POLAND Officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska) is a country in Central Europe At the end of 2011, Poland had 38 538 447 inhabitants The Borders of Poland are 3511 or 3582 kilometers long. The neighboring countries are Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and Lithuania and the Russian province of Kaliningrad Oblast to the northeast. To the north, Poland is bordered by the Baltic Sea. The flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, the upper one white and the lower one red. The two colors are defined in the Polish constitution as the national colors. A variant of the flag with the national coat of arms in the middle of the white stripe is legally reserved for official use abroad and at sea. A similar flag with the addition of a swallow- tail is used as the naval ensign of Poland. The flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, the upper one white and the lower one red. The two colors are defined in the Polish constitution as the national colors. A variant of the flag with the national coat of arms in the middle of the white stripe is legally reserved for official use abroad and at sea. A similar flag with the addition of a swallow-tail is used as the naval ensign of Poland. The White Eagle is the national coat of arms of Poland. It is a stylized white eagle with a golden beak and talons, and wearing a golden crown, in a red shield. A województwo is the highest- level administrative subdivision of Poland, corresponding to a "province" in many other countries. The Polish local government created sixteen voivodeships. Poland is a parliamentary republic with a parliamentary cabinet system, based on the tripartite division of power. Polish president since 2015 is Andrzej Duda. Poland is a member of the European Union on 1 May 2004 under the so-called. Accession Treaty signed on 16 April 2003. Currency is the zloty. The basic monetary unit in Poland is divided into 100 zloty. The name of the Polish monetary unit was introduced in 1919. 100 groszy = 1 zloty When talking about Poland, “religion” often means “Catholicism”. About 90% of Poles are Roman Catholics. Poland has a moderate climate with both maritime and continental elements. Masuria (Polish: Mazury) is a region in northern Poland famous for its 2,000 lakes. MOUNTAINS The mountain ranges are situated in the southern Poland: Sudetenland, Holy Cross Mountains, Carpathians, Tatras, Beskids Rysy is the highest mountain in Poland. Rysy has three peaks: the middle at 2,503 m (8,212 ft); the north- western at 2,499 m (8,199 ft); and the south-eastern at 2,473 m (8,114 ft). WISŁA The longest river with a length of 1047 km. It is also the longest river crossing Poland and the opening into the Baltic Sea. WARSAW (Polish: Warszawa), is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, in east-central Poland. Warsaw is made up of 18 districts which play a major role in defining the city's character: Bemowo, Białołęka, Bielany, Mokotów, Ochota, Praga Południe, Praga Północ, Rembertów, Śródmieście, Targówek, Ursus, Ursynów, Wawer, Wesoła, Wilanów, Włochy, Wola, Żoliborz. Warsaw's mixture of architectural styles reflects the turbulent history of the city and country. During World War II, Warsaw was razed to the ground by bombing raids and planned destruction. Most of the historical buildings were thoroughly reconstructed. OLD TOWN (STARE MIASTO) Historic centre and oldest part of the city, it is also a living, breathing cultural salon. Founded in the 13th century as the prince's castle, it is surrounded by walls. During World War II, 90% of it was destroyed, but thankfully to its excellent restoration and recovery, in 1980 it was granted the status of a UNESCO World Heritage List. Currently, it is a lively place, bustling with tourists and locals, and full of galleries, cafés and restaurants. Palace of Culture and Science Completed in 1955 as a ‘gift from the Soviet people’, the building is the embodiment of Socialist Realist architecture. It is still the tallest building in Poland and fulfils the role of a cultural centre accommodating theatres, museums, a cinema and a concert hall. The highest viewing platform in Warsaw, on the 30th foor, offers an excellent panoramic view of the city. Education in Poland In Poland children start school when they are seven, but when they are six they can go to kindergarten. During their first six years of education they learn at elementary school. Then when they are thirteen they go to Gymnasium school. When young people are sixteen they go to high school. After completing this school they take their final exams. Finally they can go to University which is most often situated in a big city such as: Warsaw, Lublin, Łódź or Cracow. Polish students have summer holidays from late June to late August. It takes 8 weeks. Poland is famous inter alia from social movements in 1989. When Poland was trapped in communism Polish workers created Solidarity. That was huge step to bring communism down, not only for Poland, but for whole world. Poland also has people who are famous all around the world. Fryderyk Chopin (1810 - 1849) Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era, who wrote primarily for the solo piano. He gained and has maintained renown worldwide as one of the leading musicians of his era, whose "poetic genius was based on a professional technique that was without equal in his generation. Marie Skłodowska- Curie (1867 – 1934) Polish physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win twice, the only person to win twice in multiple sciences, and was part of the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. Mikołaj Kopernik (1473 – 1543) Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at its center. Poland’s most important day is Independence Day - Polish national holiday celebrated on 11 November to commemorate Poland's regaining independence in 1918 after 123 years of occupation (1795-1918). During your visit in Poland you can try some of ours traditional food PIEROGI Pierogi are dumplings of unleavened dough – first boiled, then they are baked or fried usually in butter with onions. There are few kinds of this food which differ in a filling. BIGOS Known as a hunter's stew, is a traditional meat and cabbage stew. Christmas Food THE TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS EVE SUPPER CONSISTS OF TWELVE DISHES REPRESENTING THE TWELVE MONTHS OF THE YEAR. HERE'S SOME OF IT. BARSZCZ Strictly vegetarian version is the first course during the Christmas Eve feast, served with ravioli- type dumplings called uszka (lit. "little ears") with mushroom filling (sauerkraut can be used, as well, again depending on the family tradition). CARP Carp is one of the obligatory dishes at the Christmas Eve supper. It is served on Polish tables mainly in the Christmas time when no family can go without it. Poppy seed roll (polish: makowiec) The poppy seed roll is a pastry consisting of a roll of sweet yeast bread with a dense, rich, bittersweet filling of poppy seed. In a last years the biggest event in Poland was Euro 2012. The 2012 UEFA European Championship was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. When you visit Poland you must also know how to say some basic phrases: Hi - Cześć Goodbye – Do widzenia How are you? - Jak się masz? What time is it? - Która jest godzina? What is your name? - Jak masz na imię? My name is... - Mam na imię... How old are you? - Ile masz lat? Thanks for your attention! Dziękujemy za uwagę!.