Poland - Deckker, Zilah, Author - Much Smaller

NATIONAL
GEOGRAPHIC
EQUATOR
Countries of the World
Poland
Zilah Deckker
Richard Butterwick and Iwona Sagan, Consultants
□
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Contents
4 Foreword ■ > Vegetation &

Ecosystems Map
8 I
GEOGRAPHY
Somewhere in the Middle
At a Glance
> What's the Weather Like?
> Fast Facts
21
23
25
Special Feature: Welcome Back
Bison
Special Feature: An Unlikely
Nature Reserve
Special Feature: Who Gives a
Hoot?
I
> Average Temperature
& Rainfall
27 HISTORY
> Physical Map
Crossroads of Europe
13 Special Feature: Poland's
28 At a Glance
Waterway
> Polish Rule
15 Special Feature: An Accidental
Desert > Time line
> Historical Map
17
18 I
NATURE
Ancient Nature
At a Glance
> Varied Wildlife
> Species at Risk
31
32
33
Special Feature: Underground City
of Salt
Special Feature: Where Is the
World?
Special Feature: September 11,
1683
35
36
Special Feature: The Flome Army
Special Feature: Workers'
Solidarity
49
50 I
GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY
The European Dream
At a Glance
39
40 I
PEOPLE & CULTURE
A Catholic Culture
At a Glance
> A Changing Population
> Common Polish
52
54
> Dictators and Democracy
> Trading Partners
> Political Map
Special Feature: How the
Government Works
Special Feature Map: Industry
Phrases
55 Special Feature: The Polish Pope
> Population Map
57 Special Feature: Lech Walesa
42 Special Feature: Passion Plays
44 Special Feature: National Holidays
58 Add a Little Extra to Your
45 Special Feature: Chopin Polonaise Country Report!
46 Special Feature: The City of 60 Glossary
Culture
61 Bibliography
47 Special Feature: Watching,
Further Information
Waiting, and Eating
62 Index
64 Credits
Foreword
P oland lies at the heart of Europe. Its central location is reflected

both in its environment and its history. Poland has been a meeting
place for winds, cultures, and armies from the East and the West.
One result is that few countries have experienced so many twists
and turns. From being one of the most powerful empires in
Europe in the 14th century, Poland ceased to exist in the 18th century. Its
neighbors—Russia, Prussia (now Germany), and Austria—divided Polish
territory among themselves. However, the Poles never gave up the fight
for independence and preserved their historical culture and values.
The efforts of many Poles were rewarded by the restoration of an
independent Poland in the 1919 peace treaties that followed the end of
World War I. But the country enjoyed its freedom for only 20 years. In
1939, German and Soviet invasion in World War II once more ended
Polish independence. After the war, Poland was dominated by the
Communist Soviet Union. Again, however, Poles did not give up their
dream of a free country. In 1980 the trade union Solidarity, led by Lech
Walesa, began a political fight that brought freedom to Poland and
sparked the collapse of the whole Communist system in Europe.
Despite its troubled history, Poland has given the world many
outstanding individuals in a range of fields. They include the great
astronomer and economist Nicolaus Copernicus, the composer Frederic
Chopin, the first woman to receive the Nobel prize—and the only one to
receive it twice, in physics and chemistry—Maria Sklodowska-Curie, and
also numerous writers and poets. Pope John Paul II earned worldwide
affection with his concern for freedom and equality around the globe,
which itself reflected the history and tradition of his homeland.
4 Countries of the World: Poland

Today Poland ranks eighth in Europe in terms of its population, and
is among the continent's youngest nations. Although it is only two
decades since liberation, the economy is thriving and people are
optimistic about the future. I hope that this book will show you how
Poland is changing, and show you that it is not a remote and unknown
country but a familiar and friendly place.
A More than half a

million Poles light
candles in Krakow during
a special mass after the
death in 2005 of Polish
Pope John Paul II, who
came from the city. University of Gdansk
Foreword 5
GEOGRAPHY
Somewhere
in the
Middle
P OLAND IS OFTEN DESCRIBED as being in
central Europe, and that is exactly right. If you
located Europe's central point by drawing a line
between the continent's most westerly point—
Cabo de Roca in Portugal—and most easterly
point—the Ural Mountains in Russia, and then by
drawing another line from Europe's furthest points
north—Nordkyn in Norway—and south—Matapan in
Greece, the intersection of the two lines would be in
Poland. This makes Poland the true geographical
center of the European continent; the exact point lies
near the capital city of Warsaw.
There is much more to Poland than this! It has a
variety of striking landscapes, from the sandy beaches
of the Baltic Sea coast to the snow-capped peaks of
the Carpathian Mountains.
M A boy walks through the middle of a snowy pine forest in eastern Poland.
Geography 7
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A A wooded plain
extends as far as the
Changing Borders
eye can see in Poland has seven neighbors: Germany to the west,
eastern Poland. Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south, Lithuania,
Belarus, and Ukraine to the east. The northern border
of Poland is formed by Russia and the Baltic Sea,
which connects to the North Atlantic. Poland is the
sixth largest European country. It has an area a little
larger than the U.S. state of Nevada.
Poland's location at the crossroads of Europe
has meant that it was often engaged in clashes with
its many neighbors and sometimes got caught up
in their conflicts. As a result, Poland's territorial
boundaries have changed many times over the
centuries. In the past, Poland has extended much

further east than it does now. The
present borders were set after World
War II (1939-1945). The Polish
borders are now very similar to the
area controlled by Poland's first
princes more than one thousand
years ago.
A Flat Country A Border guards patrol

through a woodland
The Polish landscape is mostly lowlands. Nearly 92
beside the frontier
percent of the land is no more than 985 feet (300 m)
with Belarus.
above sea level. This does not mean the landscape is
all the same. There are more than 9,000 lakes, which
were formed by glaciers scraping large holes in the
ground during the last Ice Age. There are two
mountain ranges along the southern border: the f The Baltic Sea forms
Carpathians and the Sudeten Mountains. The Poland’s northern

border. Much of the
^wietokrzyskie (Holy Cross) Mountains surround the
coast is long sandy
city of Kielce. beaches that stretch
Poland can be divided into three zones that run out into shallow water.
north to south. The

lowlands spread south
from the Baltic Sea and
cover about two-thirds of
the country. These give
way to a highland
region—low rolling hills,
which rise gradually to
the high peaks of the
southern mountains.
Beside the Sea
Poland has a short coastline which
runs between the mouths of the
country's two main rivers. The Oder
River runs along the western border
with Germany and empties into the
Baltic at Pomeranian Bay. The Polish
coast runs east from the Oder and is
mainly made up of wide beaches of
A Amber is common on sand and pebbles, with areas of salt marsh and
the Baltic coast. It is a
lagoons that are cut off from the sea by sandbars.
glassy material made
Most of the coast is very flat, but there are a few small
from ancient tree resin.
This specimen contains hills that were formed by rocks and earth left behind
a prehistoric insect by glaciers as they melted back into the sea.
trapped inside.
The eastern end of the coast forms the Gulf of
Gdansk, which is where the Vistula River meets the
Sailboats cross one
sea. The Polish coast then meets the border with the
of the many lakes in
Masuria, the largest

Russian Kaliningrad enclave, a part of Russia cut off
lakeland region in Poland. from the rest of the country. The main Polish ports are
POLAND’S WATERWAY
A trip along the Vistula River is a
journey through the heart of
Poland. The river, Poland’s longest

and busiest, begins in the Carpathian
Mountains along the southern border.
It flows a total of 651 miles (1,047 km)
before forming a delta on the Baltic coast.
The largest Polish ports, including Gdansk,
are at the mouth of the Vistula Delta. As it
empties into a large bay called the Gulf of
Gdansk, the Vistula carries half of all of A The Vistula River is the main waterway running
Poland’s river water. through Warsaw, the Polish capital.
^zczecin-Sinoujcsie in the west, and Gdansk and

