Merino sheep were first introduced into Poland from Spain in
1786. In the early 19th century, Electoral Merinos were imported. After 1860,
Merinos of the Rambouillet and Precoce types were brought to Poland, and work
towards a dual-purpose type of sheep was begun. In the period between 1918 and
1939, the breed was improved for meat traits using such breeds as the Mele and
Ile de France, created on the basis of English Longwool sheep.
After 1945, Fleischmerinos and Landmerinos were introduced
into some of the Merino flocks which survived the war. The Polish Merino flocks
are located mostly in western Poland. The Polish Merino shows both meat and
wool traits.