Poland
Situated at the centre of Europe, and the largest of the former Eastern European states, Poland's position is crucial.
Poland has become one of the major destinations for travellers. Its beauty can be admired in both its old cities and in the wild scenery of its national parks and nature reserves. The country's regions are largely divided into horizontal bands: the Baltic Coast and the hilly post-glacial lake district.
Central Poland is split into northern lowlands and southern uplands, including the Kraków-Wielun Upland with its limestone areas, caves and medieval castles. The Carpathian Mountains, including the Tatras, lie in the extreme south; their mountain scenery, folklore and sports facilities contributing to their charm.
Poland is a nation with a proud cultural heritage, and theatre, music and opera companies abound. The former textile city of Lodz is proud of its film school, alma mater to directors Roman Polanski and Krzysztof Kieslowski. There is also a strong tradition of graphic design and glassware.
Although the native soil for composer Frederick Chopin, scientist Marie Curie (neé Skladowska) and astronomer Nicholas Copernicus, Poland is best remembered for being the birthplace of the former Soviet bloc's first officially recognised independent mass political movement when strikes at the Gdansk shipyard in August 1980 led to agreement with the authorities on the establishment of the Solidarnosc (Solidarity) trade union.
Elections in summer 1989 ushered in eastern Europe's first post-Communist government. Poland is a member of the European Union and has achieved success in creating a market economy and attracting foreign investment. Growth is slow-moving and growing pains are apparent in the high unemployment rate and mass exodus of qualified people to other countries in search of a decent wage, but the potential exists for a healthier economy.
Nestled in the heart of Europe, Poland has served as a bridge between east and west for centuries. The multifaceted European country is a contemporary and medieval mix. Poland is a relatively reasonably priced vacation destination. There are several significant historical sites in Poland, as noted by UNESCO's World Heritage List.
The United Nations, UNESCO, has developed and maintained a list of significant places in the world, known as the World Heritage List, selected by a committee. Of the 851 world wide properties selected by the World Heritage List, thirteen are in Poland..Following are the outstanding significant historic places in Poland.
Include some of the following historic sights of Poland in the vacation travel itinerary.
- Cracow's Historic Centre.Poland's former capital has a historic center which is located at the foot of the Royal Wawel Castle. Kracow is a 13th century merchants' town. For many centuries Krakow was the capital of Poland. the seat of kings. Krakow drew great scholars, artists and talented personalities who . used their imagination to make Krakow a city with rich legacy of unique history. The market square is the largest in Europe. There are a number of historic houses, palaces and churches. Historic attractions include: 14th century fortifications, medieval site of Kazimierz with ancient synagogues, Jagellonian University and the Gothic cathedral which is the burial place of the Polish Kings.
- Wieliczka Salt Mine: Deposits of rock salt have been mined at Wieliczka since the 13th century. Wieliczka Salt Mine is near the great, historic city of Krakow. Wieliczka used to be one of the biggest, most profitable industrial establishments in the world. In medieval times salt was the commercial equivalent of todays oil. Since the 18th century Wieliczka salt mine has become a tourist attraction. The salt mine is spread over nine levels, with altars, artworks and statues sculpted in salt. The museum is one of Europe's largest mining museums. The subterranean museum takes about three hours to tour.
- Auschwitz Birkenau, German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945): Grim reminder of the Nazi genocide. The extermination camp was the third largest of the Third Reich.
- Belovezhskaya Pushcha / Bialowieza Forest: Immense forest range situated on the watershed of the Black Sean and the Baltic Sea. The forest is home to some remarkable animal life including rare mammals, wolf, lynx, otter and 300 European Bison.
- Historic Centre of Warsaw: The Old Town was 85% destroyed by Nazi troops in 1944. A five year reconstruction campaign after the war by the citizens resulted in a meticulous restoration. The Old town has churches, palaces and the market place. Selected as an outstanding example o near total reconstruction. The span of history of the Old Town covers the 13th to the 20th century. The Old Town is the oldest section of Warsaw.
- Old City of Zamosc: The chancellor Jan Zamoysky founded Zamosc in the 16th century. The trade route links western and northern Europe with the Black Sea. It is considered a perfect example of a late 16th century Renaissance town. The town has its original layout and fortifications. Zamosc is modeled on Italian theories of the "ideal city".
- Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork: The Teutonic Order owned this 13th century fortified monastery Considered an especially fine example of a medieval brick castle, the monastery fell into decay, but was restored in the 19th and 20th centuries. It sustained severe damage during World war II, but has been restored again. A large portion of the fortification complex was turned into a pleasant park after being destroyed in 1866. Selected by UNESCO as a site of considerable historic value of the evidence of the evolution of modern philosophy and for the practice of restorations and conservation.
- Medieval Town of Turun: The Teutonic Order built a castle in Torun in the mid 13th century The castle was the base for conquest and evangelizing of Prussia. The town had a commercial role in the Hanseatic League. There are many public an private buildings from the 14th and 15th centuries including the house of Copernicus. Selected by UNESCO as an example of a preserved historic trading city. and a complete picture of medieval life.
- Kalwria Zebrzydowska: Mannerist Architectural and Park Landscape Complex and Pilgrimage Park: Spiritually significant cultural landscape with a series of symbolic places of worship relating to the Passion of Jesus Christ and the life of the /Virgin Mary. The symbolic worship places were laid out at the beginning of the 17th century and has remained virtually unchanged. Today it is a spiritual place of pilgrimage. Selected by UNESCO as an exceptional cultural monument in a natural landscape.
- Churches of Peace in Jawor and Swidnica: Large timber framed religious buildings were built in the mid-17th century.The Protestant churches are in a country predominated by Catholic Churches. Selected as a witness to a particular political and spiritual development in Europe in the17th century.
- Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland: Outstanding examples of different aspects of medieval church-building in the roman Catholic Church. The wooden churches are built using horizontal log techniques. The techniques have been common in eastern and northern Europe since the Middle Ages.
- Muskauer Park / Park Muzkowski: Landscaped Park on the Neisse River and the border between Poland and Germany. The park was designed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding farming landscape. The park innovated new approaches o landscape design. Selected by UNESCO for groundbreaking development of man-made landscape.
- Centennial Hall in Wroclaw: Erected in 1911 - 1913 by Max Berg, The Hall is a landmark of reinforced concrete. Selected as a pioneering work of modern engineering and architecture. Wroclaw is located in southwestern Poland, near the border of Germany and the Czech Republic. The City of Wroclaw is a dramatic city with reminders of medieval times within the city walls.
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FRYDERYK CHOPIN'S CHILDHOOD HOUSE IN ZELAZOWA WOLA |
This little village is worldwide known because Frederick Chopin was born here in a manor that today stands in the middle of a beautiful park with about 500 different species of trees an shrubs.
The manor houses Chopin’s biographic museum with the composer’s and his family portraits. Chopin music recitals performed by outstanding artists are held here throughout summer. Three Chopin’s memorials can be admired in the park grounds.
Today Frederic Chopin’s (1810-1849) birth place is a museum dedicated to the great composer. In the summer there are concerts, a beautiful park to enjoy, and as you walk through it the feeling of the presence of Frederic Chopin. This makes Żelazowa Wola an unforgettable place for all lovers of his music. An invited soloists play inside the museum and the music is sent out into the park through the open windows. This is a very special moment, the perfect setting of the park and the music is something you will remember for a long time.
Opening hours: Closed Mondays, 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 November, Christmas and Boxing Days; open all other days, October-April: 10am-4pm, May-September: 9:30am-5:30 pm.
The Museum is housed in a late nineteenth century manor, the birthplace of Fryderyk Chopin, Poland's greatest composer and pianist who lived in the years 1810-49. It was here that Chopin spent his early childhood together with his French father, Nicolas Chopin, the private teacher and trainer of Countess's Skarbek children, and his mother, Tekla Justyna Krzyzanowska, a poor relative of the Countess.
The idea to create a Chopin museum in Zelazowa Wola first occurred to one of the subsequent owners of the property, Adam Towianski, Andrzej Towianski's son, who wanted to commemorate the composer's birthplace in the left outhouse. Several years and owners later, the idea was revived by a Petersburg-based composer, Milo Balakyryev, a great fan of Chopin's music. However, action was taken only after Poland had regained its independence in 1918 and the Society of Friends of Chopin's House and the Sochaczew Chopin Committee had been established. These two organizations worked together to buy out the manor's outhouse and a few acres of land to create a place where Chopin could be deservedly venerated. The modest outhouse was replaced with a classical Polish manor house with a raised shingle roof and a porch supported on two columns. The park was planted with trees and bushes from all over Poland and the interiors were furnished with a collection of 19th century furniture, paintings and objects to ensure that the life of Poland's greatest composer was appropriately celebrated. This is how "the Chopin's manor", or a projection of the aspirations and dreams of the composer's admirers, came into being. Opened in 1939, the manor and the park survived World War II, though the furnishings and objects related to the composer fell prey to German looting. After World War II it was decided that the manor should be restored to its 1930s appearance. It was accordingly reopened in 1949, on the centenary of Chopin's death, and in 1951 it was handed over to the National Museum. Since 1953 the Museum and the park have been managed by the Fryderk Chopin's Society in Warsaw.
