Poland or the Republic of Poland, is an unitary state in Central Europe. It’s divided to 16 administrative regions, covering all together over 312,000 square kilometres. Poland’s climate is a typical continental climate with moderate temperatures and precipitation .
With nearly 40 million population, Poland is the sixth biggest member state of the EU. Poland’s capital and the largest city is Warsaw. Other major cities are: Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, Katowice and Szczecin.
WeatherContinental climate with moderate temperatures. | PricesPolish currency is ‚Zloty’. Costs of living are 50% lower than in United States or West Europe. | HotelsOver 5000 hotels and similar establishments. | TransportPoland has a big network of municipal public transport including trams and buses. Poland, as a state at the ‚cross-roads’ of Europe has also a modernized network of railways and highways. |
There are so many different tourist attractions in Poland, from Beskidy and Tatra mountains in the south to the sandy beaches of the Baltic Sea in the north. The most visited city is Kraków, which was the former capital during the period of Polish Golden Age of Renaissance. Kraków was also the place of royal coronations of most Polish kings. Among other important cities in Poland is Wrocław with its famous market square with two town halls, as well as the oldest Zoological Garden in Poland. The Polish capital Warsaw and its medieval Old Town were reconstructed after the destrucions of WW2. Other remarkable tourists destinations include Gdańsk, Poznań, Szczecin, Lublin, Toruń and the memorial site of the Nazi German concentration camp in Oświęcim also known as Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps.
The best outdoor activities in Poland are: skiing, sailing, mountain hiking and climbing. Tourist visit often the Baltic Sea coast; the Masurian Lakes District and Białowieża Forests; Karkonosze, Bieszczady and the Tatra Mountains with famous peaks of Rysy, Kościelec and Świnica. There are over 100 castles in Poland, located mostly in the Lower Silesia region and in Malopolska along the popular ‚Trail of the Eagles’.
Polish towns reflect a wide spectrum of all the major European architectural styles. Romanesque architecture is represented by St. Adalbert’s or St.Andrew’s churches in Krakow. St. Mary’s in Krakow and in Gdansk are the typical examples of the ‚brick Gothic style’ founded in Poland. Richly decorated roofs and loggias are the elements of the Polish Renaissance architecture, as evident in the City Hall in Poznań and the ‚Sukiennice’ Cloth Hall in Krakow. For some time the late renaissance style known as mannerism (for example Bishop’s Palace in Kielce), coexisted with the baroque style, typified in the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Kraków.
Polish cuisine has developed over the centuries and become very diverse. It shares many similarities with other Central European cuisines, especially German, Austrian, Jewish, and Russian. It’s rich in meat (pork, chicken, beef) and vegetables (cabbage, cucumbers), and spices. Poles use a lot of various kinds of noodles (kluski), cereals (kasza), cream and eggs. Famous festive meals are the meatless Christmas Eve dinner (Wigilia) and Easter breakfast.
The list of the famous Poles starts with Mikołaj Kopernik (Nicolaus Copernicus) who studied at the Jagiellonian University founded in 1364 in Krakow. Poland was also the motherland of many distinguished personalities among whom are: Fryderyk Chopin,Maria Skłodowska Curie,Tadeusz Kościuszko, Kazimierz Pułaski, Józef Piłsudski, Lech Wałęsa and Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła). The most famous polish movie directors are Roman Polański, Andrzej Wajda, Zbigniew Rybczyński, Janusz Kamiński, Krzysztof Kieślowski, and Agnieszka Holland.
Composers from Poland (Chopin, Rubinstein or Penderecki) together with traditional folk composers, create a lively and diverse music scene, which recognizes its own music genres, such as sung poetry and disco polo. Poland is also one of the few countries in Europe where rock and hip-hop dominate over popular pop music.