Polish playing cards


	Leaves (Wino)	Hearts (Czerwień)	Acorns (Żołądź)	Bells (Dzwonek)
D
K
O
U
X
9
8
7
6

Polish playing cards (Polish: Karty polskie) have been manufactured since the 15th century and include both French- and German-suited cards. Polish playing cards may also refer more narrowly to the Polish pattern: traditional packs of 36 German-suited playing cards produced in Poland to local designs.

Description[edit]

Polish pattern cards comprise the four suits of Leaves (Wino), Hearts (Czerwień), Acorns (Żołądź) and Bells (Dzwonek) and five picture cards: the Ace or Deuce (Tuz), Ten (Kralka) or Banner, King (Król), Ober (Wyżnik) and Unter (Niżnik) and four pip cards: the Nine (Dziewiątka), Eight (Ósemka), Seven (Siódemka) and Six (Szóstka). Sometimes there are additional cards such as the: Five (Piątka), Four (Czwórka) and Three (Trójka).

History[edit]

The first cards of this type were imported from Germany and appeared in Polish towns and cities as early as the 15th century. Soon thereafter, domestic production began.^[1] In the 16th century, playing card manufacture had begun at Lemberg, Breslau, Poznań, Olkusz and Kraków.^[1]

According to Łukasz Gołębiowski, German-suited Polish cards were used to played, among others, the games of Kupiec,^[a] Kasztelan, Wózek,^[b] Skrzetułka, Drużbart, Pamfil, Chapanka, Tryszak, Mariasz, Piquet (Pikieta) and Cwik.^[2]

From the 18th century, French-suited cards and French terminology began to gradually dominate, while traditional Polish cards gradually lost popularity throughout the 19th century. Currently, cards of this pattern (32-piece pack) are still used in Silesia for the game of Skat. Tarot playing cards are also produced for Polish Taroki.^[1]

Notable Polish cardmakers in the late 19th and 20th centuries include Willink of Warsaw, Pierswsza and Karpalit of Lvov, the Kraków Playing Card Factory and state-owned KZWP. The latter dominates the market and has recently been renamed Trefl.^[1]

Cards in fiction[edit]

Ignacy Krasicki.

Footnotes[edit]

^ A banking game in which players win for 'point', 'sequence' and 'tierce'.
^ Very similar to Czech Dudak. Two to four players use 24 cards. Players must beat the previous card played to a pile and then lay a second card, or pick up the pile. The last player holding cards loses.

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Polish Playing Cards at wopc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
^ Gołębiowski (1831).

Bibliography[edit]

Łukasz Gołębiowski, Gry i zabawy różnych stanów w kraju całym lub niektórych tylko prowincyach, Warsaw 1831.
Zygmunt Gloger, Old Polish Illustrated Encyclopedia.

External links[edit]

Cyfert, Sławomir. "Krótka historia polskich kart do gry". Retrieved 2008-11-17.
A deck of cards from Austria - similar to the Polish one
Polish Playing Cards at wopc.co.uk.

[2] A banking game in which players win for 'point', 'sequence' and 'tierce'.

[3] Very similar to Czech Dudak. Two to four players use 24 cards. Players must beat the previous card played to a pile and then lay a second card, or pick up the pile. The last player holding cards loses.

[wopc-1] Polish Playing Cards at wopc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2023.

[4] Gołębiowski (1831).

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