The village was first mentioned in 1326 in the register of Peter's Pence payment among Catholic parishes of Zator deaconry of the Diocese of Kraków as Polenka.

[2] Later in the late 14th century a sister settlement was established, Polanka Górna (lit.

Politically the villages belonged initially to the Duchy of Oświęcim, formed in 1315 in the process of feudal fragmentation of Poland and was ruled by a local branch of Piast dynasty.

[3] The territory of the Duchy of Oświęcim was eventually incorporated into Poland in 1564 and formed Silesian County of Kraków Voivodeship.

It was annexed by Nazi Germany at the beginning of World War II, and afterwards it was restored to Poland.