I connected the router to Copenhagen with one wire and to the Department of Physics at the University of Warsaw with a second one. And then it all started, reminisces Rafał Pietrak, who is considered to be one of two first internet users in Poland.
The internet has truly revolutionised our lives
Exactly 25 years ago Poland got connected to the internet. Two physicists, Rafał Pietrak and Dr Grzegorz Polok, were the first users. In August 1991 they connected the country to the web, one of them in Cracow and the other one in Warsaw.
It was of a European standard, 9600 bit/s, which is a ridiculously slow rate nowadays, says Dr Grzegorz Polok.
The first connection lasted about a minute. Rafał Pietrak wrote one e-mail to Jan Sorensen from the Computing Service at the University of Copenhagen.
At first, the internet was available only at the biggest Polish universities. In 1995 first portals were created. Tens of thousands Poles were connected to the internet at that point.
Back then, in order to connect, you had to dial 20 21 22. You would hear a very characteristic signal of connection. And when the internet was on you weren’t able to use the fixed-line telephone.
Shortly after that came an era of the internet cafés. People would pay a few zloty an hour to use the internet in a room with several computers next to each other.
Nowadays, 76% of Poles have access to the internet and more than 60% uses it everyday. It has definitely revolutionised the world and made our lives easier in so many ways.
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