The most important information and facts about Poland

Rzeczpospolita Polska or Polska (the Republic of Poland or Poland) is the country located in Europa Centralna (Central Europe).

It has 312 685km2 and ludność (the population) of 38,17 millions. The capital city is Warszawa (Warsaw).

We joined NATO in 1999 and Unia Europejska (the European Union) on 1 May 2004, but we have not introduced a new waluta (currency) – Euro (Euro) yet and we still use złoty (zloty).

When it comes to strefa czasowa (time zone), it is środkowoeuropejska (GMT) and klimat umiarkowany kontynentalny (the moderate continental climate) with warm summer and cold winter.

The countries that Poland graniczy (borders) are: Niemcy (Germany), Czechy (the Czech Republic), Słowacja (Slovakia), Ukraina (Ukraine), Białoruś (Belarus), Litwa (Lithuania) and Russia (Rosja).

Ustrój polityczny Polski (political system in Poland) is Republika Parlamentarna (democratic republic) which means that the most important document is Konstytucja (the Constitution). This system is based on władza ustawodawcza (the legislative authority) consisting of Sejm (the Seym) and Senat (the Senate), władza wykonawcza (the executive authority) – Prezydent (the President), Prezes Rady Ministrów or Premier (the Prime Minister) and Rada Ministrów (the Council of Ministers or the Cabinet) and władza sądownicza (the judicial authority) – Sąd Najwyższy (the Supreme Court) and other courts..

The most important politicians in Poland in 2006/2007 are:

- Lech Kaczyński – Prezydent (the President)
- Jarosław Kaczyński – Prezes Rady Ministrów or Premier (the Prime Minister)
- Ludwik Dorn – Wicepremier (Vice Prime Minister) and Minister Spraw Wewnętrznych i Administracji (Minister of Interior and Administration)
- Roman Giertych – Wicepremier (Vice Prime Minister) and Minister Edukacji Narodowej (Minister of Education)
- Zyta Gilowska – Wicepremier (Vice Prime Minister) and Minister Finansów (Minister of Finance)
- Andrzej Lepper – Wicepremier (Vice Prime Minister) and Minister Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi (Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development)
- Zbigniew Ziobro – Minister Sprawiedliwości (Minister of Justice)
- Jerzy Polaczek – Minister Transportu (Minister of Transport)
- Radosław Sikorski – Minister Obrony Narodowej (Minister of National Defence)
- Tomasz Lipiec – Minister Sportu (Minister of Sport)
- Zbigniew Religa – Minister Zdrowia (Minister of Health).

Partie polityczne (political parties) that are playing the lead role now are:

- Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS (Law and Justice)
- Liga Polskich Rodzin, LPR (the League of Polish Families)
- Samoobrona (Self-Defence)
- Platforma Obywatelska, PO (the Civic Platform or the Citizens’ Platform)
- Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej, SLD (Democratic Left Alliance).

System administracyjny (administrative division) – Poland is divided into województwa (voivodeships), powiaty (counties) and gminy (communes).

There are sixteen voivodeships in Poland:

- Dolnośląskie (Lower Silesian voivodeship)
- Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Kuyavian-Pomeranian voivodeship)
- Lubelskie (Lublin voivodeship)
- Lubuskie (Lubusz voivodeship)
- Łódzkie (Łódź voivodeship)
- Małopolskie (Lesser Poland voivodeship)
- Mazowieckie (Masovian voivodeship)
- Opolskie (Opole voivodeship)
- Podkarpackie (Subcarpathian voivodeship)
- Podlaskie (Podlachian voivodeship)
- Pomorskie (Pomeranian voivodeship)
- Śląskie (Silesian voivodeship)
- Świętokrzyskie (Świętokrzyskie voivodeship)
- Warmińsko-Mazurskie (Warmian-Masurian voivodeship)
- Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland voivodeship)
- Zachodniopomorskie (West Pomeranian voivodeship).

