One of the developments discussed recently in many democracies is growing urban-rural divide. It is argued that inhabitants of urban and rural areas have increasingly divergent preferences, tend to vote for different parties and are characterized by different levels of turnout. The mechanism responsible for this effect and its character require, however, a more detailed analysis. While it is on the one hand argued that rurality correlates with other factors such as higher level of religiosity or greater traditionalism, on the other it can be claimed that the observed phenomenon may have a more complex character. The data from Poland used in our study make it possible to shed light on this development. Using both aggregate and micro-level data from the period since the inception of the current Polish party system in 2001 we first show how the urban-rural divide emerged over time and second clarify its character. Our results suggest that urban-rural divide in voting behavior cannot be simply explained as a product of higher level of conservatism of rural voters. Whereas cultural factors played an important role in certain phases of its development, the process of emergence of a new cleavage could be completed only by their combination with economic factors. Together they gave rise to a new coalition of highly diverse groups of rural voters voting increasingly different from their urban counterparts.