POLSKA/POLANDRZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA/ REPUBLIC OF POLAND

Capital City: Warsaw ( Warszawa)

Currency: Złoty - PLN

Population: about 38 million

Area: 312.685 km²

Type of Government: Democratic Republic

Famouse People:

IN THE PAST

Jan III Sobieski (king),

Jan Matejko (painter),

Maria Skłodowska-Curie (phisicist and chemist),

Mikołaj Kopernik (astronomer),

Jan Heweliusz (mathematician and astronomer)

Fryderyk Chopin (pianist and composer)

Jan Paweł II ( pope)

AT PRESENT

Lech Wałęsa (electrician and politician)

Andrzej Wajda ( film director)

Roman Polański (film director)

Krzysztof Penderecki (composer)

Włodzimierz Pawlik (pianist)

Wisława Szymborska ( poet)

Robert Lewandowski (football player)

Anita Włodarczyk (hammer thrower)

Famous Places:

Warszawa, Kraków, Gdańsk, Częstochowa, Malbork, Toruń, Zakopane

Typical landscape

Poland is a relatively low-lying country with 91% of its territory lying below 300 mabove sea level. Although most of Poland’s territory is lowland, the country hasamazing and versatile natural environment. In the north, Poland reaches the BalticSea with its beautiful sandy beaches and busy harbours. Small lakes dot the entire

northern half of Poland, however their biggest concentration is in the north-easternregion known as Masurian Lake District. The area which is occupied by more than2000 lakes and is densely wooded is a favourite destination for sailing and canoeing.This is also where the only primeval forests remaining in Europe extend being themainstay of Poland’s shrinking unspoiled natural habitat.

The Baltic Sea

Hel Peninsula

Mazury

Across central Poland a vast region of plains extends – the so called Polish Plain,used mainly for agriculture. To the south of central lowlands the terrain rises slowlyand is again more hilly and diverse, dominated by highlands. Along the southernborder stretch the mountain ridges of Carpathians and Sudetes. Tatra Mountains(part of Carpathians) have Alpine character and here the highest Polish peak isfound – Mount Rysy, 2499 m (8200 feet) above sea level.

Tatra Mountains

Morskie Oko/Sea Eye lake in Tatra Mountains

Approximately one-fifth of the territory of Poland is maintained as fields, pastureand meadows. About 27% of the total area is covered by forest. Several major riverscross the country, including the Vistula (Wisla) in the centre – the “queen” of Polishrivers and the longest one (1047 m / 667 mi), and the Oder (Odra) (854 km / 530 mi)which flows along Poland`s western border

Monuments:

Wawel Castle in Cracow

The Cloth Hall in Cracow

Malbork Castle

Wieliczka Salt Mine

Jasna Góra

Royal Castle in Warsaw

Typical Food

Traditional food is rich in various kinds of meat, especially pork, chicken and beef.Soups are very popular, made with vegetables, broth, beets, and many otheringredients. Vegetables are in common use, among which cabbage is probably themost famous. Polish cuisine includes different kinds of dumplings and noodles, themost notable of which are “pierogi” and “kluski”. And of course there is no need tomention the excellent bread and delicious sausages.

The main meal of the day is generally eaten about 2 pm or in the early afternoon.Traditionally, it is composed of three courses: starting with a soup, followed by themain course usually including a serving of meat, vegetables or salads, and potatoes,rice or groats. Pastries and cakes are traditional types of dessert.

Appetizers:

Kielbasa – Polish sausage is a very popular and well know product from Poland andcomes in a wide variety of types. It is made from different meat and spices. Popularvarieties include smoked and dried sausage, but there is also white sausage, andmany more.

Ogorki kiszone – Polish-style pickled cucumbers are commonly used as appetizers.The best ones are of course those home-made.

Sledzie – herring is a very popular cold appetizer. It is prepared and served innumerous ways: in vinegary marinades, in oil and onion, in sour cream, sweet, etc.

Smalec – lard is used as a spread on thick slices of bread. It was a typical staple intraditional rural cuisine.