Gdynia in the east.
A Land oft Lakes

Lakes are a common feature of the Polish landscape.
One percent of the country's land area is covered by
water. There are almost 1,300 lakes with areas of more
than 2.5 acres (1 hectare). There are three lake
regions: the Pomerania Lakeland, between the Oder
and Vistula Rivers; the Masurian Lakeland, east of the
Vistula; and the Great Poland Lakeland in the center of
the country. The lakes are habitats for many kinds of
migrating birds and are surrounded by large areas
of bog and forest. The lakelands are some of the
most rural and least inhabited parts of Poland.
Geography 13
Central Lowlands
As the region's name suggests,
most of the central lowlands are flat,
but small hills, valleys, and rivers
divide it into four sectors. The
lowlands of Silesia (around the
western city of Wroclaw) and the
areas in the south of the Great
Poland region—close to the city of
Poznan—are where most of the
A Sheep graze on country's farmland is located.
the foothills of the
The Mazovian Lowland covers either side of the
Carpathian Mountains.
middle section of the Vistula River. The main city in
this region is Warsaw. The fourth lowland sector is
A steelworks in
Podlasie in the northeast, which extends into Belarus.
Katowice processes the
coal and iron ore mined in Most of Podlasie is marshy land. Europe's largest
the southern highlands. ancient forest, the Bialowieza, is located there.
Slow Rise
The Polish highlands
are south of the
lowlands and stretch
from Upper Silesia on
the west to the Lublin
region on the border
with Ukraine. The
highlands are ancient
hills, and the ground
contains many valuable
minerals. Coal and iron

are mined in the hills of Silesia and those
south of Krakow. As a result, the highlands
are a very industrialized region.
AN ACCIDENTAL DESERT
Chain of Peaki
The entire southern border of Poland,
T he Bledow Desert near Katowice was
not created by the climate but by
human activity. In medieval times the

where the country meets the Czech area was a forest, but the trees were cut
Republic and Slovakia, is located in the down to provide fuel for steelwork furnaces
mountains. The main ranges are the and for building supports in mines. Without
tree roots to hold it together, the region’s
Sudetens in the west and the Carpathians
soil became so loose that plants could not
in the east. The so-called Moravian Gate
grow—it had become a desert. The desert
divides the two mountain ranges, is just 12 square miles (32 square km).
and is the main southern Although it is not very hot, mirages (optical
illusions that look like pools of water) are

route out of Poland.
seen in the desert. During World War II,
The Sudetens have
the desert was used by the German Afrika
many resorts and spas, Korps for training before they were sent to
where people drink the the Sahara Desert.
spring water. The

Carpathians are the
Mountaineers climb
second largest mountain chain in
up a sheer rock face in
Europe after the Alps. the Tatras, a range in the
Carpathian Mountains.
Ancient
NATURE
Nature
P OLES ARE VERY PROUD of their oak trees.

Many of the older ones are protected—such as
the 1,000-year-old Bartek, which grows near
Kielce. Oaks also play a part in legends,
including one about how Poland became a
country. The story goes that three brothers, Lech,
Czech, and Rus, were looking for places to live. Czech
settled in the west, while Rus traveled east—Czech
became the first Czech person, and Rus founded
Russia. Lech, however, went north. He saw a white
eagle perching on a nest in a huge oak tree. He
decided to settle there and named the place Gniezno,
meaning "nest." Lech was the first Pole, and Gniezno,
now a small town in western Poland, was the country's
first capital. The eagle is still Poland's national symbol.
◄ Children play among protected oak trees in Palace Park, part of the Bialowieza
Forest in eastern Poland.
Nature 17
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Vegetation & Ecodydtemd Map
A The flowers of wild
Step Back in Time
garlic—known in Poland
as “bear garlic”—
Poland's ancient forests form a time capsule of
blanket fhe floor of what the whole of Europe would have been like in
the Bialowieza Forest.
prehistoric times before human beings cleared the
trees to make way for farmland. In colder areas, such
as the east, most of the trees are spruce or pine and
there are rare species of dwarf birch and Lapp willow.
In the warmer regions, the forests are a mixture of oak,
beech, cherry, and fir.
The Bialowieza Forest on the border of Poland and
Belarus contains the largest remaining fragments of
this primeval forest. Today, the forest is a refuge for

once common beasts, such as wild boar and
the very rare wisent, or European bison.
The bison is Europe's largest mammal.
Males can stand 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weigh
2,000 pounds (900 kg). The Bialowieza
Forest holds the largest population of
European bison. The wild boar, the ancestor
of all domestic pigs, is also found there. It is
covered in a coat of coarse, bristle-like hairs
ranging from dark gray to brown and can
weigh up to 440 pounds (200 kg).
A The fly agaric
mushroom, or toadstool,
Home to endangered Specie <j is very poisonous. It
often appears in Polish
Poland is also home to other European species that
fairy tales and those of
are extremely rare on the rest of the continent. These
other European nations.
include wild horses; brown bears, a close cousin of the
WELCOME BACK BISON

B ison used to be common in the forests of
Europe. The population of wild European
bison, or the wisent, dropped from about two
million in the middle of the 19th century to just 700
in 1914. The last wild bison died in 1919.
Luckily, the bison were not extinct; there were
some left in captivity, which continued to breed and
increase in numbers. In 1952 a small group was
reintroduced into the Bialowieza Forest. Today bison
live in several forests in Poland and most are wild. Of
the 3,000 bison in the world, 2,000 live in forests in
Poland. Other Polish species are also being restored A European bison are close relatives of
to their original habitats, such as the lynx, beaver, the American bison. They are taller than their
and chamois mountain goat. American cousins, but not as heavy.

North American grizzly; chamois, a type of mountain
Poland shares some goat; and forest cats, which are very similar to pet cats.
animals with North
Poland is home to the Eurasian lynx, a large cat
America. Elks live in
with a short tail, weighing up to 80 pounds (36 kg).
the country’s forests,
but these animals are The lynx lives in heavily forested regions. It is most
known as red deer in common in the Kampinoski National Park. Another
Europe. The name elk
Polish resident is the European beaver. This species
is actually used for fhe
European moose, which

is very similar to the American beaver in size and
also lives in Poland. habits. Like their American cousins, European beavers
were once trapped for their thick,
waterproof fur, and their numbers
fell to very low levels. The beaver
is now protected by law. However,
unlike North America, Poland and
the rest of Europe do not have
many large areas of forest
wilderness left, so the European
beaver is still very rare indeed.
Howl and Bellow

Poland has one of the largest
population of wolves in Europe:
there are around 800 gray wolves
in the country. Most of them live in
the Carpathian Mountains, where
their night-time howls can be heard
echoing across the valleys. An
isolated wolf population also exists
in the Nadnotecka Forest, in the
west of Poland. The gray wolf preys

on red deer or roe deer and they
sometimes raid farms for sheep.
The European elk—known as
the moose in North-America—lives
in the marshland areas of Poland,
but sometimes wanders in other
areas. The world's largest type of
deer, male elks can grow to the
size of a horse. Despite their size,
elks are shy and seldom seen.
However, you can hear them bellowing to each other ▲ Botanists collect
moss samples from a
from the undergrowth during the mating season.
national park in Poland.
Land of National Parks

Poland's most valuable
habitats are protected in 23
national parks, which add up
AN UNLIKELY NATURE RESERVE
to 1 percent of the country's
entire land area. The national
parks protect a variety of
T he Ostwall Fortification around the town of
Miedzyrzecz in western Poland is a network of
habitat types. There are underground bunkers and fortifications built by
the Nazis between 1933 and 1944 to defend Germany

nine national parks in the
from invasion from the east. It did not stop the advance
mountain ranges, two in the
of the Russians in 1944. Today it is home to 30,000
strip of highlands, ten in the bats. Twelve species of bat gather in the bunkers to
lowlands, protecting forests, hibernate. Many of the bats are endangered species,
lakes, rivers, and wetlands, such as the barbastelle and mouse-eared bat, and part
of the fortification has been designated as a nature

and two on the coast.
reserve. Each October, bats travel from western
Despite national parks being
Germany, the Czech Republic, and throughout Poland
given the highest degree of to this unique roost.
protection, many of them
Nature 23
contain villages that were
there long before the park
boundaries were set.
Six of the national
parks, including
Bialowieza Forest, Tatras
Mountains, and the dunes
at Slowinski, are United
Nations (UN) world
A The white-tailed biosphere reserves. The Bialowieza Forest is doubly
eagle, or sea eagle, has
protected as a UN World Heritage site because of
a wingspan of 8 feet
(2.5 m). Like other

the traditional villages contained within it. Because of
hunting birds, the eagle their uniqueness, Poland's national parks are becoming
became very rare in the
popular destinations for tourists.
1950s and 1960s
because of pollution.
A Paradbe for Bird 5
Poland is home to 80 percent of all European bird

species. There are more white stork nests there than
A white stork in the in any other country. Stork nests can be seen on
Biebranski National Park
rooftops, towers, chimneys, telephone poles, trees,
in northeast Poland
and specially constructed
maintains her large nest
of sticks after her chicks nest towers. It is believed

have hatched. that one in every four
storks in the
world lives
in Poland.
The white-tailed eagle is the
country's largest bird of prey and its
national symbol. The bird is also
known as the sea eagle because it
*» i
WHO GIVES A HOOT?
often hunts for fish along the
coast. Inland, the eagle is seen
around lakes, where it preys on
T he hoopoe is a curious woodland bird that
has a prominent crest on its head. This
feathery headgear can be raised or
mammals and wading birds. lowered according to the bird’s mood. Hoopoes
The best place to see white¬ (right) are so named for
tailed eagles is the Warta their distinctive triple¬
hoot calls. They arrive

