About the Polish Breed

Not many breeds of rabbit have as much history as the Polish, yet it remains very little known outside the show world.

The original Polish was a small to medium sized breed, weighing around 5lbs/2.26kg and pure white with red eyes. First mentioned in rabbit literature in 1860, it existed for a long time as a rather unusual meat breed, with its fine textured flesh considered a delicacy.

At one of the first rabbit shows held in Britain, in 1884, seventeen Polish were exhibited, and in 1896 the Polish Rabbit Club was formed. Nobody knows how or why it gained its name, as it is a British breed, having no connection to Poland. Some have speculated that the name came from its smooth polished coat, but this seems unlikely as white rabbits seldom have particularly shiny fur.

In 1912 the Polish was exported to America, where it still exists as a rounded, cobby breed with a fine, fly-back coat, weighing around 3½lbs/1.58kg. If you Google the words 'Polish rabbit,' most of the information refers to these, and not the UK Polish. There are no American Polish in the UK.

It seems to be circa 1930 that the Polish rabbit in Britain evolved to become the breed it is nowadays. The shape changed from compact, to elegant and 'sprightly,' resembling a miniature hare. Today's Polish still have that refined shape and spirited nature, and weigh no more than 2½lbs/1.13kg.

Polish rabbits also went from the UK to Holland, where they were developed into the Netherland Dwarf breed. This little rabbit is well-known worldwide, but not many realise it originated from the Polish! White Netherland Dwarfs are still known as 'Pool' in Holland, and 'Polonnais' in France.

The Coloured Polish was developed from the 1950s onwards and the breed now has around fifty different recognised colours and patterns including Self, Sable, Smoke Pearl, Otter, Agouti, Tortoiseshell and Himalayan.

In the late 1960's the Polish made another transatlantic journey, to become the breed known as Britannia Petite in the USA.

The Polish is the top show rabbit in Britain, winning more major awards at shows every year than any other breed. The REWs (Red-Eyed Whites) remain the most popular.

National Polish Rabbit Club UK