Permanent exhibition: Interiors of a modest 19th century manor - a re-creation of the atmosphere of Chopin's family house - and Chopin's biographical exhibition.
One-hour long concerts of Chopin music can be heard at 11 am and 3pm from the first Sunday in May to the last Sunday in September. Visitors are also invited to open-air concerts by students of music schools, held every Saturday in July and August at 11am, irrespective of the weather conditions.
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Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived around the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, but Poland currently suffers low GDP growth and high unemployment. Solidarity suffered a major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections when it failed to elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament, and the new leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce the Trade Union's political role. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.
POLAND - general information :
Flag :
Political system: Republic
Area: 312.000 sq. km (120.728 sq. miles)
Location: Central Europe; Poland shares borders to the east with Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine, to the south with Czech Republic and Slovakia and to the west with Germany. Its northern border runs along the Baltic Sea coast, which provides about 500 km ( 300 miles) of sandy beaches, steep clifts and dunes.
Population: 39.000.000 inhabitants
Language: Polish is the official language. Foreigners can easily communicate in English, German and Russian, too.
Currency: The Zloty (PLN) is official currency in Poland. 1 PLN is equal to 100 groszy. Coins in circulation: 1,2,5 zloty and 1,2,5,10,20 groszy. Banknotes: 10,20,50,100,200 zloty.Foreign currency can be easily exchanged at all border crossing points, banks, exchange bureaux called Kantor and hotel reception. The import of foreign currency is unlimited, provided declared upon entering Poland. The export of foreign currency is limited to the amount declared on arrival. The import and export of Polish currency is prohibited.
Capital city: Warsaw
Major cities: Krakow, Gdansk, Wroclaw, Poznan, Lodz, Katowice, Szczecin, Lublin.
Time: GMT +1, Winter time GMT +2
Climate: Poland has a temperate climate, with warm summers, sunny autumns and cold winters. Snow covers the southern area from December to March.
Religion: More than 90% of Roman Catholics
Electricity: Main voltage is 220V/230V, all sockets take small round two-pin plugs. An adaptor is required for 110V electrical equipment.
Customs regulation: Customs rules and procedures are similar to those preveiling ina majority of EU countries.
Public holidays: New Years s Day 1st January, Easter Sunday and Monday (movable date), Labour Day 1st May, Constitution Day 3rd May, Corpus Christi (Thursday- movable date), Feast of the Assumption 15th August, All Saint s Day 1st November, National Independent Day 11th November, Christmas Holidays 25th and 26th December.
Credit cards: VISA, American Express, Mastercard, JCB and Dinners Club are accepted in Poland.
Shopping: Shops are generally opened from 7.00am-6.00pm Mondays to Fridays and for shorter hours at weekends. Supermarkets and department stores open 9.00am-9.00pm Mondays to Saturdays, and 9.00am-6.00pm on Sundays. Special purchases include: glass and crystal,handwoven rugs, silverware, handmade jewellery with amber, woodcarvings.
Eating and drinking: Poland has a distinctive cuisinewith typical ingrediends being dill, marjoram, caraway seeds, wild mushrooms and sour cream, which is frequently added to soups, sauces and braised meats.....
The most popular national dishes are:
Bigos - made with sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, onions and variety of meat.
Pierogi - dumplings filled with meat, mushrooms and cabbage or cottage cheese and patatoes.
Goląbki - rolled cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, onions and beef, served in tomato sauce.
Barszcz - beetroot soup, best is served with sourcream.
Vodka is the national drink and must be drunk chilled. Wyborowa is considered the best srandard vodka, but there are many flavoured varieties as Zubrowka (bison grass), Sliwowica (prune) or Pieprzowka
Beer - Polish beers are very nice and the most popular is Zywiec, a fairly strong lager type beer.
Tipping: 10% is customary in restaurants and cafes. Tipping in self-service resaturant is not expected.
Emergency phone numbers: Police 997, Ambulance 999, Fire 998
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