National Park in western
in the woodlands of
Poland. Other birds of prey
Poland in spring to
found in Poland include the mate and raise chicks.
honey buzzard, Eurasian hobby, Chicks are born in tree
and marsh harrier. hollows that are known

for being dirty and
Poland is one of the best
smelly. The birds keep
places to see a corncrake, an
the nests like that to
attractive bird with a distinctive drive away predators.
call. Corncrakes are related to

wading birds, such as moorhens and coots, but they
A golden oriole guards
do not live near water. Instead they nest in meadows. his chicks after flying to
Corncrakes have been driven out of most fields by Poland to breed in summer.
farming methods, but

Poland still has areas
of original grassland
where they can live.
Other birds in Poland
include three-toed
woodpeckers, hazel
grouses, red-breasted
flycatchers, thrush
nightingales, great
snipes, and various
species of cranes.
Nature 25
Crcuroaclt
HISTORY
Europe
P OLAND'S POSITION IN THE HEART of Europe
has been very important to the country's history.
Poland's first civilization dates back to 2000 b.c.,
and since that time traders have criss-crossed the
region. By 1400 b.c., amber from Poland's Baltic
coast was being sold in ancient Egypt. The famous
Egyptian king, Tutankhamun, was buried with some.
The Greeks also used Polish amber. They called it
elektron, from which the word electricity comes.
Poland never became part of the Roman Empire,
but its trade routes were filled with Roman merchants
carrying products to and from the Mediterranean.
Poland was a large and powerful state for many
centuries, but later became part of the expanding
empires of Russia, Germany, and Austria.
M Amber necklaces are sold in Gdansk on the coast of Poland as they have been for
thousands of years. Ancient Greeks thought that amber was frozen lynx urine.
History 27
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Uncovering the Pait
Poland was founded officially in a.d. 966.
However, the country's birth is still
surrounded by several myths. According
to legend, the father of Poland was a
man called Lech, who built a town
named Gniezno in western Poland.
Gniezno is still there and it was one of
Poland's early capitals, but did the
country of Poland begin there?
The real story has been put together
by archaeologists—and the legend is
not far from the truth. Archaeologists
have excavated the remains of a castle
on the island of Ostrow Lednicki at Lake
Lednica, close to modern-day Gniezno.
This was the home of Mieszko I, the first
prince (or duke) of Polska (called Poland
▲ Malbork Castle in in English). Mieszko was a Slavic chief who united several
northern Poland looms
tribes to form a kingdom in A.D. 966. His son Boleslaw I
above the Nogat River. It
was built by an order of was the first king of the Piast Dynasty.
German warrior-monks Archaeologists also found evidence of fertile
called the Teutonic
farmland around the castle: The name of the new
Knights in 1309 and
became one of the most

kingdom, Polska, probably derives from the Slavic word
powerful fortresses in pol, which means "field."
Europe. It has been
extended and restored.

A Chri&tian Kingdom
Mieszko I established the principality of Poland as a
Christian kingdom. At the time there were two main
centers of Christianity: Rome was the home of the pope,

the head of the Roman
Catholic Church. To the
east lay Constantinople—
today's Istanbul, Turkey.
At the time, that city
was the center of the
Orthodox Church. Many - #
( <
-
'v
Slavs are Orthodox, but

t %)
the Poles became
Catholics. That choice v H\
'
linked their country with

western Europe.
In 1025, Boleslaw I was crowned in Gniezno. The ▲ A carving of the face
and body ofWIadyslaw

Piast Dynasty ruled on until 1370. Casimir III was the
II Jagiello, a Polish king
last of the Piasts. He made peace with Poland's many (1386-1434), decorates
neighbors and secured the borders. his coffin.
UNDERGROUND CITY OF SALT

T he salt mines of Wieliczka, near
Krakow, are the oldest continuously
worked salt mines in the world. Salt
has been mined there for 900 years, and the
mine is now a 125-mile (200-km) maze of
passages and caverns. Part of the mine is
open to visitors. It includes a chapel with
sculptures carved onto the rock salt walls.
The mine’s largest chamber has excellent
acoustics and is used for concerts. About
690 feet (210 m) down, there is a sanatorium
for asthma and allergy sufferers, who benefit
from the clean and dry air. The mine is a UN A Almost everything in the chapel in the Wieliczka Salt
World Heritage site. Mine is made from salt, even the stairs and chandeliers.
WHERE IS THE WORLD?
N icolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)
was a Polish astronomer who
showed that Earth and the other
planets revolved around the sun. At the
time this was a dangerous idea because it

contradicted the teachings of the Catholic
Church. Copernicus did not risk getting
into trouble. He only published his findings
shortly before he died. Copernicus’s book A A statue of Nicolaus Copernicus holds a model of the
was immediately banned by the pope, and solar system with the sun at the center. The statue
that ban was not lifted until 1835. stands in Torun, Copernicus’s birthplace.
History enthusiasts A Golden Age

reenact the Battle of
Casimir had no sons, so Louis I of Hungary became
Grunwald of 1410, when
the Poles beat the

the Polish king. When he died 12 years later, the
Teutonic Knights. Hungarian princess Jadwiga became the ruler of an
independent Poland at age nine
She later married Wladyslaw
Jagiello, the Grand Duke of
Lithuania in 1386. This marriage
created the second great Polish
dynasty, the Jagiellonians. The
Jagiellonians ruled both Poland
and Lithuania in a period of
peace and prosperity called the
Golden Age.
electing Kings
In 1569, Poland and Lithuania
were officially joined by an act of
union. When Sigismund II died

without an heir a few years later, the two countries
became a Commonwealth, or republic, run by an
elected king. Most of the people had no vote. The
noblemen chose the king, either from among
themselves or a foreign prince.
Shrinking Borders
The nobles, who made up about 6 to 8 percent of the
population, enjoyed liberties such as freedom of
speech, freedom from arrest without trial, and a
parliament (sejm), which alone could make laws and
agree to new taxes. However, during the 17th century
SEPTEMBER II, 1683

In the 17th century Poland was a leading
European power. The Polish army, under
Jan II Sobieski (1674-1696), had defeated
the Ottoman Turks, a Muslim empire that
threatened to conquer the whole of Christian
Europe. The Turks, unable to expand into
Europe through Poland, changed direction,
invaded Hungary and laid siege to Vienna,
Austria, in 1683. Sobieski, at the request A An artist’s impression of the Battle of Vienna.
of the pope, sent the Polish army to save
Europe from the Turks. Islamic religions. The date of the battle was
The Poles won the Battle of Vienna and September II. Some believe that the date of the
stopped the Turkish advance west for good. terrorist attacks on New York and Washington
The battle was a turning point in the struggle in 2001 was chosen perhaps in relation to the
for dominance between the Christian and events of the Battle of Vienna in 1683.
History 33
Poland came under attack again and fought wars with
the Swedes, Russians, and Turks. Poland won many of
these battles, but not all, and began to lose territory.
The nobles realized the need for reform. In 1791 —
just two years after the United States—Poland became
the first European country with a written constitution.
However, by this time Poland was too weak to defend
itself. By 1795 Russia, Prussia, and Austria had divided
all of the country among themselves. Poland ceased
to exist as a state for 123 years.
Adolf Hitler and his
military commanders
watch a long line of A Gathering Storm

