The owner of a swingers club in Lubliniec received a KPO grant and invites Donald Tusk to inspect it – we check what is really going on and whether the state promotes such ventures.
What the Fuss Is About – A Quick Background to the KPO Scandal
The internet erupted after a list of Recovery and Resilience Plan (KPO) grants for the HoReCa sector was made public – it included spending on yachts, saunas and virtual shooting ranges, and among the beneficiaries was a swingers club near Częstochowa. The Prime Minister announced checks on every zloty, and the club’s owner responded: go ahead, the grant has been settled and I can show all the invoices.
A Swingers Club With a KPO Grant
- The beneficiary has been operating since 2007, and the swingers club was set up after the pandemic as part of a transformation of the premises.
- The grant of approx. 443–400 thousand zloty was part of the HoReCa support programme – the funds were meant to help diversify business after COVID-19.
- The entrepreneur maintains that the money was spent on a metalworking machine as the “second leg” of the business; the whole amount was settled with own contribution and a loan.
- The owner publicly invited Prime Minister Donald Tusk to inspect the club and claims that it operates legally.
Is the Government Financing the "Sexualisation of Poles"?
There is no evidence that the programme aimed to promote swingers’ clubs, but the effect is there for everyone to see. The HoReCa programme exposed a pathology of the market – practically everyone got a grant, as long as they had a nicely written application.
What Are Swingers' Clubs and Are They Popular?
Swingers’ clubs are private venues for adults where, with consent, adults explore relationships and eroticism in a group – such activity is within the law, provided sanitary, public order and licensing requirements are met, as with other venues. In Poland it is a niche – although such places are noticeable in larger cities and online, their scale is limited, and controversies often stem from taboo and social emotions rather than from mass popularity.
What Next? Checks, Transparency and Better Criteria
The case revealed two problems: perceptual and procedural. First, public opinion expects that “reconstruction” will not cover luxury or image-sensitive purchases. Second, stricter criteria for diversifying business activity and openness about goals and result indicators are needed, so as to avoid similar image crises in the future.
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