The article makes an attempt to answer the question: how direct payments affected the land market in Poland? The first part of the article explains the theoretical aspects of direct payments as an instrument of agricultural policy and their prospective effectiveness. Also the special character of the solutions adopted by Poland in relation with the use of this instrument was shown. The second part presents the main problems of the land market in Poland, taking into account both the supply and the demand factors of this market. The third part concentrates on searching for the cause-effect relations between the direct subsidies and the changes in the land market in Poland. They suggest, among others, that the forecasts regarding the retaining of land in households have been confirmed in practice.