German soldiers march
The idea of Poland was kept alive by patriotic Poles.
into Poland on September
1,1939. It was the start

At the end of World War I in 1918 their hopes were
of World War II. fulfilled when Poland was restored as an independent
THE HOME ARMY
T he Polish resistance movement against
the Nazi occupation was called the
Home Army. The Home Army carried out

many sabotage missions to weaken the
occupying force and on occasion organized
uprisings to take control of major cities.
The Home Army’s last campaign began in

August 1944 as the Russian Red Army was A A girl lays a rose at the Warsaw Uprising
approaching Warsaw from the east. The Home Monument in the Polish capital.
Army attempted to win back the city from the
Germans before the Russians got there. The wiped out the Home Army in two months
fighting became known as the Warsaw Uprising. of fighting. The communist Red Army then
Instead of helping out, the Red Army stopped forced out the Germans confident that it
just outside the city while the Germans slowly would have total control of Warsaw.
state. November 11 that year was declared Polish

National Independence Day and the beginning of the
Second Polish Republic. Reunifying a nation that had
been split in three for more than a century was full of
difficulties. In 1939, Poland was still in the process of
reconstruction, when it was forced into a war with
its neighbors once again.
Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, had made
a secret agreement with Josef Stalin, the leader of the
Soviet Union (Russia's communist empire) to divide
Poland up between them. When they invaded the
country, Britain and France sided with Poland.
In 1941, Germany turned on the Soviet Union and
launched an invasion of Russia from Poland. The attack
failed, and by late 1944, Soviet troops were fighting
their way through Poland toward Germany. When
History 35
WORKERS’ SOLIDARITY
S olidarity was an independent trade union
founded after workers went on strike at
the Gdansk shipyards in 1980. Before
then, independent unions were banned by the
communist government. Solidarity (Solidarnosc Solidarity’s red logo is clearly visible behind
in Polish; meaning “standing together”), led by this union member.
an electrician named Lech Walesa, grew rapidly
and became a mass movement against the In 1989, Solidarity forced the Polish
communist government. Feeling under threat by communists to introduce democracy.
the growth of Solidarity to 10 million members, Solidarity was the largest political party and it
the Polish army took charge of the country in won elections that year. Walesa was elected
1981, and Walesa and other Solidarity leaders president of Poland in 1990. Today, Solidarity
were imprisoned. Nevertheless the anti¬ is no longer a political party and is a trade
communist movement had begun. union once again.
Polish communists World War II ended in 1945, Poland was still an

parade pasta picture of
occupied country. This time, the occupiers were the
Lenin, a Russian leader,
in Warsaw. communist forces of the Soviet Union.
The Ccmmuniit £ra

The commanders of Poland's Home Army, which
organized the resistance against the Nazis,
expected to be put in charge of Poland at the end
of the war. However, when the winners of World War
II—the United States, Britain, and the Soviet
Union—gathered in Germany in 1945 to discuss
what to do with the land they had won, it was
decided that Poland would remain under the control
of the Soviet Red Army. Poland became a
communist country that was tightly controlled by
the Russians.

Independent Once Again
Despite the opposition of most of its people, Poland
remained under communist control until 1989. An
economic crisis in the 1970s forced the price of food
to rise, and in 1980, Polish workers began to strike in
protest. Labor leaders formed a national protest
movement, called Solidarity, which demanded more
freedom for Polish people. In 1989 the communists
could no longer keep control and they agreed to hold
Thousands of Poles
elections. The Polish Communist Party was dissolved give a victory salute at
in January 1990, and Poland set about rejoining a Solidarity meeting in

Bydgoszcz, a city in
western Europe. In 1999, Poland became a member of
northern Poland, during
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and in the 1989 election
2004 it joined the European Union (EU). campaign.
History 37
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PEOPLE & CULTURE
Catholic
Culture
T HROUGHOUT THEIR COUNTRY'S turbulent
history, Poles have kept a strong national
identity. Polish culture and traditions stretch back
throughout the nation's thousand-year history
and into the distant past.
Two things have been most important in preserving
Polishness—the Polish language and strong Catholic
traditions. Religion is a very important part of Polish
life. Although in the past there were more people of
other religions, today almost all of the population (at
least 90 percent) are Roman Catholics. The strong
religious faith of the Polish people helped them to
keep going during their nation's difficult periods, such
as the partition in the 19th century, the violence of
World War II, and the struggle against communism.
•4 In southern Poland it is a Christmas tradition to build an ornate model of the
Nativity scene, such as this castle being put on display in Krakow.
People & Culture 39

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Religion.s Support
In 1979, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla,
PASSION PLAYS
A s part of the Easter tradition in Poland,
passion plays are performed across the

the Archbishop of Krakow,
became pope, the highest
position in the Catholic Church.
country. A passion play is a reenactment The appointment of a Polish
of the last hours of Jesus Christ. The largest pope put religion at the center
audiences gather to watch the performance at the
of the Polish struggle against
monastery in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska in southern
communism. Religion was
Poland. Many pilgrims respond to the drama with
deep emotion, weeping, or crying out against the tolerated by the communists,
Roman guards. and the Polish Church became
a quiet but powerful force
during the turbulent years of
the 1980s. Priests held services
at illegal union meetings. They
were there not just to give the
protesters hope but to also
lend them protection. It was
harder for the communists to
defeat the unions when they
had such powerful friends at
home and abroad.
A passion play has been performed at Kalwaria
Zebrzydowska each Easter for 400 years.

The Fun Times
Christmas Eve and Holy Week
(Easter) are Poland's biggest national celebrations.
However, many Poles continue to observe Catholic
traditions throughout the year. They live quietly during
Advent and Lent and make regular pilgrimages to
holy shrines, such as the Monastery of Jasna Gora in

Czestochowa. Saints' days are
often marked with processions.
Corpus Christi, a summer feast
day that remembers the day
Jesus' followers began to spread
his teachings, is also celebrated
in this way. The largest of the
processions is held in towicz in
central Poland.
A Polish boys and girls
Family Time head to church for a

confirmation service in
The family is considered very important in Poland. The which they will become
country still has one of the lowest divorce rates in full members of the
Europe. However, families are small with an average of Catholic Church.
two children per couple.

Two million Poles
Despite the Church being central to Polish life, a
gather at a Catholic
few pre-Christian Slavic traditions remain. One such mass given by the pope
in Tarnow in 1987.
rF*9 :>
NATIONAL HOLIDAYS
T he most important Polish holidays are
the Christian festivals of Christmas,

pagan ritual is now a children's
winter game. Winters in Poland
can be long and unforgiving, and
Easter, Corpus Christi, and All Saints'
people are happy to see the snow
Day. There are also two non-religious
national days, one commemorating the and ice melt with the approach of
creation of the Polish Constitution in spring. Polish children celebrate
1791 and the other, the restoration of the thaw with the game Topienie
independence in 1918. These holidays are
Marzanny (Sinking of Marzanna).
celebrated with parades and public concerts.
They make dolls from grass and
January I New Year’s Day
March/April Easter (variable) twigs and take them to a river.

