“Piwo” in Polish history and legend Poland and the beer connection
The humorous song “In Heaven there is no Beer” has long been a favorite of polka bands across the USA. Although meant as an entertaining, light-hearted joke, it actually reflected the religious connection of Polish brewing lore.
When German Holy Roman Emperor Otto III made a pilgrimage to the grave of Saint Wojciech, Poland’s first Christian martyrs in the year 1000, he was amazed at what he saw. An impressive retinue of Polish knights in dazzling armor, astride steeds shod with gold horseshoes, escorted him to Gniezno, then the Polish capital.
According to German chronicler Thietmar of Meresburg, Polish ruler Bolesław Chrobry (Boleslaus the Brave) had red carpets rolled out down the city streets for Otto to walk on. And at a sumptuous royal banquet, Bolesław treated the emperor to a truly outstanding beer. Since Germans have always prided themselves in their beer, he must have been surprised that Poles had achieved brewing perfection.
The reign of Poland’s Leszek the White (1187-1227) coincided with a crusade ordered by the pope to recapture the Holy Land from the invading Moslems. But Leszek saw to it that Poland received a special dispensation. He argued that there was no beer, a basic Polish staple, in the Holy Land and it could not be brought in barrels because it didn’t keep well in the torrid climate of the Middle East. Pope Innocent III, regarded as one of the greatest medieval pontiffs, accepted that argument and absolved the Poles from their crusading obligation.
While on his deathbed in 1605, another pontiff, Pope Clement VIII, managed to muster the words “Piva di Varca.” The cardinals gathered around him thought he was invoking one of the lesser-known Italian saints and chimed in: “Santa Piva di Varca - ora pro nobis” (Saint Piva of Varca - pray for us). Earlier in his career Clement had been the papal legate to Poland where he grew fond of the Warka brew.
Nowadays, Polish beer is gaining in popularity across Polonia. Back in the communist period only Żywiec and Okocim, produced by Polish state-owned breweries were imported. Now the gamut of brands has grown considerably. Besides the above-mentioned, they include such brews as Tyskie, Królewskie, Lech, Leżajsk, Łomża, Dojlidy, Perła, Książ, Hevelius, Bosman, Kasztelan, Książęce. Harnaś, Żubr, Tatra, Dębowe, Brackie, Fortuna and more.
When German Holy Roman Emperor Otto III made a pilgrimage to the grave of Saint Wojciech, Poland’s first Christian martyrs in the year 1000, he was amazed at what he saw. An impressive retinue of Polish knights in dazzling armor, astride steeds shod with gold horseshoes, escorted him to Gniezno, then the Polish capital.
According to German chronicler Thietmar of Meresburg, Polish ruler Bolesław Chrobry (Boleslaus the Brave) had red carpets rolled out down the city streets for Otto to walk on. And at a sumptuous royal banquet, Bolesław treated the emperor to a truly outstanding beer. Since Germans have always prided themselves in their beer, he must have been surprised that Poles had achieved brewing perfection.
The reign of Poland’s Leszek the White (1187-1227) coincided with a crusade ordered by the pope to recapture the Holy Land from the invading Moslems. But Leszek saw to it that Poland received a special dispensation. He argued that there was no beer, a basic Polish staple, in the Holy Land and it could not be brought in barrels because it didn’t keep well in the torrid climate of the Middle East. Pope Innocent III, regarded as one of the greatest medieval pontiffs, accepted that argument and absolved the Poles from their crusading obligation.
While on his deathbed in 1605, another pontiff, Pope Clement VIII, managed to muster the words “Piva di Varca.” The cardinals gathered around him thought he was invoking one of the lesser-known Italian saints and chimed in: “Santa Piva di Varca - ora pro nobis” (Saint Piva of Varca - pray for us). Earlier in his career Clement had been the papal legate to Poland where he grew fond of the Warka brew.
Nowadays, Polish beer is gaining in popularity across Polonia. Back in the communist period only Żywiec and Okocim, produced by Polish state-owned breweries were imported. Now the gamut of brands has grown considerably. Besides the above-mentioned, they include such brews as Tyskie, Królewskie, Lech, Leżajsk, Łomża, Dojlidy, Perła, Książ, Hevelius, Bosman, Kasztelan, Książęce. Harnaś, Żubr, Tatra, Dębowe, Brackie, Fortuna and more.