EN
The aim of the article is to review the book Polen verstehen. Geschichte, Politik, Gesellschaft by Gerhard Gnauck, a German historian, political scientist, journalist and correspondent of ‘Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung’. It was published in Stuttgart in 2018, and in July 2019 it was presented in Poland at the office of the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation in Warsaw. The review article ponders on how Gnauck’s monograph should be qualified, whether or not it bears a scientific character; further, if it can be considered a German-language compendium of knowledge about the history of Poland and current socio-political conditions in this country. The tasks that the author set out in his work are discussed and an attempt is made to answer the question to what extent the outlined plans were achieved. The last part of the text reflects on the importance of the monograph to the German reader and German-Polish relations.