Poland boasts a lengthy tradition of ballooning. The first manned balloon flight took place in Warsaw in 1790, only a few years after the Montgolfier brothers constructed their first paper hot air balloon.
Poland was a true ballooning power prior to WWII. Between 1933 and 1935, Polish teams won three consecutive Gordon Bennett cups, repeating this success on two more occasions in 1938 and 1983.
In the 1930s, Poland undertook an ambitious project to take a balloon flight up into the stratosphere. The concept of stratospheric flight was introduced by Zbigniew Burzyński, two time winner of the Gordon Bennett competition. The "Polish Star", a special balloon made for the occasion, measured 120 metres in hight when filled with air. The first attempt was made in 1938 but, due to unfavourable weather conditions, the flight did not take place. It was only in 1966 that the Polish engineers' and pilots' plan was realized by Americans.
The balloon competition season in Poland lasts from April until the end of September. During this time, a large number of national and international competitions are held. Additionally, there is a host of commercial balloon flight companies operating in Poland.
Key ballooning events in 2011:
- April 14-17, 2011, Grudziądz - X International Grudziądz President's Cup Easter Balloon Competition
- April 29 – May 2, 2011, Krosno - XII Mountain Balloon Competition
- May 6-9, 2011, Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki - Burzyński Cup
- May 27–29, 2011, Piła – Piła President's Cup Balloon Competition
- June 30 – July 3, 2011, Toruń - II Toruń Balloon Competition
- July 28-31, 2011, Włocławek – Poland Women's Championships, I Poland Juniors' Championships, Włocławek President's and Anwil S.A. President's Cup International Balloon Championships
- August 18-21, 2011, Nałęczów - VI "Nałęczów SPA" Cup Balloon Championships
- September 7-11, 2011, Leszno - XXVII Poland Balloon Championships, XX Leszno Balloon Cup
- September 28 – October 1, 2011, Stalowa Wola – Babie Lato International Balloon Competition
