Customs Customs, traditions and mores display a diverse mix of
the East and the West - a colorful cohabitation of the vibrant
Eastern ornamental style and the somber Islamic influence. Polish
traditions through the year include holidays, customs,
superstitions, rituals, and celebrations. Some are firmly rooted in
the the national religion, Catholicism; others stem from pagan
rites of seasons. In many cases, visitors to Poland can participate
or learn more about these traditions.
Slide 3
Cultures At present, more than 98 percent of the people are
Poles, with small groups of Ukrainians, Belorussians, Germans,
Slovaks and Lithuanians. The Polish population is largely urban
centric with 60% of the population living in cities. Poland's
national culture emerged as a synthesis of Latin and Byzantine
influences and was further engendered by the numerous European
occupations, throughout its history.
Slide 4
Religions Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing) Eastern
Orthodox 1.3% Protestant 0.3% other 0.3% unspecified 8.3%
Slide 5
Landmarks Royal Castle In Warsaw The Royal Castle in Warsaw
(Polish: Zamek Krlewski w Warszawie), that today serves as a Museum
and is subordinated to the Ministry of Culture and National
Heritage, was the official residence of the Polish monarchs. Palace
Of Culture And Science Warsaw The Palace of Culture and Science, in
Warsaw is the tallest building in Poland, the eighth tallest
building in the European Union. Sigismund's Column Warsaw
Sigismund's Column erected in 1644, is one of Warsaw's most famous
landmarks and one of the oldest secular monuments in northern
Europe. The column and statue commemorate King Sigismund III Vasa,
who in 1596 had moved Poland's capital from Krakw to Warsaw.
Slide 6
Tourist attractions Wilanow Palace Warsaw Wilanw Palace is a
royal palace located in the Wilanw district, Warsaw. Wilanw Palace
survived the time of Poland's partitions and both World War. Park
Royal Baths Warsaw The Baths Park, or Royal Baths is the largest
park in Warsaw, Poland, occupying 76 hectares of the city center.
Warsaw Palace azienki The azienki Palace (Water Palace) is a
Neoclassical palace in Warsaw's Royal Baths Park. Wawel Royal
Palace Wawel Royal Castle on the Hill: Perhaps the best known
tourist attraction and historical monument in the city, a symbol of
Krakow. The castle itself is simply wonderful, carefully restored
and turned into a giant museum.
Slide 7
Languages The official language is Polish. Polish has the
second largest number of speakers among Slavic languages after
Russian. It is the main representative of the Lecithin branch of
the West Slavic languages. The Polish language originated in the
areas of present-day Poland from several local Western Slavic
dialects, most notably those spoken in Greater Poland and Lesser
Poland. They also speak: German Belarusian Ukrainian Lithuania
Russian Kashubia French English
Slide 8
history Graet Poland was founded in 966 by Mieszko I. The
tribes of southern Poland then formed Little Poland. In 1047.
Poland merged with Lithuania by royal marriage in 1386. The
Polish-Lithuanian state reached the peak of its power between the
14th and 16th centuries, scoring military successes against the
Knights of the Teutonic Order, the Russians, and the Ottoman Turks.
Lack of a strong monarchy enabled Russia, Prussia, and Austria to
carry out a first partition of the country in 1772, a second in
1792, and a third in 1795. For more than a century thereafter,
there was no Polish state, just Austrian, Prussian, and Russian
sectors, but the Poles never ceased their efforts to regain their
independence. The Polish people revolted against foreign dominance
throughout the 19th century. Poland was formally reconstituted in
Nov. 1918. Despite a ten-year nonaggression pact signed in 1934,
Hitler attacked Poland on Sept. 1, 1939. Soviet troops invaded from
the east on Sept. 17, and on Sept. 28, a German-Soviet agreement
divided Poland between the USSR and Germany.
Slide 9
History Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz formed a government-in-exile in
France, which moved to London after France's defeat in 1940. All of
Poland was occupied by Germany after the Nazi attack on the USSR in
June 1941. Nazi Germany's occupation policy in Poland was designed
to eradicate Polish culture through mass executions and to
exterminate the country's large Jewish minority. The Polish
government-in-exile was replaced with the Communist-dominated
Polish Committee of National Liberation by the Soviet Union in
1944. Moving to Lublin after that city's liberation, it proclaimed
itself the Provisional Government of Poland Some former members of
the Polish government in London joined with the Lublin government
to form the Polish Government of National Unity, which Britain and
the U.S. recognized. On Aug. 2, 1945, in Berlin, President Harry S.
Truman, Joseph Stalin, and Prime Minister Clement Attlee of Britain
established a new de facto western frontier for Poland along the
Oder and Neisse rivers. (The border was finally agreed to by West
Germany in a nonaggression pact signed on Dec. 7, 1970.) On Aug.
16, 1945, the USSR and Poland signed a treaty delimiting the
Soviet-Polish border. Under these agreements, Poland was shifted
westward. In the east, it lost 69,860 sq mi (180,934 sq km); in the
west, it gained (subject to final peace conference approval) 38,986
sq mi (100,973 sq km)
Slide 10
Facts Capital: Warsaw Climate: cold, cloudy, severe winters
with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and
thundershowers. Flag:
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