Poland Travel 2023: Keeping racing pigeons in Poland

Travel Date: 2023/03/24 ~ 04/12

My uncle has always had a great love for pigeons. As far back as I can remember, he had plenty of them. Initially, they lived in the city, and a pigeon house was built above my parents' home. I would always follow my uncle around, and sometimes my cousins would join us too. We would help feed the pigeons and bring them along for training flights, eagerly waiting for the birds to fly back. It was a lot of fun when we were kids.

However, my aunt never really liked the pigeons. So even though they moved to the countryside a few years ago, my uncle didn't keep pigeons for a while. Everything changed last year when he took his grandson to his friend's house. The boy saw pigeons there and asked, "Grandpa, can we have some pigeons too?" Being the good grandfather that he is, my uncle couldn't refuse, and they built pigeon houses and brought 20 birds back home. Surprisingly, my aunt didn't notice it at first. When she asked what they were building, nobody answered her. It was only a few days later, when the grandson mentioned he was going to feed the pigeons, that my aunt finally found out about them.

My uncle was overjoyed that we were interested in joining him, watching the birds, and listening to his explanations about various bird feeds and other products. He even took my husband to the nearby countryside to release the pigeons and let them practice before this year's competition. My uncle has participated in pigeon racing several times in the past, and he's preparing for it again this year. In Poland, the prizes for pigeon racing are usually trophies rather than money, but people still eagerly participate. Both my uncle and his two brothers keep pigeons and compete in these races. One of his brothers has even won a few trophies in the past.

Interestingly, my uncle also owns a very old-style pigeon clock that was popular at the beginning of the 20th century. The clock was made in Germany, and despite its antique appearance, it's still in use today.

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