Wander Lord

Interesting on art, nature, people, history

Poland – Country in the Heart of Europe

Poland - Country in the Heart of Europe

Poland – Country in the Heart of Europe

The Republic of Poland is a country in eastern Europe. Its area is 312,685 square kilometers. It borders Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Russia. The Baltic Sea lies to the north.
Most of Poland’s people are Poles. They speak Polish. Small numbers of Ukrainians, Germans, and Belarusians also live in the country. The main religion is Roman Catholicism.
Warsaw is the capital and it is also the largest city. Other important cities include Lodz, Gdansk, and Krakow.
The written history of Poland begins in the AD 900s. The Piast dynasty ruled Poland until the 1300s. In 1386 Poland’s Queen Jadwiga married Wladyslaw II Jagiello, the grand duke of Lithuania. So, the two countries were united.

In the mid-1500s Poland was the largest country in Europe. In the late 1700s it was no longer a separate country after it was divided by the countries of Russia, Prussia, and Austria. In 1815 the Poles formed a new Polish kingdom, but the Russians controlled it. Poland became an independent republic in 1918.
During World War II the Nazis of Germany killed about 3 million Polish Jews. This was part of a massacre called the Holocaust.
Poland joined the European Union in 2004.

Auschwitz

Auschwitz


In literature Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz won the 1980 Nobel Prize for Literature, and poet Wislawa Szymborska won it in 1996. Frédéric Chopin, a famous composer, was from Poland. And one of the most famous scientists in history, Nicolaus Copernicus, was born in Poland. Another Polish astronomer, Johannes Hevelius (1611-1687) created the very first accurate map of the Moon. In 1932 Polish runner Stanislava Valasevich established a 100-metre dash world record, and after her death it turned out that she was a man.
Max Factor, the world-famous cosmetic company, was founded by Maximilian Faktorovich, who was born in 1877 in Poland. He opened his first store in Ryazan, Russia. In 1904 he emigrated to the United States.
There are no homeless animals here. There are a lot of river gulls on the banks of the Vistula River and many squirrels in the parks.
The largest number of white storks live in Poland (23% of the world population). Storks are one of the symbols of the country.
Football is the most popular sport in Poland.
In Warsaw there is a street named after Winnie the Pooh.

Poland – Country in the Heart of Europe

Flag of Poland

Flag of Poland

Coat of arm of Poland

Coat of arm of Poland

Poland on the map

Poland on the map

Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in Auschwitz

Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in Auschwitz

Awesome Poland

Awesome Poland

Beautiful Wilanow Palace

Beautiful Wilanow Palace

Bialowieza Forest

Bialowieza Forest

Bieszczady National Park

Bieszczady National Park

Christ the King

Christ the King

Church in Poland

Church in Poland

Crooked forest

Crooked forest

Furstenstein

Furstenstein

Gdansk - the resort city of Poland

Gdansk – the resort city of Poland

Historical Museum of Warsaw

Historical Museum of Warsaw

Kalwaria-Zebrzydowska

Kalwaria-Zebrzydowska

Krakow's Market Square

Krakow’s Market Square

Ksiaz castle

Ksiaz castle

Lazienki Park

Lazienki Park

Malbork Castle

Malbork Castle

Marienburg Castle

Marienburg Castle

Masurian Lake District

Masurian Lake District

Masurian Lakes - a natural landmark of Poland

Masurian Lakes – a natural landmark of Poland

Mountain of Crosses

Mountain of Crosses

Museum of the Polish Army

Museum of the Polish Army

Muskau Park

Muskau Park

Old Powazki

Old Powazki

Old Town in Gdansk

Old Town in Gdansk

Old Town in Torun

Old Town in Torun

Palace Square of Warsaw

Palace Square of Warsaw

Old Town of Warsaw

Old Town of Warsaw

Royal Castle in Warsaw

Royal Castle in Warsaw

Slowinsky National Park

Slowinsky National Park

Steam locomotive into the sky. 30-meter sculpture in the Polish city of Wroclaw

Steam locomotive into the sky. 30-meter sculpture in the Polish city of Wroclaw

Tatra Mountains - mountain landscapes of Poland

Tatra Mountains – mountain landscapes of Poland

Tatra Mountains

Tatra Mountains

The old part of Zamosc

The old part of Zamosc

Warsaw is the central city of Poland

Warsaw is the central city of Poland

Warsaw's Market Square

Warsaw’s Market Square

Wilanow Palace

Wilanow Palace

Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow

Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow

Wooden churches in the south of Lesser Poland

Wooden churches in the south of Lesser Poland

Wroclaw Cathedral

Wroclaw Cathedral