May I Labor Day They then burn the doll—the
May 3 Constitution Day
goddess Marzanna, from the
June Corpus Christi (variable)
Polish word for "freezing"—
August 15 Feast of the Assumption
November I All Saints’ Day

and throw her into the river.
November II National Independence Day
December 25 Christmas Day School yean

December 26 St. Stephen’s Day
The Polish have long traditions of
good education. The country has
a highly skilled population. Polish
children start school at the age
of 7. They stay in school for a
minimum of 9 years—between the
ages of 13 to 16, students move
to a lower secondary school. After
that 70 percent of students move
to upper secondary school. Some
of these schools train students for
certain jobs, such as plumbing or
1 Schoolgirls parade through Warsaw to
construction. Students study there
celebrate National Independence Day.
for two years. General upper

CHOPIN POLONAISE
F rederic Chopin (1810-1849) is the most
famous Polish composer. He was born
in the village of Zelazowa Wola, a few

miles north of Warsaw. The young Frederic
showed great musical ability and he studied
at the Warsaw Conservatory before moving
to Paris, France, when he was 20 years old. In
Paris, Chopin began a brilliant career as a

composer, writing music for the piano.
Chopin had fragile health, however, and
died of tuberculosis at the age of 39. He never A A monument to the pianist and composer
came home to Poland but loved his country. Frederic Chopin stands in Warsaw.
His work was influenced by traditional Polish
folk music and he wrote 55 mazurkas and 10 Poland did not exist as an independent nation,
polonaises (Polish dances). and so Chopin’s music symbolized Poland’s
Chopin’s last concert in 1848 was a benefit struggle for independence and became a
concert for Polish refugees. At that time symbol of their national identity.
secondary schools teach academic subjects for three

years. Young people wanting to go on to a university
Polish students study
must complete general school, and then take an plant specimens from the
entrance exam. nearby Bialowieza Forest.
Defending the Culture

Since the 19th century, when Poland
disappeared from the map, the Poles
fought to keep their national identity.
Novelists and artists created works
that had a strong national character.
Jan Matejko painted expressive pictures
depicting scenes of Poland's illustrious
past, while writers such as Adam
Mickiewicz and Henryk Sienkiewcz wrote
about heroic periods in Poland's history.
Wladyslaw Reymont's huge novel (it filled
four volumes), The Peasants, has been
translated several times. Sienkiewcz and
A Women from the Reymont each won the Nobel Prize for literature.
Tatras mountains dance Poles who had moved to the United States
together wearing
became some of the biggest names in Hollywood. In
traditional brightly
patterned dresses. the mid-1880s, the Warner family moved to the New
THE CITY OF CULTURE

P oland’s former capital is renowned for
its great beauty and vibrant arts scene.
Krakow first became the capital of
Poland in 1040. The first Polish university,

later called the Jagiellonian University, was
founded there in 1364. Krakow’s political

importance decreased when the capital moved
to Warsaw in 1596, but it remained an
important commercial center. The Slowacki Theater (center left) is one of the
Old Krakow has remained unchanged for city center's newer buildings. It was built in 1893.
centuries. Saint Mary’s Church, Wawel
Cathedral, and the Jagiellonian University are Krakow was celebrated as the European City
examples of Gothic architecture and the Royal of Culture 2000; many of its buildings and
Castle, Waxell, and the Cloth Hall in the monuments are included in the United Nations’
market square represent Renaissance style. World Heritage listing.

World from a village in eastern
WATCHING, WAITING, AND EATING
hristmas Eve is the most celebrated day in
Poland. By the 1920s, the four
Polish homes. Polish families have a traditional
Warner boys had started a movie
meal called Wigilia, meaning “vigil,” as they
company—Warner Brothers. At wait for the arrival of Christmas Day. The meal starts
the same time Sam Goldwyn, as the first stars appear in the sky. The table is laid
born Schmeul Gelbfisz in Warsaw, with a white tablecloth over a bed of hay representing
Jesus’ manger. Children take turns pulling out
was putting his name to another
straws—green ones are good luck, black ones are not.
legendary Hollywood company:
Among several other customs, the meal contains
Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM). twelve dishes, but no meat is served because animals
are equal guests at the party. The diners eat wafer thin
Hearty Food holy bread—the oplatek— first, and this is followed by
soup, dumplings, and a variety of fish dishes.

Polish food has been influenced
by Italian and French cooking, but
Homeless and needy people in t6dz gather for a Wigilia
above all by the food of Russia banquet at a shelter run by the Red Cross.
and its other Slavic neighbors.
Most Polish dishes make use of
root vegetables, such as potatoes.
A favorite is barszcz, a beetroot
soup. The most popular snack is
pierogi, a type of dumpling that
can have different stuffings and
can be spicy or sweet. Bigos, or
hunter's stew, is a one-pot dish
made of any kind of meat and
vegetables, but always contains
cabbage and dried mushrooms.
In the mountains, people make
oscypek—rolls of smoked cheese
made from ewe's milk that are
decorated with ornate patterns.
GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY
The
European
Dream
ARSAW IS A RECORD of the huge changes
that have taken place in Poland since the
1989 democratic elections. The capital of the
country since 1596, Warsaw has a long history
of invasion, destruction, and reconstruction.
During World War II, about 90 percent of the city was
destroyed. Since then, it has been rebuilt. Historic
buildings have been restored and new buildings
were constructed according to plans used across the
Soviet empire.
Today, the modern, democratic Warsaw looks like
any European capital. Its streets are bursting with life
as Poles enjoy a higher standard of living than ever
before. Poland has taken its place on the international
stage again for the first time since 1939.
◄ Warsaw’s Palace of Culture, the tallest building in Poland, was a gift from the
Soviet Union. Most Poles dislike the building, but it remains at the heart of the city.
Government & Economy 49

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Life Changing
Poland was one of the first states of Central and
Eastern Europe to make the transition from a
communist economy to a free-market economy. Under
the communist regime, most areas of the economy
(but not most farms) were owned and controlled by
the government. Changing this to a system where
things were produced by private companies and every
individual was responsible for finding a job and
making enough money to feed his or her family was a
huge upheaval. By the end of the 1990s, ten years
§1•f
—
1-
EI0W THE GOVERNMENT WORKS

F^oland is a republic with a mixture of presidential and parliamentary government. The
president is the head of state, but the prime minister runs the government and appoints
\\ 1 a council of ministers. Each minister is responsible for managing a certain part of the
g overnment. The president is elected every five years and can be reelected just once. The
p arliament has two chambers. The upper chamber is the Sena te (Serial), which has 100
ITlembers that represent the provinces for a four-year term. The Sejm is the lower chamber. It
h as 460 members, who are elected to represent small constituencies, or gminas, also for a
f Dur-year term. The highest court in Poland is the Supreme Court, whose judges are appointed
b y the president. The judges of the Constitutional Tribunal, a court that can amend the
c onstitution, are appointed by the Sejm.
PRESIDENT
j EXECUTIVE LEGISLATIVE JUDICIARY
PRIME MINISTER SENATE (100 MEMBERS) SUPREME COURT
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS SEJM (460 MEMBERS) CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL

after the end of communism,
Poland had a working market
economy and foreign companies
were coming to the country to set
up businesses. Most people were
better off, but wages were low and
unemployment was still very high.
When Poland joined the European
Union (EU) in 2004, it had the
highest number of jobless people
of any EU country. A A farmer milks a
cow. Poland’s farms are
less industrialized than
The Way to Succedd in other EU nations.
Poles hope that being a member of the EU will help
their economy. The first signs are good: Poland now
exports most of its products to other EU countries,
Arf displays in
which has guaranteed it great economic growth.
Krakow celebrafe
Poland is now the second-fastest-growing economy Poland’s enfry into the
in Europe. Polish agriculture is very inefficient and European Union in 2004.
many rural areas are poor.

However, Poland's farmers are
benefitting from being part of
the EU, which gives money to
farmers to help them produce
certain foods, such as wheat.
Goodbye Homeland
When Poland entered the EU,
its people were given the right
to live in any of the other 24
Government & Economy 53

member states. Millions of Poles
have headed abroad to find work.
Poland's history of occupations
INDUSTRY MAP
P oland was turned into a highly
industrialized country by the communist

over the last 200 years has made
emigration a permanent feature of
Polish life. The term Polonia—Latin
regime. With large supplies of coal and iron
ore, mining and manufacturing still account for 40 for Poland—is given to Polish
percent of Poland’s income. The country makes communities that are based
machinery, transportation equipment, and abroad. Among the oldest and
chemicals. Poland also produces copper, zinc,
largest Polonias are those of the
lead, sulfur, and natural gas.
United States, which numbers
Although 70 percent of the industrial output
comes from private industries, the major around 10 million Poles, and Brazil,
industries, steelworks and coal mines, are still where one million Poles now live.
owned by the state. Important industrial areas are Today one Pole in three lives
located in the Upper Silesia and the Katowice
abroad. Many emigrate to find
highland regions in the southwest of the country.
work, but people have left Poland
for political as well as economic
Baltic
Sea a,,:?oi / reasons. Many of those heading to
Gdansk
America in the 1800s were Jews
-Szczecin forced out by the Russian Empire.
In the 1990s, many Polish Roma
Poznan
(Gypsies) left the country, seeking

better treatment elsewhere.
MAP KEY
Katowice
0 -Krakow Unwelcome Legacy
?\ ^
# Manufacturing center v; One legacy of the years of
f\ Coal mining
c. communism is the bad state of
^ Processing plant Major Mines
O Salt Ag Silver the Polish environment. The

Steel manufacturing Cu Copper
communists invested in heavy
industries that created air pollution

THE POLISH POPE
K arol Wojtyla (1920-2005), better
known as Pope John Paul II (pictured

right), was the first and only Polish
pope, and one of the most influential Poles in
history. He was elected pope in 1978 and was
renowned for trying to reach different
communities by traveling to their countries
and speaking their languages.
It was John Paul’s visit to his homeland in
1979 that sparked the campaign for greater
freedom and a desire for Poland to be
independent of the Soviet Union. He the gunman was Turkish, many believe the
supported Solidarity, even when it was made shooting was a Soviet plot to silence this
an illegal organization, and the presence of powerful anti-communist Pole. Nevertheless
such an ally in Rome was an important John Paul’s appeal for calm helped Europe
influence in the movement. In 1981 Pope John make a peaceful transition from communism
Paul was shot in Rome; he survived. Although He served as pope until his death in 2005.
and industrial waste. The government did nothing to

protect the environment, however. Today, coal is still
A miner operates
burned in power plants and steelworks, producing machinery in the Borynia
soot, carbon dioxide, and poisons like sulfur dioxide. coal mine in Silesia.
Metal refineries also

produce dangerous
levels of pollutants and
other environmental
poisons. Now that it is
a member of the EU,
Poland must make all
of its industries meet strict
European environmental
protection laws, so the
situation should improve.
New Attraction
While there has been a
great movement of Poles
into western Europe, the
flow of people heading into
A Sooty smoke belches Poland has grown hugely, too. Increasing numbers of
from a coal-processing
foreign tourists visit historic Krakow and enjoy the wild
plant in Katowice.
Polish forests, lakes, and coastline. Tourists are
attracted by the lower cost of hotels, restaurants, and
Poland’s rivers are
other services compared to more expensive European
used to transport goods.
This barge is taking coal destinations. Poland is also very safe for tourists; its
up the Oder River on the crime rates are among the lowest in Europe.
Poland-Germany border.
The Polish travel and tourism industry has shown
The country’s largest
ferry port is located at a steady growth since 2004. This increase is another
the mouth of the Oder. boost to the economy that has come since Poland
joined the EU. The
largest wave of
tourists comes from
Germany. These
travelers can easily
drive across the
border to their
vacation spots. Many
Germans have
bought vacation

LECH WALESA_
L ech Walesa was the trade union activist
who led Poland out of communism
through the Solidarity movement. In

1980 he was the leader of a strike at Gdansk’s
Lenin Shipyard. Walesa became head of the
Interfactory Strike Committee, which evolved
into the national Solidarity movement. In 1981

Walesa was jailed for a short time when
Solidarity was banned, but he then returned to A Lech Walesa salutes the crowd at a party
his job as an electrician at the shipyard. marking the 25th anniversary of Solidarity in 2005.
In 1983, Walesa won the Nobel Peace Prize,
and at the end of the 1980s, Walesa was at the process. Walesa became the first president of
center of Polish politics once again. He took the post-communist era, serving until 1995.
part in the negotiations with the communist He ran for president again in 2000, but was
authorities that began Poland’s democratic soundly defeated.
cabins in western Poland for visiting on the weekends.

Some tourists arrive by ferry or take the train, a
Street musicians
traditional method of transportation in Poland, but
perform for tourists in
most fly in for short breaks from city life. Krakow, one of the most
With its hard-working people and rich cultural life, visited cities in Poland.
Poland looks set to

become a success once
more. Europe is united
on a scale never seen
before, and Poland is no
longer under threat from
its neighbors. It can now
look forward to another
Golden Age of peace
and prosperity.
Add a Little Extra to Your Country Report!
If you are assigned to write a report about Poland, you'll want to include
basic information about the country, of course. The Fast Facts chart on
page 8 will give you a good start. The rest of the book will give you the
details you need to create a full and up-to-date paper or PowerPoint
presentation. But what can you do to make your report more fun than
anyone else's? If you use your imagination and dig a bit deeper into some
of the topics introduced in this book, you're sure to come up with
information that will make your report unique!
>Flag
Perhaps you could explain the
history of Poland's flag, and the meanings
of its colors. Go to
www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags for more
information.
>National Anthem
How about downloading Poland's national anthem, and playing it for your
class? At www.nationalanthems.info you'll find what you need, including
the words to the anthem, plus sheet music for it. Simply pick "P" and then
"Poland" from the list on the left-hand side of the screen, and you're on
your way.
Time Difflerence
If you want to understand the time difference between Poland and where
you are, this Web site can help: www.worldtimeserver.com. Just pick
"Poland" from the list on the left. If you called someone in Poland right
now, would you wake them up from their sleep?

NARODOWYj?s=
BANK
Currency
WhfiHlA'Nk
HAKC* >M*
Another Web site will
convert your money into
ES093370A
zloty, the currency
used in Poland.
You'll want to know
how much money to
bring if you're ever
lucky enough to
travel to Poland:
www.xe.com/ucc.
Weather
Why not check the current weather in Poland? It's easy—go to
www.weather.com to find out if it's sunny or cloudy, warm or cold in
Poland right now! Pick "World" from the headings at the top of the page.
Then search for Poland. Click on any city. Be sure to click on the tabs
below the weather report for Sunrise/Sunset information, Weather Watch,
and Business Travel Outlook, too. Scroll down the page for the 36-hour
Forecast and a satellite weather map. Compare your weather to the
weather in the Polish city you chose. Is this a good season, weather-wise,
to travel to Poland?
>Miscellanecm
Still want more information? Simply go to National Geographic's World
Atlas for Young Explorers site at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
kids-world-atlas. It will help you find maps, photos, music, games, and
other features that you can use to jazz up your report.
Add a Little Extra to Your Country Report! 59

Glossary
Archaeologist a person who studies the Exported transported and sold outside the
remains of ancient people to learn more about country of origin.
how people lived in the past.
Habitat a part of the environment that is
Biosphere reserve an area of wilderness that suitable for certain plants and animals.
is protected by the United Nations because of
Imported brought into the country from
its outstanding importance. There are currently
abroad.
507 biosphere reserves.
Monastery an institution where monks live.
Climate the average weather of a certain place
at different times of year. Nativity the story of the birth of Jesus Christ
that is told at Christmas.
Communism a system of government where a
single political party rules a country with the job Nazi short for the National Socialist Party, the
of ensuring that wealth is shared equally among fascist organization headed by Adolf Hitler that
all the people in the country. Poland was a ruled Germany, invaded Poland, and caused
communist country between 1945 and 1990. World War II.
Constituency an area of a country that is Primeval ancient, the first.
represented by an elected politician.
Roman Catholic a member of the Christian
Culture a collection of beliefs, traditions, and faith headed by the pope in Rome.
styles that belongs to people living in a certain
part of the world. Sanatorium a hospital where patients rest to
recover from long illnesses.
Delta the mouth of a river where the stream
splits into two or more branches. The split Soviet Union a large empire of communist
streams form a triangle shape called a delta for states that existed between 1917 and 1990.
the Greek letter A.
Species a type of organism; animals or plants
Economy the system by which a country in the same species look similar and can only
creates wealth through making and trading breed successfully among themselves.
in products.
Trade union an organization that represents
Ecosystem a community of living things and workers to improve their pay and conditions.
the environment they interact with; an
United Nations (UN) an international
ecosystem includes plants, animals, soil, water,
and air. organization that includes most of the countries
of the world. The UN is where governments
Empire territories located in several parts of discuss the world's problems and figure out
the world that are controlled by a single nation. how to work together to solve them.
European Union (EU) a group of 27 nations in World Heritage site a building, monument, or
Europe that work together in economic and city that is so unusual or important that it is
political ways. Poland joined the EU in 2004. protected by the United Nations.

