Portal:Poland

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Welcome to the Poland Portal — Witaj w Portalu o Polsce

Cityscape of Kraków, Poland's former capital

Poland is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west, the Czech Republic to the southwest, Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, Lithuania to the northeast, 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 Polish People's Republic 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 completed, Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004, but has experienced a constitutional crisis and democratic backsliding since 2015.

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German soldiers dismantling a Polish border checkpoint

The Polish September Campaign was the conquest of Poland by the armies of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and a small contingent of Slovak forces during World War II. The campaign began on 1 September 1939 following a German-staged attack in Gleiwitz (Gliwice). This military operation, which saw the first use of Blitzkrieg tactics, marked the start of World War II in Europe as the invasion led Poland's allies, including the United Kingdom and France, to declare war on Germany on 3 September. On 17 September, the Soviet Red Army invaded the eastern regions of Poland. The Soviets were acting in coöperation with Germany, realizing the secret protocol of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact which envisaged division of Central Europe into Nazi and Soviet spheres of influence. The campaign ended on 6 October 1939 with Germany and the Soviet Union occupying the entirety of Poland. (Full article...)

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White-tailed eagle

Credit: Andreas Weith

Two white-tailed eagles (an adult, left, and a juvenile) fighting in the Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park. After Norway and Russia, Poland has the third-largest population of this species in Europe. With its massive beak, featherless feet and a light-colored head and tail, the bird is often believed to be the original model for the White Eagle in the coat of arms of Poland.

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... that after World War II, Polish resistance organizer and Warsaw Uprising fighter Jan Mazurkiewicz (pictured) was brutally tortured by the authorities in communist Poland?
... that the Hetman Party of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth called upon Russia to help defend their Golden Liberties?
... that the group of reformers known as Kołłątaj's Forge popularized the ideals of the French Revolution in Poland?
... that Hugo Steinhaus "discovered" Stefan Banach and helped re-establish mathematics at the University of Wrocław after World War II?

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Stephen Báthory

Stephen Báthory (Stefan Batory; 1533–1586) was a Hungarian-born king of Poland. He ruled as a voivode of his native Transylvania from 1571 until becoming, in 1576, the second king of Poland elected by the nobility. In the first years of his reign he focused on establishing power: defeating a fellow claimant to the throne, Maximilian II Habsburg, and quelling the Danzig rebellion. His signal achievement was his victorious campaign in Livonia in the mid part of his reign, when he won from Russia a highly favorable treaty at Yam-Zapolsky. He is considered one of the most successful kings of Poland, particularly in the military realm. (Full article...)

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Izrael Poznański's Palace in Łódź

Łódź, located in central Poland, is one of the country's largest cities. Although dating back as far as the 14th century, the city's growth began under Russian rule in the 1820s as immigrants were attracted by its booming textile industry. Nicknamed "promised land", its character was shaped by its Polish, Jewish, German and Russian population. During the Nazi German occupation, it was renamed Litzmannstadt and became the site of the second largest Jewish ghetto. After World War II, Łódź became the principal center of Polish filmmaking and home of the National Film School. As textile industry collapsed following the fall of communism, Łódź has attracted investment in the IT sector, from companies including Dell and Infosys. (Full article...)

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