POLAND

Republic of 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 Kalinigrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north. On the Baltic Sea, Poland borders with the zones of Denmark and Sweden. The total area of Poland is 322, 575 square kilometres. Poland has a population of over 38 million people. The country is a unitary state made up of sixteen voivodeships.

MAIN POLISH CITIES

WarsawCracowWrocławPoznańGdańsk

WARSAW

Warsaw – the capital of Poland. It is the greatest city in Poland by population and area. Warsaw is the political centre of the country. All state agencies are located there, including the Polish Parliament, the Presidential Office and the Supreme Court.

CRACOW

Cracow – the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Cracow is the capital of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is situated on the Vistula river. Cracow is one of the most important cities in terms of administration, culture, education, economy, tourism and many others.

WROCŁAW

Wroclaw – the historical capital of the Silesian region. One of the biggest and the oldest cities in Poland ( in terms of population Wroclaw is on the 4th place among Polish cities ). Wroclaw is located on the both sides of the Oder river in the southwest part of Poland ( Lower Silesia ).

POZNAŃ

Poznan – sometimes claimed to be the first capital of the kingdom of Poland. Nowadays Poznan is called 'the capital of the Polish economy'. It is situated on the Warta river in the west-central Poland. Poznan is the biggest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship.

GDAŃSK

Gdańsk – a Polish city on the Baltic coast and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay ( of the Baltic Sea ). Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot form a metropolitan area called the Tricity.

FAMOUS POLES

• Jan Paweł II

• Mikołaj Kopernik

• Fryderyk Chopin

• Maria Curie-Skłodowska

•Lech Wałęsa

CUISINEPolish cuisine is rich in meat, especially poultry and pork

and different kinds of fish. A very popular dish are dumplings - pierogi. There are many vegetables and fruits. Typical herbs are: bay leaf, parsley, pepper, garlic, horseradish or dill. Polish gastronomic tradition is rich in cakes and desserts and sweet spreads (rapsberry jam, honey).

The Silesian Vivodeship- one of the sixteen voivodeships. It is located in southern Poland. Its capital is Katowice. In the Silesian Province there are 71 cities and towns. Its population numbers 12 % of Polish population what gives the 2nd place among other voivodeships by population. The Silesian region is the most industrialized and the most urbanized region in Poland: 78% of its population live in towns and cities. Through years silesian culture mixed with Slavic, Czech, Austrian and German influence. All these impacts caused in a very unique silesian culture with its own dialect, folk- clothes and cuisine ( e.g. chicken broth and as a main course – dumplings, roulade and red cabbage ).

THE SILESIA

CHARACTERISTIC THINGS

• Coal mines

• Miners

• Heaps

• Folk clothes• Folk dancing

• Traditional dinner

JEJKOWICE

Jejkowice - a village in Poland located in the Silesian Vivoideship, in the district of Rybnik, the seat of the municipality Jejkowice.