POLAND(POLSKA)

GENERAL INFORMATION
Poland,officially the Republic of Poland is a country in Central
Europe with the capital at Warsaw,the biggest city in Poland.
The official language in Poland is Polish.
As a regional language we identify Kashubian language , a
mixture between Polish,Czech and Slovak.
Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic
and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus to the east and the
Baltic Sea and Lithuania to the north.
Poland joined European Union in 2004.
The National Anthem is Mazurek Dbrowskiego a song of the
Polish legions in Italy with the message:Poland is not yet lost.
Most residents of Poland adhered to the Christian faith, with
86.7% belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. The rest of the
population consists mainly of Eastern Orthodox, Evangelical
Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland ,various
Protestant churches and Jehovah's Witnesses

CULTURE
Famous people
1. Mikoaj Kopernik(Nicolaus Copernicus) (19 February 1473
24 May 1543) was a Renaissance mathematician and astronomer
who formulated a heliocentric model of the universe which
placed the Sun, rather than the Earth, at the center. It began the
Copernican Revolution and contributed importantly to the
scientific revolution.
2. Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin(Frdric Franois Chopin) was a
Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era.
Chopin was born at elazowa Wola, a village in the Duchy of
Warsaw, then under Russian rule, to a French father and a Polish
mother.
3. Marie Skodowska-Curie(Marie Curie)(1 March 1810
17 October 1849 was a Polish physicist and chemist, working
mainly in France, who is famous for her pioneering research on
radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the
only woman to win in two fields, and the only person to win in
multiple sciences.
4. Lech Wasa ( born 29 September 1943) is a Polish politician,
trade-union organizer, and human-rights activist. A charismatic
leader, he co-founded Solidarity the Soviet bloc's first
independent trade union.
5. Pope John Paul II (Blessed John Paul or John Paul the
Great,born Karol Jzef Wojtya) (18 May 1920 2 April 2005),
was the head of the Catholic Church from 16 October 1978 to
his death in 2005. He was the second longest-serving pope in
history and the first non-Italian since Pope Adrian VI, who died
in 1523.
6. Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (24 December 1798 26
November 1855) was a Polish national poet, dramatist, essayist,
publicist, translator, professor of Slavic literature, and political
activist. A principal figure in Polish Romanticism, he is counted
one of Poland's "Three Bards" and is widely regarded as
Poland's greatest poet.
7. Joseph Conrad (born Jzef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski) (3
December 1857 3 August 1924) was a Polish author who
wrote in English after settling in England. Conrad is regarded as
one of the greatest novelists in English,[though he did not speak
 the language fluently until he was in his twenties (and always
with a marked accent).
8. Roman Polanski (born Rajmund Roman Thierry Polaski; 18
August 1933) is a Polish-French film director, producer, writer,
and actor. Having made films in Poland, the United Kingdom,
France and the United States, he is considered one of the few
"truly international filmmakers."
9. Agnieszka Holland (born November 28, 1948) is a Polish film
and TV director and screenwriter. Best known for her political
contributions to Polish cinema, Holland is one of Poland's most
prominent filmmakers and one of the few female directors
working in Hollywood.

Society
Poland has a great, long standing tradition of tolerance towards
minorities, as well as absence of discrimination on the grounds
of religion, nationality or race. This is for historical reasons and
for the reason that ethnic minorities in Poland are very few. It
has a high level of gender equality, promotes disability rights
movement and promotes equality. Poland is the first country in
the world where corporal punishment was prohibited.

Cuisine
Polish cuisine has influenced the cuisines of its surrounding
countries. For centuries the Polish foods have been the arena of
competing with France and Italy, because of influx of merchants
from Genoa, Florence and other world cities. It is rich in meat,
especially pork, chicken and beef, winter vegetables and spices.
Pasta is also featured in many Polish dishes. . Polish national
cuisine shares similarities with other European traditions.
Generally speaking, Polish cuisine is hearty. The preparation of
traditional dishes can be time-intensive and Poles allow
themselves a fair amount of time to prepare and enjoy their
festive meals, with some feasts, like the Christmas Eve or Easter
breakfast, taking a number of days to prepare in their entirety. In
addition, most regions of Poland have their own local
gastronomic traditions and distinctive flavours. Notable foods in
Polish cuisine include: soups ros, barszcz, urek,krupnik,
kapuniak, zupa pomidorowa ,kotlet mielony, bigos, various
potato dishes, kanapka, zapiekanka, and many more.

