

* Foreign relations of Denmark * Foreign relations of Poland *
Franciszek Jarecki Franciszek Jarecki (born September 7, 1931 – died October 24, 2010) was a pilot in the Polish Air Force, who became famous in early 1953 when he escaped Soviet-controlled Poland in a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet, one of the best Soviet planes at ...
- Polish pilot who fled to Denmark on 5 March 1953 with his
MiG-15bis The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (russian: Микоя́н и Гуре́вич МиГ-15; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of ...
aircraft.


References


Bibliography

* *


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Denmark-Poland relations Poland Bilateral relations of Poland