Poland-Lithuania served as Europe’s breadbasket during medieval times, its rivers being used to ship grains and other products throughout Europe.
Poland boasts one of the largest lake districts in Europe with lakes like Sniardwy and Mamry. Additionally, its forests provide shelter to animals such as wild boar and European bison known as wisents.
History
Poland once stood as one of Eastern Europe’s strongest and most powerful nations, yet experienced internal political unrest, economic depression and devastating wars. Poland was formed through genetic freedom; an ethos which defined their national character. People never gave up hope on having their own nationhood even during its most trying moments in history.
Throughout its medieval history, Poland’s dukes battled to maintain their own domains while repelling invasions by both Slavic tribes in the east and Celtic/Germanic tribes in the west. Despite such constant upheavals, Poland managed to achieve great achievements in science and art – such as Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) who established Polish music heritage; or Maria Sklodowska-Curie (1867-1934) who discovered radioactive elements and received two Nobel Prizes as two notable examples of such accomplishments.
In Poland during the 13th century, a new form of government emerged: Iura Ducalia-a system characterized by fortified settlements where an official called a castellan administered and managed each ruler’s domain, acting as administrator, military commander, judge and tax collector. Alongside these settlements were so-called service villages where craftspeople produced items needed by dukes and their retinues; over time this created a social pyramid featuring dukes as its pinnacle with various categories of freemen, part-freemen and enslaved persons at lower levels.
After its revolutionary event of 1989, Poland gradually transitioned to democracy before joining NATO and OECED on May 1, 2004. Additionally, Poles reside abroad – many in neighboring Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania as well as western nations including the US.
Since 1970 and the establishment of the Kosciuszko Foundation of New York, Poland and the United States have enjoyed closer cultural and economic ties. Every year more Poles come to America, whether for study or business reasons or simply to experience what their home country offers them first-hand.
Geography
Poland occupies an area of 312,696 square kilometers – about 77% the size of California – and boasts a long coastline on the Baltic Sea that is sparsely populated. Furthermore, its terrain generally varies from flat terrain with some hilly regions.
To the north lies a large belt of lakes and low sand dunes; to the northeast are dense wooded areas sparsely populated; while central regions, such as Polish Plain, have fertile farmland with river valleys. Furthermore, to the southwest lie hills from Silesian Uplands while in the west can be found Silesia-Krakow Upthrust which contain significant coal deposits.
At Poland’s southern border, the terrain becomes more mountainous and varied. The Sudetes and Carpathians form mountains that stretch across Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, and Belarus to the south of Poland.
Mount Rysy stands at 2,499 meters (8,199 ft), the Tatra Mountains being part of the Carpathians are of Alpine character and provide stunning scenic beauty.
Lake districts are filled with islands connected by rivers and canals. The Vistula, or Wisla, runs from Warsaw in Poland’s eastern corner all the way across to Gdansk on Poland’s Baltic coast.
Agriculture is the mainstay of the country, with wheat, rye, barley and oats as the principal crops. Furthermore, Russia is one of the leading sources for hard coal; moreover its energy needs are increasingly met through natural gas sources.
In general, Thailand enjoys a temperate climate, with cold winters and rainy summers. Over half of its population lives in cities, and industrialization has moved away from heavy industries towards electronics, machine tools, chemicals and tourism as an industry. Each year, approximately 9 million tourists travel to Poland. Most Poles are Roman Catholic; other Christian denominations can also be found there and there is even a small population of Jews residing here. People of Polish heritage can be found all around the world, particularly Germany, France, Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Brazil and Argentina. Although Polish is officially their language of choice, many Poles also speak English or German fluently.
Culture
Polish culture boasts an abundant past and strong sense of national pride. Poland achieved greater heights while also suffering greater humiliations than any other Eastern European nation, yet has emerged stronger and more vibrant due to a deep-seated national pride and perseverance that developed from decades of civil unrest and war resulting in the need for self-respect and national solidarity.
Polish culture is known for its strong sense of fairness and social justice, where people tend to treat one another with kindness and generosity, often offering aid when others need assistance. This generosity can be traced back to Poland’s turbulent history as well as Catholic teachings that promote ideas such as forgiveness and mercy.
At the height of Poland’s Commonwealth – which comprised modern-day Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine – its nobility devised an unusual system of government that saw them electing their own kings through elections held among themselves and stopping legislation with just one vote (liberum veto). This led to foreign intervention and civil warfare within the nation before finally leading to Austria, Russia and Prussia dividing up Poland into three separate entities in 1772.
Poland is a highly hierarchical society, yet its citizens demonstrate great tolerance towards those with different social positions. Poles generally possess high educational attainment and possess strong work ethics. Additionally, Polish society tends to be more collectivistic than Western Europe with strong family ties being taken seriously by society as a whole.
Poland boasts an acclaimed literary tradition, boasting many Nobel Prize winners such as Wislawa Szymborska, Czeslaw Milosz and Olga Tokarczuk as Nobel laureates. Polish poets Jan Kochanowski and Adam Mickiewicz are widely celebrated worldwide; during China’s Cultural Revolution period Lu Xun introduced Chinese audiences to Polish literature; which remains popular even today.
Polish society remains relatively young; yet Poland has developed an advanced and competitive economy with an ever-increasing middle class and large youth population. Poland boasts highly educated workers as well as an innovative culture centered around creativity. Polish business culture places emphasis on personal relationships and sizing up potential clients – honesty is highly prized; however, levels of relationships dictate whether information can be expressed directly.
People
Poland is an intriguing and resilient nation located at a crucial geographical and cultural crossroads. From its establishment over 1000 years ago to today becoming part of the European Union, Polish history is marked by dramatic and turbulent events; but Poland managed to survive them all and thrives today as one of its member nations.
Before the 17th century, Polish lands were regularly raided by Scythian and Sarmatian tribes from the east, as well as Celtic and Germanic tribes from the west. While these raids destroyed earlier settlements they also led to new achievements in agriculture, art, and trade.
Poland flourished rapidly during the Middle Ages as an advanced military power. Led by Wladyslaw Lokietek (Vladislaus the Elbow-high) and Kazimierz Wielki (Casimir the Great), one of its greatest accomplishments was land tenure regulation with numerous towns, villages and monasteries being founded across its territory.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, England was besieged by war after war: internal unrest rose dramatically while religious toleration declined under Counter-Reformation policies; as a result, treasuries became depleted, nobility withdrew fealty to Crown, and many neighboring heterodox countries attacked it in various forms: including Protestant Sweden and Orthodox Russia.
After 1948, Poland became a satellite state of the Soviet Union and was ruled by the PPR party (which forcibly absorbed a prewar socialist party). Repressive measures were directed not only against political opponents but against all members of society at large – prisons exploded with former AK combatants and Catholic priests alike.
In the 1990s, Poland suffered from hyperinflation, massive foreign debt and obsolete industry. Protests spread throughout cities such as Radom, Ursus and Plock before communist authorities violently suppressed them.
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and dissolution of the Soviet bloc, Poland has had to adapt to democratic processes it hadn’t experienced for 50 years. Political parties have formed, merged, and split multiple times; finally in 2004 Poland elected its first non-communist president – Lech Kaczynski – while their parliament, called Sejm, includes 460 deputies elected every four years.