Music
Polish folk music was collected in the 19th century by Oskar
Kolberg, as part of a wave of Polish national revival.\The most
famous of the state ensembles are Mazowsze and lsk, both of
which still perform. Though these bands had a regional touch to
their output, the overall sound was a homogenized mixture of
Polish styles. There were more authentic state-supported groups,
such as Sowianki, Polish dance music, especially the mazurka
and polonaise, were popularized by Frdric Chopin, and they
soon spread across Europe and elsewhere.[3] These are triple time
dances, while five-beat forms are more common in the northeast
and duple-time dances like the krakowiak come from the south.
The polonaise comes from the French word for Polish to identify
its origin among the Polish aristocracy, who had adapted the
dance from a slower walking dance called chodzony.

Traditions
Right before Christmas Eve, unmarried women should go
outside the house and listen to a dog barking. The direction from
 where the dog barked indicates where the prospective husband
will come from. Unmarried women usually predict their future
from a straw. To do it, hay is put under a white tablecloth in
memory of Jesus in the manger. Before sitting down at the table
after all traditional foods are ready and brought to the table,
everyone anxiously awaits the moment when the first star,
known as the Gwiazdka, appears in the eastern sky. For that is
when the feast to commemorate the birth of the Christ Child
begins. Everybody breaks the traditional wafer, or Oplatek and
exchanges good wishes for health, wealth and happiness in the
New Year. This is such a deeply moving moment that often tears
of love and joy are evoked from the family members who are
breaking this symbolic bread. The Oplatek is a thin, unleavened
wafer similar to the altar bread in the Roman Catholic Church. It
is stamped with the figures of the Godchild, the blessed Mary,
and the holy angels. On Easter Monday there is a very ancient
Easter tradition called Smingus-Dyngus custom of pouring
water on one another . In addition to catching people by surprise,
it's also a day where groups of people get together and soak each
other on purpose! It's thought that those who got thoroughly
drenched were those who would be blessed with good fortune.
They would be cleansed of all evil and illnesses.

Anthem lyrics
Jeszcze Polska nie zgina,
Kiedy my yjemy.
Co nam obca przemoc wzia,
Szabl odbierzemy.
Marsz, marsz, Dbrowski,
Z ziemi woskiej do Polski.
Za twoim przewodem
Zczym si z narodem.
Da nam przykad Bonaparte,
Jak zwycia mamy.
Marsz, marsz...
Jak Czarniecki do Poznania
Po szwedzkim zaborze,
Dla ojczyzny ratowania
Wrcim si przez morze.
Marsz, marsz...

Przejdziem Wis, przejdziem Wart, Ju tam ojciec do swej Basi

Bdziem Polakami. Mwi zapakany:
"Suchaj jeno, pono nasi Bonaparte has given us the example
Bij w tarabany." Of how we should prevail.

Marsz, marsz... March, march...

Like Czarniecki to Pozna

Poland has not yet perished,
So long as we still live.
What the alien force has taken from us,
We shall retrieve with a sabre.
After the Swedish occupation,
To save our homeland,
We shall return across the sea.
March, march...

March, march, Dbrowski, A father, in tears,

From the Italian land to Poland. Says to his Basia:
Under your command "Listen, our boys are said
We shall rejoin the nation. To be beating the tarabans."

We'll cross the Vistula and the Warta, March, march...

We shall be Polish.

