Opportunities Today :- May 2007 Issue

PLEASURES OF POLAND

 

Poland is one of the Central European countries located in the West of Central Europe.

Poland is centrally located in Europe with Germany on its East and to the south is Czech Republic.

Poland is just 2 hours drive from the city of Prague.

The Eastern Part of Poland is primarily a miedieval forest area and is of importance because Michael Gorbachev had visited this region in 1991.

Poland is predominantly an urban catholic country comprising of 23 National Parks and wonderful Baltic Sea Beaches which can be very cold at times.

 

Some of the famous Polish people are:

 

Nicolaus Copernicus - the famous Polish astronomer and mathematician Maria Curie - the mother of Physics and two times Nobel prize winner, popularly known as Madame Curie. Frederic Chopin - the famous pianist and one of the greatest Polish composer Roman Polansky - Famous film producer who was also nominated for Oscar for his film “Knife in Water” in 1962. Pope John Paul II who was Pope until his demise in 2005

….. and many more

 

Poland is a value for money destination as it is part of the non-Euro country as of now.

 

Some of the major cities of Poland are-

Warsaw is well known for its Royal Castle Square with the Zygmunt`s Column which is right by the Royal Castle- you can`t miss it because it is pretty high! Erected here in 1644, it serves to commemorate King Zygmunt, who moved the capital from Krakow to Warsaw in 1596. There are stairs all around at the feet of the column and it is a big meeting spot for both young and old.

Warsaw was completely destroyed during World War II and rebuilt later. Places of interests: Historical Museum of Warsaw, Royal Castle, Centre for Contemporary Arts and the Wilanow Palace.

 

Krakow, Poland's second largest city, is the Cultural Capital of Poland and is an important centre of science and learning. The Jagiellonian University in Krakow is one of the oldest schools in Europe and was established in 1364. The main attractions are the Royal Castle and the Catherdral. The old city centre has been named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Places of interests: Wawel Castle, 13th century market square, old town, renaissance Cloth Hall and the Wielczka Salt Mine which is close to the city Gdansk, known as the City of Freedom is located in the north on the Baltic sea coast and was the scene of the first battle of World War II. Gdansk has Hamburg and Amsterdam style architecture and has been an important seaport for centuries. The Town Hall , shipyards, the Solidarity Museum and the Old Town are worth visiting in Gdansk.

 

Gdansk is particularly proud of its 500 year old Cargo Crane and it's tallest Astronomical Clock in the world dating back to the 15th Century and is still operational. Gdansk is also known as the birthplace of the Solidarity Movement that eventually led to the fall of the communist regime throughout Europe. Wroclaw known as the Meeting Place of Nations is located in the Silesian Lowland and is the capital of the region.

Wroclaw is located midway between Krakow and Poznan. The River Oder crosses through the city and is spanned by 100 bridges and dotted by dozen islands. The Old Town Market Square was once the junction of old European Trading Routes. Places of Interests: old churches including the 14th Century St.Mary Magdalene Church, Old-Market Square, National Museum Poznan known as the seat of the first Polish Rulers is closer to Berlin than to Warsaw and is a mere 50 miles away from the capital of Germany.

Poznan is important for its International Trade Fairs, the Old Town Square for its Renaissance style Town Hall, the Fara which is an old Jesuit church and considered the most beautiful Baroque building in Poland and at the nearby famous Jesuit College, famous people like Napolean Bonaparte stayed and Frederick Chopin gave a recital. Of particular interest is the Wielkopolska Ethnographic Museum featuring a worthwhile collection of woodcarving and traditional regional costumes.

 

Torun, the birth place of Nicolaus Copernicus has a statue of the famous astronomer in front of the Town Hall . Torun is one of the most beautiful cities of Poland. Located on the banks of the Vistula River, Torun was the site of intersection of ancient trade routes, and has been propagating its traditional economy and openness to the world for nearly 800 years. The gothic buildings of Toruñ's Old Town, which won the designation of World Heritage Site from UNESCO in 1997, present proof of Toruñ's centuries-old economic, cultural and intellectual ties with the leading cities of Europe associated in the Hanseatic League. Of particular interest is a Gothic brick house - now the Copernicus Museum - where the great astronomer was born.

 

UNESCO SITES OF POLAND

 

1. The Old Town in Krakow, Torun, Warsaw and Zamosc
2. The Salt Mine at Wieliczka
3. Evangelical Churches of Peace at Jawor and Swidnica
4. The monastery complex of Kalwaria Zebrydowska
5. The Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz
6. The Gothic Castle of the Teutonic Knights at Malbork
7. Bialowieza Forest
8. The wooden churches in the south Malopolska region
9. Muzakowski/Muskauer Landscape area in Leknica
10. Centenary Hall in Wroclaw

 

INTERESTING FACTS ON POLAND

 

In Poland people are used to "obiadokolacja" "lunchdinner" - one bigger meal in the evening. Cuisine is predominantly Polish (meat mostly pork and poultry).

When Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski of Poland assumed office on 14th July 2006, it was the first time ever that the Prime Minister and President of any country were identical twins as Lech Kaczynski at that time was already the President of Poland.

Poland has 23 national parks which occupy a total surface of 300000 hectares amounting to one percent of the entire country. Eight of these national parks have been recorded on the UNESCO list of World Biosphere Reserves.

There are many spa towns in Poland such as Krynica, Naleczow, Ciechocinek, Polanica, Duszniki Zdroj and Kudowa Zdroj. The most popular one being Krynica which is two hours south of Krakow in the Carpathian Mountains.

Daniel Fahrenheit after which the Fahrenheit scale of temperature is named was born in Gdansk, on 24th May 1686.

Poland along with Ukraine will be co-hosting the European Soccer Championship in 2012.