DZIAŁKA (allotment) and DACZA (dacha), or where else do Poles spend their holiday?

That’s right, we have already discussed the topic of where to spend a holiday in Poland on several occasions. In Warmia and Masuria, in the Bieszczady Mountains  or in the north of Poland . It’s hard to believe, though, that we have overlooked one important aspect, one really important Polish word known very well by virtually all participants of our summer Polish courses.

DZIAŁKA. WHAT IS IT AND HOW IMPORTANT IS IT IN POLISH LIFESTYLE?
Działka is not only a piece of land with a summer, holiday house located ouside of town, somewhere in the country and the further from civilisation the better. It is also a specific style of life and spending leisure time of people who normally live in blocks of flats. When asked what they do at the weekend or on holiday the Poles often answer Jadę na działkę/ Spędzam weekend na działce/ Dostałem zaproszenie do znajomych na działkę (I’m going to the allotment/I’m spending the weekend on the allotment/I’ve been invited to my friends‘ allotment). What's funny, foreigners who have a Polish family or friends, often, even speaking in their own language, do not translate the word and use the Polish form (I'm going to działka). On the plot/allotment, in addition to a small garden (ogród) or orchard (sad) - more on these words here - first of all there is a dom letniskowy (summer/holiday house), which is usually very simple, made of wood and without any luxuries (although there are exceptions).

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WHAT DO POLES DO ON A DZIAŁKA? SOME POLISH VERBS
Poles are very happy to invite friends to działka to have a barbecue together (grillować/robić grilla – to barbecue/have a barbecue), swim (pływać), read books (czytać książki) in a deckchair or hammock, make food together, go mushroom and blueberry picking (chodzić na grzyby i jagody) to a nearby forest, do crosswords (rozwiązywać krzyżówki), play scrabble, cards or chess (grać w scrabble, karty lub szachy). And simply to rest in the bossom of nature (odpoczywać na łonie natury).

                                                          Check here  for conjugation of the verb ODPOCZYWAĆ

Those who don’t leave the city associate działka with a plot where a new building may be constructed (that is another meaning of the word, known to foreigners working for property development companies) or with ... ogródki działkowe (allotment gardens). The latter is a characteristic feature of landscape of many Polish cities. On such a działka in the middle of the city people grow vegetables, fruit or flowers. This is a favourite pastime among pensioners, but not only... Recently more and more young people are starting to appear in allotment gardens.

DACZA AND DZIAŁKA. POLISH IRONY.
The word dacza (dacha) was borrowed from Russian and means the same as a ... działka. This word used to be more popular before the political transformation. These days it’s rather archaic and Poles use it in an ironic or humorous way especially when referring to a very well-equipped summer house (O, masz daczę za miastem?! – oh, you have a dacha outside the city? ; Ale dacza! – what a dacha! ; Dobra, przyjedziemy do ciebie na daczę – all right, we’ll come to your dacha).

At the end we have some advice for all learners of Polish. If you are ever invited to a działka by a Pole, do not decline. Działka experience is an essential element of socialising in Poland. Have fun!