MY VISIT

1.Krakow (Cracow)
Krakw (also Cracow or Krakow) is the second largest and one
of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the
Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Krakw
has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic,
cultural, and artistic life and is one of Poland's most important
economic hubs.
 Krakw's historic centre, which includes the Old Town, Kazimierz
and the Wawel Castle, was included as the first of its kind on the list
of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1978. Krakow Old Town is the
most prominent example of an old town in the country. For many
centuries Krakw was the royal capital of Poland, until Sigismund III
Vasa relocated the court to Warsaw in 1596.

Visited attractions:

Main Market Square(Rynek Gwny)

Krakw's Main Square is the main market square of the Old Town
in Krakw, Poland, and a principal urban space located at the center of
the city. It dates back to the 13th century, and is the largest medieval
town square in Europe. The Project for Public Spaces (PPS) lists the
square as the best public space in Europe due to its lively street life.

The Main Square is a spacious square surrounded by historic

townhouses (kamienice), palaces and churches. The center of the
square is dominated by the Sukiennice (the Cloth Hall or Drapers'
Hall).

St. Mary's Basilica, Krakow

St. Mary's Church (Koci Mariacki)) is a Brick Gothic church re-

built in the 14th century (originally built in the early 13th century),
adjacent to the Main Market Square in Krakw, Poland. Standing
80 m (262 ft) tall, it is particularly famous for its wooden altarpiece.

On every hour, a trumpet signalcalled the Hejna mariackiis

played from the top of the taller of St. Mary's two towers. The
plaintive tune breaks off in mid-stream, to commemorate the famous
13th century trumpeter, who was shot in the throat while sounding the
alarm before the Mongol attack on the city.

Wawel Cathedral

Wawel Cathedral (Polish: katedra wawelska), is a Roman Catholic

church located on Wawel Hill in Krakw, Poland. More than 900
years old, it is the Polish national sanctuary and traditionally has
served as coronation site of the Polish monarchs as well as the
Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Krakw. Pope John Paul II offered his
first Mass as a priest in the Crypt of the Cathedral on 2 November
1946.

Polish Aviation Museum

The Polish Aviation Museum (Polish: Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego

w Krakowie) is a large museum of old aircraft and aircraft engines in
Krakw, Poland. It is located at the site of the no-longer functional
Krakw-Rakowice-Czyyny Airport. This airfield, established by
Austria-Hungary in 1912, is one of the oldest in the world.

2.Wadowice

Wadowice is a city in southern Poland, 50 kilometres (31 miles)

from Krakw , situated on the Skawa river, confluence of Vistula, in
the eastern part of Silesian Foothills Wadowice is best known for
being the birthplace of Pope John Paul II.

Visited attractions:

Museum of the Holy Father Family Home

Museum of the Holy Father Family Home ,located in the familly

home of Pope John Paul II is an objectif where are colected objects
that belonged to Karol Wojtya and his family.
 3.Mucharz

Mucharz is a village in Wadowice County, in southern Poland. It is

the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Mucharz. It lies
approximately 9 kilometres east of Wadowice and 39 km south-west
of the regional capital Krakow.

Visited attractions:

Dni Ziemi Mucharskiej

Dni Ziemi Mucharskiej it`s a summer village festival celebrated

since 2003 dedicated to people who enjoy artistic programs consisting
in: traditional music, traditional dancing ,traditional cooking, rock and
folk music .The festival was created in order to promote young and
old talents from Mucharz and other villages and cities in Poland but
also for guests from different countries such as Slovakia, Czech
Republic and Romania.
And the sad part:

Owicim(Auschwitz)

Auschwitz was a network of concentration and extrmination camps

built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi
Germany during World War II. It consisted of Auschwitz I (the base
camp); Auschwitz IIBirkenau (the extermination camp); Auschwitz
IIIMonowitz (a labor camp to staff an IG Farben factory), and 45
satellite camps. In 1955, an exhibition opened displaying prisoner mug
shots; hair, suitcases, and shoes taken from murdered prisoners;
canisters of Zyklon B pellets; and other objects related to the killings.
UNESCO added the camp to its list of World Heritage Sites in 1979.
In 2011, the museum drew 1,400,000 visitors.