Portal:Poland

Welcome to the Poland Portal
Witaj w Portalu o Polsce

Poland is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast to the north. It is an ancient nation whose history as a state began near the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century when it united with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to form the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements in the late 18th century, Russia, Prussia and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves. It regained independence as the Second Polish Republic in the aftermath of World War I only to lose it again when it was occupied by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. The nation lost over six million citizens in the war, following which it emerged as the communist People's Republic of Poland under strong Soviet influence within the Eastern Bloc. A westward border shift followed by forced population transfers after the war turned a once multiethnic country into a mostly homogeneous nation state. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union called Solidarity (Solidarność) that over time became a political force which by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A shock therapy program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe. With its transformation to a democratic, market-oriented country largely completed, Poland is an increasingly active member of NATO and the European Union.

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From Polish history

Polish culture during World War II was brutally suppressed by the occupying powers of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, both of whom were hostile to Poland's people and culture. Policies aimed at cultural genocide resulted in the deaths of thousands of scholars and artists, and the theft or destruction of innumerable cultural artifacts (example of a lost painting, by Raphael, pictured). British historian Niall Ferguson writes that "the maltreatment of the Poles was one of many ways in which the Nazi and Soviet regimes had grown to resemble one another". The occupiers looted or destroyed much of Poland's cultural heritage while persecuting and killing members of the Polish cultural elite. Most Polish schools were closed and those that remained open saw their curricula altered significantly. Nevertheless, underground organizations and individuals—in particular the Polish Underground State—saved much of Poland's most valuable cultural heritage and worked to salvage as many cultural institutions and artifacts as possible. The Roman Catholic Church and wealthy individuals contributed to the survival of some artists and their works. Despite severe retribution by the Nazis and Soviets, Polish underground cultural activities, including publications, concerts, live theater, education and academic research, continued throughout the war.

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Credit: Leonardo da Vinci

Lady with an Ermine is an oil-on-wood painting by Leonardo da Vinci from ca. 1490. One of only four female portraits by Leonardo, its subject is identified as Cecilia Gallerani, a 16-year-old mistress of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. The painting was acquired in 1798 by Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski, a Polish aristocrat, and now belongs to the Czartoryski Museum in Kraków.

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Did you know

From Wikipedia's newest articles about Poland:

... that Polish girls (pictured) get wet and spanked on Easter Monday, but have their revenge on the following day?
... that a series of mostly pagan uprisings in the 1030s threw the fledgling Kingdom of Poland into chaos?
... that Grand Duke Leszek the White and a number of other Polish Piast dukes were ambushed in their baths during the 13th-century Gąsawa massacre?
... that Frédéric Chopin, Juliusz Słowacki, and Napoleon III were all in love with Maria Wodzińska?
... that the Majdanek concentration camp trial was the longest Nazi war crimes trial in history, spanning over 30 years?

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Selected biography

Witold Pilecki (1901–1948) was a Polish soldier, founder of the Secret Polish Army resistance group and member of the Home Army during World War II. He was the only person to volunteer to be imprisoned at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. While there, he organized inmate resistance, and as early as 1940, informed the Western Allies of Nazi Germany's Auschwitz atrocities. He escaped from the camp in 1943 and took part in the Warsaw Uprising. Pilecki was executed in 1948 by communist authorities. Until 1989, information on his exploits and fate was suppressed by the Polish the communist regime.

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Warsaw is the capital and, with a population of 1,706,624 (2007 est.), the largest city of Poland. Founded in 1300 on the Vistula River, Warsaw became the seat of the dukes of Masovia in 1413. Masovia was annexed by Poland in 1526, and 70 years later, in 1596, King Sigismund III moved his seat from Kraków to Warsaw. The rise in political status was accompanied by strong economic and cultural development. Occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II, Warsaw was the site of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943 and the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, followed by a complete destruction of the city. Painstakingly rebuilt in the Communist era, Warsaw is now an increasingly important political and economic hub of Central Europe.

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Poland now

Recent or ongoing events:

On 19 April, the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews (entrance pictured) was opened to the public (its permanent exhibition still under construction).
On 5 March, Maciej Berbeka, Tomasz Kowalski, Adam Bielecki, and Artur Małek made the first winter ascent of Broad Peak (8,051 m); the former two died during descent.

Holidays and observances in May 2013: