Welcome to Poland
Country’s full name: The Republic of Poland
National flag/Color: top - white, bottom - red
National banner: flag with national emblem national symbol used by ships, civil air ports,
diplomatic missions and consular posts
National emblem: white eagle in a crown against a
red background
National anthem: Mazurek Dabrowskiego
The Republic of Poland is a country in Central Europe
Poland is 69th largest country in the world and 9th largest in Europe
Neighbouring countries (border
length):
- Russia (Kaliningrad District) (210 km)
- Lithuania (103 km)
- Byelorussia (416 km)
- Ukraine (529 km)
- Slovakia (539 km)
- Czech Republic (790 km)
- Germany (467 km)
- Length of sea border (528 km)
Total length of national border 3582 km
• Capital: Warsaw
• Language: Polish
• Population: 38 130 302 (2009 estimate)
• Currency: 1 złoty = 100 groszy
• Area: 312,685 km²
• Political system: parliamentary democracy
The State of the Republic of Poland
In accordance with the Constitution of 2nd April 1997 (took
effect on 17 October 1997), the organs of state are:
• Legislative authority: The Sejm and the Senate of the
Republic of Poland,
• Executive authority: The President and the Council of
Ministers,
• Judicial authority: The courts and tribunals.
• The President: Lech Kaczyński; sworn into office on 23
December 2005.
• The President is elected in a general election; the term
lasts for 5 years from the date the President is sworn into
office.
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The Parliament: Sejm and
Senate of the Republic of
Poland. The term lasts for 4
years.
Sejm - 460 deputies (posel),
elected in national election.
Senat - 100 senators, elected
in national election.
President of Poland
Lech Kaczyński
The Sejm building in Warsaw
Prime Minister
Donald Tusk
Administrative divisions
The administrative division of Poland is based on three levels of subdivision.
The territory of Poland is divided into:
- 16 voivodeships (provinces),
- 379 powiats (counties),
- 2,478 gminas (communes or municipalities).
Voivodeship
in English
Capital city or cities
in Polish
Greater Poland
Wielkopolskie
Poznań
Kuyavian-Pomeranian
Kujawsko-Pomorskie
Bydgoszcz / Toruń
Lesser Poland
Małopolskie
Kraków
Łódź
Łódzkie
Łódź
Lower Silesian
Dolnośląskie
Wrocław
Lublin
Lubelskie
Lublin
Lubusz
Lubuskie
Gorzów Wielkopolski / Zielona Góra
Masovian
Mazowieckie
Warsaw
Opole
Opolskie
Opole
Podlaskie
Podlaskie
Białystok
Pomeranian
Pomorskie
Gdańsk
Silesian
Śląskie
Katowice
Subcarpathian
Podkarpackie
Rzeszów
Świętokrzyskie
Świętokrzyskie
Kielce
Warmian-Masurian
Warmińsko-Mazurskie
Olsztyn
West Pomeranian
Zachodniopomorskie
Szczecin
Religion in Poland
• Catholic: 95 %
• Orthodox: 1,5 %
• Protestant (mainly Evangelical): 1 %
Pope John Paul II
Lutheran Jesus Church
in Cieszyn
Grabarka
Catholic St.Anne’s Church
in Warsaw
Natural environment
Climate: continental
Poland is mostly lowland.
moderate, changeable weather
The average height equals 173 m.
Average temperatures:
• January
on the coast and the West from 0 to
-1°
North-East from -4,5° to -5,5°
in the mountains (South) -7°
• July:
on the coast 16,5°
in the South 19°
Average annual rainfall: 600 mm
Low-laying parts of the country (lower
than 300 m) constitute about 91,3 % of
Poland’s territory,
Uplands (300-500 m) – 5,6 %,
Mountains (over 500 m) only 3,1 %.
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The highest: Rysy 2499 m
(the Tatra mountains)
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The longest river: Wisła
(the Vistula) 1047 km
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The biggest lake: Śniardwy
(Mazury Lake District) 11 383 ha
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The deepest lake: Hańcza 108 m
National Parks
National Parks in Poland constitute the biggest form of
nature protection.
The main task of a national park is to study and preserve the
unity of natural systems of the area, as well as to restore the
disturbed or extinct elements of a native nature.
There are 23 national parks in Poland with total area of ca.
315,000 ha, which cover approximately 1 per cent of the
country's area.
Polish National Parks are exceptional in Europe for their
range of wildlife, their size and varying geographical interest.
Sport
Adam Małysz
(born 1977) is a Polish ski jumper.
He was born and still lives in the
town of Wisła in southern Poland.
He has won 38 World Cup
competitions.
Małysz is the only ski jumper ever
to win the World Cup 4 times and
3 times in a row - that is why he is
considered the best ever ski
jumper, by some. He is also the
most titled ski jumper in the
history of individual World
Championships.
Robert Kubica
(born 7 December 1984 in Kraków, Poland), Robert Kubica is the
first Polish Formula One driver.
2006 - racing debut at the Hungarian Grand Prix, experienced his
first podium finish at Monza, Italy at the Italian Grand Prix. During
this race he finished third and stood on the podium next to Michael
Schumacher (Germany) and Kimi Räikkönen (Finland).
2007 - survived a horrific crash at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Kubica came out of the crash with only a sprained ankle and minor
concussion. Robert Kubica
2008 scored his very first victory in Formula 1 at Canadian Grand
Prix (it was also the very first win for BMW Sauber team).
Robert Kubica has brought Formula One to Poland, bringing along
with him many new fans. He is currently racing for the BMW
Sauber Formula One Team alongside his teammate Nick Heidfeld.
Agnieszka Radwańska
(born 6 March 1989 in Kraków), full name Agnieszka Roma
Radwańska, is a WTA Tour top 10 Polish tennis player.
Poland men's national
volleyball team
It is one of the world's strongest teams, currently
ranked seventh in the FIVB world ranking. They
achieved their best results in the 1970's, by winning
gold medals at 1974 FIVB Men's World Championship
and the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. They have
also won five consecutive silver medals at European
Volleyball Championships, between 1975 and 1983.
Their most recent success is a silver medal won
during the 2006 FIVB Men's World Championship,
after losing the final to Brazil in straight sets and
gold medal at European
Volleyball Championships
(2009).
Monika Pyrek was born in Gdynia,
competing at the 2004 Olympics, she placed
fourth with 4.55 metres, just behind another
Polish pole vaulter born in Gdynia, Anna
Rogowska. Monika Pyrek won a silver medal in
the 2005 World Championships in Athletics with
the result 4.60 m. She also won the silver medal
at the 2006 European Athletics Championships.
Monika Pyrek's personal best is 4.82 metres.
She has won the Polish Championship several
times, most recently at the 2007 Polish Athletics
Championships in Poznań. She won World
Championships in Berlin.
Otylia Jędrzejczak - (born 13 December 1983) is a Polish swimmer. She
is the Olympic champion from Athens 2004 in the 200 metre butterfly. She
finished 4th in this event in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She also
swam in a third Olympiad, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. In Athens
2004 she also silvered in 400 m freestyle and 100 m butterfly. Three times she
broke the world record in thewomen's 200 m butterfly (once in the 25-metre
pool).
Polish Culture
Famous people
Nicolaus Copernicus (19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was the first astronomer
to formulate a comprehensive heliocentric cosmology, which displaced the Earth from
the center of the universe. His epochal book, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On
the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), published in 1543 just before his death, is
often regarded as the starting point of modern astronomy and the defining epiphany that
began the scientific revolution. His heliocentric model, with the Sun at the center of the
universe, demonstrated that the observed motions of celestial objects can be explained
without putting Earth at rest in the center of the universe. His work stimulated further
scientific investigations, becoming a landmark in the history of science that is often
referred to as the Copernican Revolution.
Marie Skłodowska Curie (7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a
physicist and chemist of Polish upbringing and, subsequently, French
citizenship. She was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity, the first person
honored with two Nobel Prizes, and the first female professor at the
University of Paris. Her achievements include the creation of a theory of
radioactivity (a term coined by her), techniques for isolating radioactive
isotopes, and the discovery of two new elements, polonium and radium.
Frederic Francois Chopin
(Polish: Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, 1810–1849) was a
Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He was one of the
great masters of Romantic music. Chopin's
compositions were written primarily for the piano as
solo instrument. Though they are technically
demanding, the emphasis in his style is on nuance and
expressive depth. Chopin invented musical forms such
as the instrumental ballade and was responsible for
major innovations in the piano sonata, mazurka, waltz,
nocturne, étude, impromptu and prélude.
Stanisław Moniuszko
(born 5 May 1819 in Ubiel near Minsk - 4 June 1872 in Warsaw,
Congress Poland) was a Polish composer, conductor and teacher.
His output includes many songs and operas, and his musical style
is filled with patriotic Polish folk themes. He is generally referred
to as the father of Polish national opera.
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz
(24 December 1798 – 26
November 1855) is generally regarded as the greatest PolishLithuanian romantic poet. He ranks as one of Poland's Three
Bards alongside Zygmunt Krasiński and Juliusz Słowacki.
Mickiewicz is also regarded as thegreatest Slavic poet, alongside
Alexander Pushkin, and as one of the best authors of the
Romantic school.
Bolesław Prus (Hrubieszów, 20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912, Warsaw), whose
actual name was Aleksander Głowacki, was a Polish journalist and novelist who is
known especially for his novels The Doll and Pharaoh. Prus was the leading
exponent of realism in 19th-century Polish literature (though he was not devoid of
fantasy or poetry) and remains a distinctive voice in world literature. He adopted the
pen name "Prus" from his family coat-of-arms.
Mikołaj Rej or Mikołaj Rey (Nicholas Rey) of Nagłowice, Poland (4
February 1505 – between 8 September and 5 October 1569) was one of
the best-known Polish poets and writers of the Renaissance, as well as a
politician and musician. From 1541 or 1548 he was a Calvinist. He is
considered, along with Biernat of Lublin and Jan Kochanowski, to be one
of the founders of Polish literary language and literature.
Polish Nobel laureates
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1903 – Maria Skłodowska-Curie – Nobel Prize in Physics
1905 – Henryk Sienkiewicz – Nobel Prize in Literature
1911 – Maria Skłodowska-Curie – Nobel Prize in
Chemistry
1924 – Władysław Reymont – Nobel Prize in Literature
1980 – Czesław Miłosz – Nobel Prize in Literature
1983 – Lech Wałęsa – Nobel Peace Prize
1995 – Józef Rotblat – Nobel Peace Prize
1996 – Wisława Szymborska – Nobel Prize in Literature
Famous painters
Jan Matejko
Juliusz Kossak
Stanisław Wyspiański
Józef Brandt
Józef Chełmoński
Customs
Customs, manners, and style of clothing have reflected the influences of East
and West. The traditional costumes worn by the nobility in the 16th and 17th
centuries were inspired by rich Eastern ornamental style. Notably, the Buczak
family were among the most powerful of the 17th century nobility and persist
to this day as a formidable political force.
Polish cuisine is yet another aspect of Poland's cultural identity. Distinctive
Polish foods include kielbasa, pierogi (pierożki), pyzy (meat-filled dough
balls), kopytka, gołąbki, śledzie, bigos, kotlety and much more.
Polish folk groups
Śląsk Song and Dance Ensemble (is one
of the largest Polish folk ensembles. It was founded on July 1,
1953 by Stanisław Hadyna and is named
after the Silesia ("Śląsk") region.
Śląsk originally focused on the folk traditions of Upper Silesia,
Cieszyn Silesia, and the Beskids. It was later expanded to
include all Polish regions. The ensemble has performed more
than 6,000 shows for over 20 million people in the United
States, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium,
Sweden, the Netherlands, China, Mexico, and many other
countries, as well as the Vatican.
Mazowsze
was established to maintain regional artistic
traditions and the traditional folk repertoire of songs and dances of
the Masovian countryside.
At the beginning Mazowsze's repertoire contained songs and
dances from only a few regions of Poland – Opoczno and Kurpie,
but it soon extended its range by adopting the traditions of other
regions.
Music
Skaldowie
Czesław Niemen
Czerwone Gitary
Ewa Demarczyk
Trubadurzy
Edyta Górniak
Kayah
Andrzej Piaseczny
Kombii
Doda
Ania Wyszkoni
Notable films
With Fire and Sword a
historical drama directed by
Jerzy Hoffman, released in
1999. The film is based on a
novel of the same name, the
first part in The Trilogy of
Henryk Sienkiewicz. At the
time of its filming it was the
most expensive Polish film
ever made.
The Cathedral (Polish: Katedra) is
the title of a science fiction short
story by Jacek Dukaj, winner of the
Janusz A. Zajdel Award in 2000;
and of a 2002 short animated movie
by Tomasz Bagiński, based on the
story. The film was nominated in
2002 for the Academy Award for
Animated Short Film for the 75th
Academy Awards. The movie won
the title of Best Animated Short at
Siggraph 2002 in San Antonio as
well as several other awards.
Katyń is a 2007 Polish film about the 1940
Katyn massacre, directed by Academy
Honorary Award winner Andrzej Wajda. It was
nominated for Best Foreign Language Film for
the 80th Academy Awards.
The Pianist is a 2002 film directed by
Roman Polanski, starring Adrien Brody. It
is an adaptation of the autobiography of
the same name by Jewish-Polish
musician Władysław Szpilman. The film
is a co-production between Polish,
French, German, and British film
companies.
In addition to winning the Palme d'Or at
the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, the film
won the Academy Awards for Best
Director, Best Actor, and Best Adapted
Screenplay. It was also awarded seven
French Césars including Best Picture,
Best Director and Best Actor for Brody
(who became the only American actor to
win one).
The end
Prezentację przygotowała: Joanna Kowalik (projekt Twórczy Uczeń)