Poland

Republic of Poland
Information
Capital	Warsaw
Major Cities	Krakow, Lodz, Wroclaw, Poznan, Gdansk
Language(s)	Polish
Ethnic Groups	Polish (including Poles, Slovinkians, Silesians and Kubashins) 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belorussian 0.1% Ukrainian 0.1%, other 2.7% (2002)
Demonym	Polish
Government	Parliamentary republic, Democracy
Currency	Polish złoty
Anthem	Mazurek Dąbrowskiego

Flag of Poland (with coat of arms).

Poland's Biebrza Burzyn.

Overview

Poland (officially the Republic of Poland) (In Polish: Polska) is a country of central Europe. It covers an area of around 312,6853 km² and has a population of 38,128,000. Poland shares its borders with Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic Sea, Lithuania, and Russia.

History

Poland has a long history. The first Polish state was born in 966 and the first Polish kingdom emerged in 1025. In 1569, Poland and Lithuania united to form the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. BY 1795, this commonwealth has collapsed and for next 123 years Polish nation remained without sovereignty. In 1918, it again became a sovereign state, but it was rather short lived - it lost its independence during the Second World War. After the War, Poland became a satellite state of the former Soviet Union. However, by 1989 it could assert its real sovereignty and emerged as a sovereign state in its own right, known informally as the Third Polish Republic. Currently, apart from being a member of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, it is also a member of the European Union and the NATO.

Economy

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Defence

The Poland is part of NATO.

Health care

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Transport

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Tourism angel

You as a tourist or as a visitor shall surely find Poland interesting, and the country has something to offer to everyone, even with most diverse interests. The natural beauty of Poland is simply breathtaking, historical heritage tells the glory of a by gone age, connoisseurs of art and performing arts shall find the experience captivating, and to experience the social and political changes transforming the society and the life in contemporary may be of interest to observers of such changes. In fact, Polish people have been able to retain and maintain their distinct culture and identity despite many political changes faced by them during last 100 years.

Hotels and lodging

• Vacapedia.com - Hundreds of Holiday Homes in Poland. Great for family vacations.

Attractions

The Bialowieza National Park is a huge area of ancient woodland straddling the border with Belarus, famous for its old growth trees, bogs, European bison, and wolf packs.

Overrun countless times by marauding aggressors, subjugated to overbearing foreign rule for centuries, and now told their beloved vodka can be made from anything, the Polish nation has endured more than most. Yet Poland, a country crushed flat so many times it has become indestructible, is shaking off the last vestiges of forced slumber and rushing with great abandon into a modern 21st century.

Despite the country’s rush to embrace the future, its past cannot be ignored, particularly when it confronts you at every turn. Warsaw may be embracing New World cuisine, café culture and clubs that never close, but you’ll still encounter peasant women selling bunches of flowers in its beautifully reconstructed Old Town. Drive across the country’s northern expanse and you’ll stumble upon a string of 14th-century Gothic castles, like the magnificent example at Malbork, the last remnants of the once powerful Teutonic Knights. Catch a no-frills flight to Kraków or Wrocław and you’ll arrive in magnificent medieval centres. Or choose almost any major city, from Lublin to Poznań – and too many small towns – and you’ll bear witness to extermination camps established by Nazi Germany, derelict Jewish cemeteries, and dark political prisons, terrible reminders from the last 70 years.

Shopping

Hypermarkets are dominated by Western (and some domestic) chains: Carrefour, Kaufland, Tesco, Auchan, Piotr i Paweł, Rabat, Biedronka, POLOmarket, Dino, Lewiatan, Lidl, Top Market, and Netto. Some are open 24 hours a day and they are usually located in shopping malls or suburbs. More commonly, there are smaller convenience stores located throughout the country, with Żabka and Groszek found on many street corners.

Restaurants

All around Poland, but especially in the Lesser Poland and Silesia regions, you can find many traditional restaurants. They are usually called chata, gospoda or oberża, translated roughly as "tavern" or "inn". Usually they are made of wood and have plenty of colorful ornaments hanging on the walls. Inside, you can feel as if you were in a 19th century family house. Many of their menus include traditional dishes and beverages, with food served on decorated tableware.

Photo gallery

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Everything else

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Also see

1. The President of Poland
2. 18 inch Mark XVI torpedo
3. Polish United Workers' Party
4. Poznań 1956 protests
5. 1968 Polish political crisis
6. 1968 Polish political crisis
7. 1970 Polish protests
8. People's Republic of Poland
9. Bolesław Bierut
10. 1962 Szczecin military parade accident
11. Polish People's Republic
12. Polish 18 inch torpedo (1945)
13. Polish October
14. PZL I-22 Iryda
15. PZL TS-11 Iskra
16. 1971 Łódź strikes
17. Summer 1981 hunger demonstrations in Poland
18. 1981 Declaration of Martial Law in Poland
19. "Poland is 'toast'!"
20. Summer 1981 hunger demonstrations in Poland
21. 1981 Declaration of Martial Law in Poland

External resources

Add links to other sites here

• Poland Review
• Poland Vacation Rentals
• Biała Podlaska - Photo Album - 662 photos and 225 digital paintings discovering the beauty of Biała Podlaska region. (Polish website)
• Holokaust na terenie regionu bialskopodlaskiego w czasie II wojny światowe (Polish website)
• Agro Travel in Poland (Polish website)

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