Travel to Poland:
Poland tourist information with details about travel to and around the country. Where to
stay and what to see is made easier with insider tips and hand-selected Poland links, by
dedicated editors and visitors to TravelNotes.org - The Online Guide to Travel.
The capital of Poland is Warsaw.
Poland
Maps.
The flag of Poland is two equal horizontal bands of white (top)
and red; similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white.
Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived near the middle of
the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century.
During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and
internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795,
Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves.
Poland regained its independence in 1918, only to be overrun by
Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following
the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive.
Labour turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade
union 'Solidarity' that over time became a political force and 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, but Poland still faces the lingering challenges of high unemployment,
underdeveloped and dilapidated infrastructure, and a poor rural underclass.
Solidarity suffered a major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections
when it failed to elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament, and the new
leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce the Trade Union's
political role.
Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. With its
transformation to a democratic, market-oriented country largely completed, Poland is an
increasingly active member of Euro-Atlantic organisations.
Administrative Divisions
16 provinces:
(wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo)
Dolnoslaskie wojewodztwo; Kujawsko-Pomorskie wojewodztwo; Lodzkie
wojewodztwo; Lubelskie wojewodztwo; Lubuskie wojewodztwo; Malopolskie wojewodztwo;
Mazowieckie wojewodztwo; Opolskie wojewodztwo; Podkarpackie wojewodztwo; Podlaskie
wojewodztwo; Pomorskie wojewodztwo; Slaskie wojewodztwo; Swietokrzyskie wojewodztwo;
Warminsko-Mazurskie wojewodztwo; Wielkopolskie wojewodztwo; Zachodniopomorskie
wojewodztwo.
Independence
11th November, 1918: Republic proclaimed.
National Holiday
Constitution Day: 3rd May (1791).
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Krakow