Polish złoty

Polish złoty
zł
The złoty (abbreviation: zł; code: PLN) is the official currency and legal tender of Poland. It is subdivided into 100 grosz (gr). The widely recognised English form of the currency name is the Polish zloty. It is the most traded currency in Central and Eastern Europe and ranks 22nd most-traded in the foreign exchange market.

The word złoty is a masculine form of the Polish adjective 'golden', which closely relates with its name to the guilder whereas the grosz subunit was based on the groschen, cognate to the English word groat. It was officially introduced to replace its predecessor, the Polish mark, on 28 February 1919 and began circulation in 1924. The only body permitted to manufacture or mint złoty coins is Mennica Polska, founded in Warsaw on 10 February 1766.

As a result of inflation in the early 1990s, the currency underwent redenomination. Thus, on 1 January 1995, 10,000 old złoty (PLZ) became one new złoty (PLN). Since then, the currency has been relatively stable, with an exchange rate fluctuating between 4 and 5 złoty for a euro. As a member of the European Union, Poland is obligated to eventually adopt the euro. As of 2022, polling suggests nearly 60% of Poles support replacing the złoty.

The term "złoty" is an adjective derived from the noun "złoto", which in the Polish language denotes gold. A literal translation of the currency's name would be "golden" or "the golden one". The closest English pronunciation of the word is. There are two plural forms – złote as well as złotych, and their correct usage is as follows:

* 1 – złoty or grosz /

* 2...4; 22...24; 32...34 (...), 102...104, 122...124, 132...134, (...) – złote or grosze /

* 0, 5...21; 25...31; 35...41 (...); 95...101; 105...121; 125...131; (...) – złotych or groszy /

Fractions should be rendered with złotego and grosza, for example 0.1 złotego; 2.5 złotego and so on.

Native English speakers or English-language sources tend to avoid the complexity of plural forms and in turn use "złoty" for all denominations, for instance 2 złoty and 100 złoty instead of 2 złote and 100 złotych.

Country
  • Poland
    Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of 312696 km2. Poland has a population of 37.7 million and is the fifth-most populous member state of the European Union. Warsaw is the nation's capital and largest metropolis. Other major cities include Kraków, Wrocław, Łódź, Poznań, Gdańsk, and Szczecin.

    Poland has a temperate transitional climate and its territory traverses the Central European Plain, extending from Baltic Sea in the north to Sudeten and Carpathian Mountains in the south. The longest Polish river is the Vistula, and Poland's highest point is Mount Rysy, situated in the Tatra mountain range of the Carpathians. The country is bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukraine to the east, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south, and Germany to the west. It also shares maritime boundaries with Denmark and Sweden.