Poland is a very beautiful country with magnificent views and landscape. A lot of tourists come to spend their free time here. The most interesting and spectacular places and cities are:

- Morze Bałtyckie (the Baltic Sea)
- Karkonosze (Karkonosze Mountains)
- Sudety (the Sudeten Mountains)
- Karpaty (Carpathian Mountains)
- Tatry (Tatra Mountains)
- Beskidy (Beskids)
- Pieniny (Pieniny)
- Mazury (the Mazury lake district)
- Woliński Park Narodowy (Wolinski National Park)
- Bory Tucholskie (Bory Tucholskie)
- Kampinoski Park Narodowy (Kampinoski National Park)
- Warszawa (Warsaw)
- Kraków (Cracow)
- Zakopane (Zakopane)
- Częstochowa (Czestochowa)
- Gdańsk (Gdańsk)
- Wrocław (Wrocław)
- Łódź (Lodz)
- Poznań (Poznan).

The two greatest Polish rzeki (rivers) are Wisła (the Vistula) and Odra (the Oder).

Poland is also proud of some famous and well-known people such as:

- Papież Jan Paweł II (Pope John Paul II)
Laureaci Nagrody Nobla (Nobel Prize Winners):
- Maria Curie Skłodowska – physics and chemistry
- Henryk Sienkiewicz – literature (“Quo Vadis”)
- Władysław Stanisław Reymont – literature („Chłopi” – ”The Peasants)
- Czesław Miłosz – literature („Piesek przydrożny” – “Roadside Dog")
- Lech Wałęsa – Pokojowa Nagroda Nobla (Peace Nobel Prze)
- Wisława Szymborska - literature
Film i teatr (film and theatre):
- Agnieszka Holland
- Roman Polański
- Andrzej Seweryn
- Andrzej Wajda
- Krzysztof Zanussi
Muzyka (music):
- Fryderyk Chopin
- Wojciech Kilar
- Krzysztof Penderecki
- Zbigniew Preisner.

The list could be much longer, but I tried to capture the most significant celebrities.

What I have just presented is the outline of Polish country. It seems to me that this are basic and essential information that give the picture of Poland. It is often interesting to compare one’s own country with another one to see the differences, similarities and get to know new things. Such knowledge is also necessary and useful when we decide to visit the country whose language we learn.

Ivonka

Good and useful article. Thank you.

Ivonka,

I hope you don't mind my sharing this with my group? Great job getting the important information in an organized manner. Thank you, Carol

Free at last. 1989

that is the most important date ever!
Wyspi born :P

even more important - Jun 27, 07 - Wyspi joins PF!

But there's a new government and 2 parties are not in the Parliament anymore.

Thanks for the interesting information. Two questions for you:
What is a voivodeship?
How are the following differentiated?

What about that Jewish dude from the Pianist - Woidek Szpilman, I reckon he deserves a mention.

Vovoidship is the equavalent of county

The mountain ranges you questioned are the various mountain ranges throughout poland, most are in the South of the country and represnet the basic lines of the boarders with the respective countries Slovakia, Czech Republic and Germany.

A województwo is much bigger than a county. It's a conglomerate of several - a few dozen of starostwos. County = (more or less) starostwo. More appropriate equivalent would be a region, like Yorkshire, Kent, etc.

And Czeslaw Celinski, ok it's my grandfather.

Gotcha - thanks.

There's a date in Polish hearts which is significant: 15 August 1920

Please light a candle for us. Feb. 10, 1940

Please excuse my ignorance....but what happened on this date....?

battle of warsaw

Exactly a county then

Yorkshire is composed of different parts. One shire would be like hrabstwo in Polish. In Silesia (Sląsk), there are 2 parts (Upper and Lower) which is like a region. It's a geographical term. Województwo is an administrative term. That's the key difference.

indeed we is! :)

Zanussi was into making films, I always thought he was into making washing machines and the like, hehehe.

The appliance of science :)

Let's not forget about Mr Wałęsa. Lech, not sure if he was but that was his first name, hehehe