Bibliography
Ayer, Eleanor H. Poland: A Mulla-Feroze, Umaima. http://www.poland.gov.pl

Troubled Past, A New Start. Welcome to Poland. (official Web site of the Polish
Tarrytown, NY: Benchmark Milwaukee, Wl: Gareth Stevens government, for foreigners)
Books, 1996. Pub., 2003.
http://www.president.pl/
Gordon, Sharon. Poland. httpY/news.bbc.co.uk/l/hi/ (official Web site of the Polish
Tarrytown, NY: Benchmark world/europe/country_ president)
Books, 2004. profiles/1054681 .stm
(general information)
Further Information
National Geographic Take a virtual tour of the Senat, Silver Sword (1956)
Articles Poland's highest lawmaking This classic children's novel by
body: http://www.senat.gov.pl/ Ian Serraillier tells of the
Baker, Mark J. "Out of
spacer/spaceret.htm adventures of four Polish
Krakow." National Geographic
Traveler (May/June 2006): 135.
children who flee from the
Find out more about the Sejm,
ruins of Warsaw after the end
Poland's largest elected assem¬
Zackowitz, Margaret G. of World War II to look for
bly and the lower house of
"Warsaw in Winter." National their father in Switzerland.
Geographic (May 2004):
parliament at this Web site:
Flashback: From Our Archives. http://www.sejm.gov.pl/ Moonlighting (1982)
english.html This movie stars Jeremy
Irons and is about Polish
Web sites to explore Take a look at what is
construction workers who
happening all over Krakow
travel to London, England, to
More fast facts about Poland, using these webcams. Choose
work for a Polish government
from the CIA (Central one from the list on the left at:
official. The film is set in 1982,
Intelligence Agency): http://www.krakow.pl/kamera/?
when the Solidarity movement
https://www.cia.gov/library/ The site also contains informa¬
was at its height. While the
publications/the-world-fact- tion about the city's many
men work in London, the
book/geos/pl.html historic monuments.
Polish Army takes over their
Have you ever heard any of home country and they must
Frederick Chopin's music? You decide whether to go home to
See, hear
probably have at some point. their families or make a new
Listen to free recordings of his There are many ways to get life in the West.
work here: http://innig.net/ a taste of life in Poland, such
music/inthehands/category/ as movies, music, magazines,
recordings/chopin/ or TV shows. You might be
able to locate these:
Bibliography & Further Information 61

Index
eagles 17, 24-25, 24 Kampinoski National Park 22

Boldface indicates illustrations.
economy, post-communist 52-53 Katowice (city) 54, 56
ecosystems, map 19 Bledow Desert near 15
amber 12, 27, 27 education 44-45 Krakow (city) 28
area 8 elks, European (moose) 22, 23 after death of Pope John Paul II
emigration 53-54 5
Baltic Sea 11 environment, the 54-56 Christmas 39
Bartek (tree) 17 European Union (EU) 37, 53, 53 city of culture 46
bats 23 emigration to 53-54 climate 8
beavers, European 22 and industry 55-56 Slowacki Theater 46
Bialowieza Forest 14, 17, 20, 24, Europe, center of 7 street musicians 57
45
wildlife 20-21 family, the 43 lakes 11, 12, 13
birds 18, 24-25, 24, 25 farming 14, 53, 53 landscape 13-15
sanctuaries 18 fly agaric 21 language 8
bison, European (wisent) 20, 20 food 47 common phrases 40
Bledow Desert 15 forests 7, 17, 20-21 legends, how Poland became a
boar, wild 21 country 17
Boleslaw I, king of Poland 30, 31 games, winter 44 Lithuania, unification with 28,
borders 8, 10-11, 11, 15 garlic, wild 20 32-33
Gdansk (city) 13 -towicz 43
Carpathian Mountains 11, 14, 15, climate 8 lowlands 10, 11, 14
15 shipyard 50 lynxes 18 22
Casimir III, king of Poland 31-32 shipyard strikes 36, 57
Catholicism see Roman Gdansk, Gulf of 12 Malbork Castle 30
Catholicism gminas (constituencies) 52 maps
center of Europe, Poland as 7 Gniezno 30 climate zones 8
Chopin, Frederic 45 Golden Age 32 historical 29
Christianity 30-31 Goldwyn, Sam 47 industry 54
see also Roman Catholicism government 8, 50, 52 physical 9
Christmas 39 Great Poland Lakeland 13 political 51
cities Grunwald, Battle of 32 population 41
capital see Warsaw vegetation and ecosystems 19
populations 40 highlands 11, 14-15, 14 Masurian Lakeland 13
climate 8 Hitler, Adolf 34, 35 Matejko, Jan 46
coal 14-15, 14, 55, 55, 56 holidays, national 44 Mazovian Lowland 14
coast 11,12 Home Army 35, 36 Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) 47
communism 37, 42 hoopoes 25 Mickiewicz, Adam 46
and the environment 54-55 Mieszko I, prince of Poland 30
the post-communist era 50, industry 14, 15, 54 monetary unit 8
52-53, 57 map 54 Moravian Gate 15
constituencies (gnninas) 52 iron ore 14-15, 14 mountains 8, 11, 15, 15
Copernicus, Nicolaus 32 mushrooms, fly agaric 21
corncrakes 25 Jadwiga, queen of Poland 32
Corpus Christi (feast day) 43 Jagiellonians 32 name, official 8
culture 45-47 Jagiellonian University 46 National Independence Day 35, 44
street musicians 57 Jasna Gora, Monastery of 42-43 national parks 18, 23-24, 23
Czestochowa, shrine 43 Jews 54 nature reserves 18
John Paul II, Pope (Karol Wojtyla) North Atlantic Treaty Organization
dances, traditional 46 42, 55 (NATO) 37
deserts 15 death 5
visits to Poland 43

oak trees 17 coal mining 55 wild boar 21
Oder (Odra) River 12, 56 Slowacki Theater, Krakow 46 wolves 22-23
orioles, golden 25 Solidarity 36, 37, 37, 55 Wladyslaw II Jagiello, king of
Ostrow Lednicki 30 Lech Walesa and 57 Poland 31, 32
Ostwall Fortification 23 spring, pagan rituals 44 Wojtyla, Karol 42
steelworks 14 wolves 22-23
Palace Park 17 storks, white 24 World War I 34
passion plays 42 Sudenten Mountains 11,15 World War II 34, 35-36
Peasants, The (novel) 46 Swietokrzyskie (Holy Cross) Wroclaw (city), climate 8
phrases, common 40 Mountains 11
Piast Dynasty 31
pilgrimages 42-43 Tarnow (city) 43
plants Tatras Mountains 15, 24
oak trees 17 Teutonic Knights 30, 32
wild garlic 20 time line 28
Podlaise 14 toadstools, fly agaric 21
Polish United Workers' Party Toplenie Marzanny (game) 44
(PZPR) 50 tourism 56-57, 57
political parties 50 trade 50
pollution 54, 56 trees 20
Polonias (communities) 54 oak 17
Pomerania 13 Turks, Ottoman 33
Pomeranian Bay 12
population 8, 40 unemployment 53
map 41 Upper Silesia 54
ports 12-13
prime minister 52 vegetation zones, map 19
processions, religious 43 Vienna, Battle of 33
provinces 50 Vistula River 12, 13
map 51 voivodships (provinces) 50
map 51
Raczki Elblaskie 8
religion Walesa, Lech 36, 57
passion plays 42 Warner family 46-47
see also Roman Catholicism Warsaw (city) 14, 49
Reymont, Wladyslaw 46 climate 8
rituals, pagan 44 monument to Chopin 45
rivers 8, 12, 56 Palace of Culture 49
Roma (Gypsies) 54 Vistula River 13
Roman Catholicism 31, 39, 42-43 Warsaw Uprising 35
confirmation 43 weather see climate
see also John Paul II Wieliczka Salt Mine 31
Rysy, Mount 8 Wigilia (meal) 47
wildlife 18
salt mines 31 bats 23
Second Polish Republic 35 European beavers 22
Sejm 52 European bison 21
sejmiks 50 European elks (moose) 22, 23
Senate 52 forest 21
Sienkiewcz, Henryk 46 lynxes 18, 22
Silesia 14, 15 at risk 18, 21-22
Index 63
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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY About the Author