Oscypek – smoked cheese made of salted sheep milk is a regional product. It isproduced by shepherds in Polish mountains and is a must taste when you visit Tatramountains. It is served cold or hot with cranberry.

Soups:

Żurek [‘ʒurɛk] – sour rye soup served with white sausage and boiled egg. Sometimesit is served in an edible bowl made of bread. Zurek is very nutritious and traditionallyeaten at Easter.

Barszcz bialy [barʃʧ ‘bʲjawɨ] – white borscht is a soup closely related to zurek. It isalso a bit sour and is made with wheat flour instead of rye.

Barszcz czerwony [barʃʧ ʧɛr’vɔnɨ] – red borscht or beetroot soup. It usually containsbeetroot, onions, garlic, and other vegetables (carrots, potatoes, celery). Avegetarian version of borscht is the first course during the Christmas Eve feast and isserved with ravioli-type dumplings (“uszka”) stuffed with mushrooms.

Chlodnik [xwɔdʲɲik] – cold borscht is another variant of red borscht. It is also basedon beets with addition of sour milk, kefir or yoghurt and is served cold in thesummer.

Flaki soup [‘flaki] – spicy beef tripe soup is traditional and popular, although itsname meaning “guts” in Polish may be quite off-putting. The soup is quite dense(like meat stew) and is made from a shredded beef stomach.

Zupa grzybowa [‘zupa ɡʒɨ’bɔva] – mushroom soup cooked on meat and vegetablestock. It might include different types of mushrooms. In some regions of Poland it isserved for the Christmas Eve supper.

Main dishes:

Pierogi [‘pʲjɛrɔɟi] – dumplings stuffed with various fillings: cheese and potatoes,meat, mushroom and cabbage, sweet curd cheese, fruit, etc. They are servedsteaming hot boiled or fried. Pierogi are one of the best recognizable Polish food.

Bigos [‘bʲiɡɔs] – Polish hunter’s stew is a combination of cabbage, diced sausage andvarious meats, dried mushrooms, onion and spices. It is usually eaten with bread orpotatoes. Bigos is very traditional.

Gołąbki – cabbage rolls stuffed with minced meat, served in tomato sauce. Otheringredients include groats or rice, onion and spices.

Kotlet mielony – Polish ground cutlet is made of fried minced meat, usually pork. It isserved with potatoes and a vegetable salad.

Placki ziemniaczane – potato pancakes is a simple dish made from grated potatoesfried in fat. Usually, they are served with sugar or jam. A bigger version served withmeat, beef sauce and vegetables is called “placek po zbójnicku” (brigand’s pancake)

Kopytka – „little hooves” dumplings are another kind of Polish dumplings. They aremade from grated potatoes and flour and are served as a separate dish or a sidedish.

Desserts and sweets:

Pączki [‘pɔnʧki] – Polish donuts are one of the most typical pastries and mostfavourite. They are round deep-fried pieces of dough filled with jam, pudding orother sweet filling, served covered with powdered sugar, icing or bits of dried orangepeel. A singular form of “pączki” is “pączek” [‘pɔnʧɛk]. Polish “Fat Thursday” is a daywhen eating donuts is a must.

Makowiec [ma’kɔvʲjɛʦ] – poppy-seed cake is a roll of sweet yeast cake stuffed withminced poppy seed, sometimes with addition of raisins, almonds or walnuts, anddecorated with icing. It is commonly eaten at Christmas and Easter.

Sekacz [‘sɛkaʧ] – tree cake is a regional delicacy from Podlasie region. It owes itsname to its characteristic appearance and light and dark layers resembling growthrings of a tree trunk (“sęk” means “knot” in Polish).

Drinks:

Kompot [kɔm’pɔt] – compote is a drink made in summer from fresh fruit and sugar. Itis served cold and is a common drink during dinner in Polish homes.

Nalewki [na’lɛfki] – liqueurs made of fruit, spices or herbs are the stronger drinks.They have distinctive taste and are perfect aid to digestion.

Miód pitny [mʲjut pʲitɲi – mead is traditional Polish alcohol produced by fermentinga solution of honey and water. It may be flavoured with spices and herbs.