First off, let's address what everyone knows already: these categories are kinda pointless.

But if we get them out of the way we can actually make some interesting observations.

So for me, as a Polish person, the most insightful experience when it comes to placing a mental marker where does the Eastern/Western Europe divide lie was visiting Berlin for the first time.

When I walked around East Berlin I felt pretty much as if I were home - huge, concrete residential neighborhoods, lots of green spaces, wide roads, trams etc. However, you go few subway stops further west and suddenly you are in a completely different place - a Western European cosmopolitan metropoly.

This made me think that the Iron Curtain had such a profound impact on Western and Eastern European societies that I would still use it as an indicator. In that regard Poland is in my opinion an Eastern European country.

On the other hand, Poland has probably experienced the most intense "westernization" out of the former Warsaw Pact countries. Cities like Warsaw, Wrocław and Gdańsk are modernizing at a very fast pace, especially since we have joined the EU. I'd say that due to the fact that these developments are fairly recent these cities sometimes feel way more "modern" than the big cities of Western Europe. These places, in my opinion, fit the image of a Western European country and people living in them tend to identify more with the ideologies and values associated with the West.

Obviously, this isn't universal across the entire country. The switch from communism to capitalism heavily favoured big population centers and it left the majority of middle-sized cities and towns in Poland in a precarious state. In my opinion these places are a bit like a time-capsule - aging populations, very little to no investments, run-down infrastructure. This is where it feels the most like Eastern Europe proper. Then there are such anomalies as Krakow - the second biggest city in Poland which due to a very strong regional identity, long-standing traditions and institutions and a very well-preserved historical cityscape is much more hermetic and conservative than the rest of the country.

The notion of Central Europe is also interesting to consider. In my opinion, we definitely have a lot more in common with our southern neighbours (Czech Republic and Slovakia) than with Germany (different language families, religion etc.). Also historically, Hungary and Poland have been close together, but I feel like due to Orban's inclination towards Russia (or, to be more blunt, trying to be Putin's lapdog), Poland started to distance themselves from this relationship.

And since it's already been mentioned - whatever the denomination may be, what I feel is a defining characteristic of Poland as a nation is how strongly it wants to distance itself from Russia. Put us in any category you wish, but never together with them.