1145 17th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036-4688 U.S.A. ZILAH DECKKER trained as an architectural historian and earned
a PhD from the University of East Anglia before becoming a
Visit the Society's Web site at writer. She has contributed to many publications, including
www.nationalgeographic.com/books academic encyclopedias on a wide range of subjects, the
Dictionary of Art (1996), and the Encyclopedia of Architectural
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available Technology (2002).
on request
ISBN: 978-1-4263-0201-5 About the Consultants
DR. RICHARD BUTTERWICK is senior lecturer in Polish History at
Printed in the United States of America the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University
College London, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He
Series design by Jim Hiscott. is the author of Poland's Last King and English Culture: Stanislaw
The body text is set in Avenir; Knockout. August Poniatowski, 1732-1798 (Oxford, 1998), and other
The display text is set in Matrix Script. publications on the political, religious, intellectual and cultural
history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He makes
Front Cover—Top: Stores in the Old Town, Gdansk; Low Far Left: frequent research visits to Poland and Lithuania.
Children play at the Neptune Fountain, Gdansk; Low Left: Wild
European bison, or wisents, near Gruszki; Low Right: Palace of IWONA SAGAN is a professor at the Gdansk University, Poland.
Culture, Warsaw; Low Far Right: Harvesting hay, Tatras Mountains She is a head of the Department of Economic Geography and of
the Research and Education Centre of Excellence for Urban
Page 1—Shoppers at dusk in the Old Town, Gdansk; Icon image Socio-Economic Development (RECOURSE). Recently she co¬
on spine, Contents page, and throughout: Hanseatic buildings, edited two books: with Henrik Halkier Regionalism Contested:
Gdansk Institution, Society and Governance (2005) and with David Smith
Society, Economy, Environment—Towards the Sustainable City
(2005). She was a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the
Progress in Human Geography.

Time Line oft
Polish History
Polish amber from the Baltic coast is
traded with ancient Egypt.
■ The armies of Poland-Lithuania defeat
the Teutonic Knights at the Battle of
Grunwald.
A.D.
Mieszko I unites several tribes to create
the Polish kingdom and found the Piast The Jagiellon dynasty loses control of
dynasty; he begins the conversion of Bohemia and Hungary after defeat by
Poland to Roman Catholicism. Ottoman forces at Mohacs.
The revolutionary theory of Polish

woo astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus that
the Earth orbits the sun is published.
Boleslaw I is crowned the first king
of Poland.
The Union of Lublin formally
creates the Commonwealth of
Boleslaw II orders the assassination of
Poland-Lithuania.
Stanislaw, bishop of Krakow, for leading
protests against the king. Stanislaw
The Jagiellon dynasty ends and a
later becomes a saint and a symbol of
period of elective monarchy begins.
just rebellion against unfair rule.
1200
1648 The "Deluge" begins 20 years of
The Teutonic Knights, a group of
hardship in which almost half of the
German crusaders, are invited to
Polish-Lithuanian population die due
Poland to control pagan peoples in the
to Swedish and Ottoman invasions,
Baltic region. They found a base on the
Cossack uprisings in Ukraine, and
Baltic coast and take Polish territory.
disease.
The Mongols invade Poland and
Jan II Sobieski's troops defeat the
devastate much of the country.
Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Vienna.
The University of Krakow is founded,

Stanislaw August Poniatowski is elected
establishing the city as an important
last king of Poland-Lithuania.
European cultural center.
Catholic nobles protest equal rights for
The death of Casimir marks the end
Orthodox Christians in an uprising
of the Piast dynasty.
known as the Confederation of Bar.
The marriage of Jadwiga of Hungary
Prussia, Russia, and Austria divide
and Wladyslaw Jagiello of Lithuania
Poland-Lithuania and take border areas
joins Poland and Lithuania and marks
under their country's control.
the beginning of the Jagiellon dynasty.
Under the leadership of Stanislaw in the Warsaw ghetto end in defeat by
August, Poland-Lithuania creates the Nazis and the destruction of the
Europe's first written constitution. ghetto.
Russia and Prussia further partition The Polish resistance takes control of
Poland-Lithuania a‘nd greatly reduce Warsaw in August but the Nazis regain
its territory. control in October and burn the city to
the ground.
Allowing a Polish revolt, Russia,
Soviet forces capture Warsaw and drive
Prussia, and Austria divide what is left
German forces from Poland. At the
of Poland-Lithuania among themselves.
Potsdam Conference, Poland loses
territory to the Soviet Union but gains
i8cc territory from Germany.
Napoleon I creates the semi¬ Poland becomes a Communist people's

independent Duchy of Warsaw, which republic.
exists as a kind of Polish state until
1813, when it is repartitioned by the e Warsaw Pact is formed by Poland,
Congress of Vienna. Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Romania
as a military alliance against possible
Russia defeats Poland after the NATO threats.
November Revolution, in which the
government of the Congress of Poland Workers riot in Poznan over poor social
attempts to gain independence. and economic conditions; the Polish
Communist party selects Wladyslaw
Russian Czar Alexander II imposes Gomulka as its new, more liberal, chief.
unpopular land reforms in Poland,
which leads to an unsuccessful Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Krakow is
rebellion and the elimination of the elected pope as John Paul II.
Congress of Poland.
Lech Walesa and others create the
Solidarity labor union at the Lenin
1900 Shipyards in Gda/sk. The union is
tremendously popular and by 1981,
At the end of World War I, the
10 million Poles have joined. The
independent Second Polish Republic is
Communist leadership declares martial
created with Marshal Jozef Pilsudski as
law for two years to maintain control.
head of state.
Lech Walesa is elected president of
Polish forces turn back a Soviet Poland and starts many reforms,
offensive on Warsaw in the including the privatization of industry.
Polish-Russian War.
The Polish parliament adopts a new
Pilsudski stages a military coup and constitution.
takes complete control of the country
until his death, nine years later.
Nazi Germany invades Poland; World

War II begins when Britain declares war Poland joins the European Union.
on Germany in response.
The Nazis begin to build concentration

camps (Auschwitz, Treblinka, and
Majdanek) in Poland.
Four weeks of resistance by Polish Jews

NATIONAL
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■MILS! ansimvfflirsi
Poland
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within each chapter are tied to a location on the main map for that chapter.
► smaller maps to zoom in on special topics, such as migration, rainfall, changing
borders, resources, industry, and other important themes
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NATIONAL

4 Foreword ■ > Vegetation &

P oland lies at the heart of Europe. Its central location is reflected

4 Countries of the World: Poland

A More than half a

68°F (20°C) / 22°F (-5°C); 26 in (67 cm)

10 Countries of the World: Poland

A Flat Country A Border guards patrol

Carpathians and the Sudeten Mountains. The Poland’s northern

north to south. The

Masuria, the largest

journey through the heart of

Poland. The river, Poland’s longest

Mountains along the southern border.

It flows a total of 651 miles (1,047 km)

before forming a delta on the Baltic coast.

The largest Polish ports, including Gdansk,

are at the mouth of the Vistula Delta. As it

empties into a large bay called the Gulf of

Poland’s river water. through Warsaw, the Polish capital.

^zczecin-Sinoujcsie in the west, and Gdansk and

A Land oft Lakes

14 Countries of the World: Poland

human activity. In medieval times the

illusions that look like pools of water) are

spring water. The

P OLES ARE VERY PROUD of their oak trees.

20 Countries of the World: Poland

WELCOME BACK BISON

and chamois mountain goat. American cousins, but not as heavy.

European moose, which

Howl and Bellow

22 Countries of the World: Poland

Land of National Parks

Miedzyrzecz in western Poland is a network of

habitat types. There are underground bunkers and fortifications built by

the Nazis between 1933 and 1944 to defend Germany

of the fortification has been designated as a nature

(2.5 m). Like other

Poland is home to 80 percent of all European bird

of sticks after her chicks nest towers. It is believed

tailed eagles is the Warta their distinctive triple¬

hoot calls. They arrive

and marsh harrier. hollows that are known

call. Corncrakes are related to

farming methods, but

became one of the most

extended and restored.

30 Countries of the World: Poland

Slavs are Orthodox, but

linked their country with

and body ofWIadyslaw

neighbors and secured the borders. his coffin.

UNDERGROUND CITY OF SALT

Krakow, are the oldest continuously

worked salt mines in the world. Salt

has been mined there for 900 years, and the

mine is now a 125-mile (200-km) maze of

passages and caverns. Part of the mine is

open to visitors. It includes a chapel with

sculptures carved onto the rock salt walls.

The mine’s largest chamber has excellent

acoustics and is used for concerts. About