Poland

Quick Facts

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Capital

Warsaw

Population

38,623,000

Government

Republic

Religions

Christianity (Catholic, Orthodox)

Languages

Polish

Calling Code

+48

Nationality

Polish

Local name

Polska

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Introduction

warsaw

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The 20th century was a destructive one for Poland, as World War II saw it being overrun by Germans and the Soviets. It wasn't until 1989 that Poland gained independence from the Soviet Union and began the arduous task of picking up the pieces.

Modern Poland's attractions can, at times, be deeply disturbing. Oswiecim (better known for its German name, Auschwitz) was home to the Nazi's largest concentration camp; approximately four million people were killed there. Poland's capital, Warsaw, was subject to a terrible battering in the war; it has been rebuilt from ground level since, but the memory of the war's savage destruction lives on.

Thankfully, however, there is some joy to be had in Poland. The Tatras in the south are a tourist-magnet because of their excellent opportunities for skiing, hiking and spelunking, as well as the collection of quiet villages and towns where old traditions are kept alive.

Brief History

For most of the prehistoric era, Poland was home to several different Slavic peoples. The earliest settled archeological site in Poland is the Biskupin settlement, which was inhabited around 700 BC. Poland emerged as a kingdom in 966 AD when Mieszko I was baptized a Catholic and made it the new nation's national religion. Over the next couple of centuries the majority of the population converted to Catholicism. The kingdom broke up and reunited several times before 1385, when the Jagiellon dynasty began. During this time, a large Jewish population moved into Poland. At the same time, Poland was lucky to avoid the horrors of the black death, which was raging elsewhere in Europe at the time.

During the Jagiellon dynasty, from 1385 to 1569, Poland formed an alliance with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This led to many great leaps in science and the arts because of a liberal attitude towards religious tolerance. It also allowed people like Nicholas Copernicus flourish. In 1569 the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth was created, which would last till 1795. This alliance made Poland the largest country in Europe and very powerful. Sadly, towards its end it started to rot from the inside and eventually imploded. Different parts of the country were divided among its neighbors.

A reunified Poland would not appear again until after World War I. Sadly this independence was short lived because of the Nazi invasion of 1939. Poland suffered greatly during World War II, losing more then 6 million people, half of whom were Jews. After the war the Soviet Union quickly moved in and made Poland into a puppet state. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Poland very quickly started to rebuild itself. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and then the European Union in June of 2003. Poland is quickly becoming one of the major economic centers of Eastern Europe.

Geography

Poland shares international borders with Germany, Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Regions

• Pomerania
• Masuria and the Suwalki region
• Greater Poland
• Silesia
• Lesser Poland
• Sub-Carpathia
• Masovia and Podlachia

Cities

• Warsaw
• Łódź
• Kraków
• Wrocław
• Poznań
• Gdańsk
• Szczecin
• Bydgoszcz
• Lublin
• Katowice
• Płock

Sights and Activities

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Train line with a chilling end - Berkenau

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Auschwitz is one of the country's major sights. Even today it is not hard to imagine what this place must have looked like in the 1940-1945 period. The fortified walls, barbed wire, barracks, gas chambers and cremation ovens show the conditions within which the Nazi genocide took place in the former concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, which was the largest concentration camp. It is believed that as many as 1.5 million people were systematically starved, tortured and murdered in this camp. These days, it stands as a symbol of humanity's cruelty to its fellow human beings in the 20th century. It is not far from Krakow and can be visited on a day trip.

Bialowieza Forest

The Bialowieza Forest, which is shared with Belarus is one of Poland's natural highlights. It is one of the last remaining true wilderness areas anywhere in Europe and consists of an immense forest range with evergreens and broad-leaved trees. On top of that, it is also home to some rare and endangered animal including mammals like the wolf, the lynx and the otter. But the creature that is really special is the European Bison, of which there are several hundreds reintroduced into the park. Therefore, the park is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Masuria

Masuria is one of the most famous lake districts in Central Europe and there are over 3000 lakes to choose from.
Masuria is located in the northeast of Poland and is a very popular tourist spot, both for foreigners as well as Polish tourists. Especially the biggest lakes in the Great Masurian Lakes area are popular and there are many activities you can choose from. Either relaxing and swimming, or kayaking and walking, and lots more. Many of the lakes are connected by channels and rivers, so it is possible to take your boat and cover tens of kilometers or even more between several of the main towns along the lakes.

Other sights and activities

Gdansk

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• Historical centre of Krakow
• Old city of Zamosc
• Malbork castle
• Medieval Torun town
• Biebrza National Park, home to some special birds.
• Hanzeatic cities and towns, including the beautifully restored old town of Gdansk.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

LOT Polish Airlines is the national airline of the country and is based at Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport (WAW). It has international flights to dozens of European cities and beyond including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Chicago, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Geneva, Helsinki, Istanbul, London, Milan, Moscow, New York-JFK/Newark, Paris, Rome, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Vienna and Zürich.

Several other airlines serve Warsaw and Norwegian Air Shuttle uses the city as a focus place throughout Europe. Other low cost airlines are SkyEurope (to Vienna) and Wizzair (about a dozen places in west of Europe).

Poznán, Katowice, Krakow, Wroclaw and Gdansk all have airports with a number of cities throughout Europe served. Many lowcostairlines serve Krakow particularly, like Easyjet, Ryanair, Jet2 and Centralwings.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Plane

Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków, Poznań, Rzeszów, Szczecin, Wrocław and Zielona Góra are the most important domestic flights within Poland, all of them served by LOT or EuroLOT. Most flights leave from Warsaw. Central Wings operates on a number of routes as well.

By Train

The Polskie Koleje Państwowe (Polish State Railways) has an extensive network of comfortable trains to all parts of the country and most lines originate and terminate in the capital Warsaw. There are Inter-City, Express or Local trains and there are two types of travel classes. Overnight trains have sleeper cars and some have restaurant cars as well.

By Car

Compared to most European countries, the Polish network of highways (motorways) is extremely limited and although there have been plans for expanding the network and works have already begun, it takes a relatively long time to complete even the more basic connections. Also, many roads are still not in a well maintained condition and can be potholed on most secondary roads. Just be careful, also with the local driving skills.

That said, it is still enjoyable to travel around by rental car (international and local companies offer these on airports and major cities) or your own car. A national driver's license (or international permit if not from EU country) and sufficient third party insurance (green card) is required, as well as documentation regarding ownership of the car.

By Bus

Polish Motor Communications has good regional and long distance bus services throughout the country.

By Boat

Although Poland offers an extensive network of lakes, rivers and canals, there are few noteworthy regular passenger ferries. Most boats include leisurely trips on for example the Mazurian Lakes and only operate from May to September.

Red Tape

If you are a European Union (EU) citizen, you may enter without any restriction as per your EU citizenship rights. If you are not an EU citizen, you will need to obtain a Schengen Visa. This visa is valid for any country in the Schengen zone.

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