Location

Poland is strategically located at the geographical center of Europe, where the old division between the West and the East used to exist. Its eastern border is now the eastern border of the EU as well as the division between the spheres of influence of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern (Russian) Orthodox Church.

Poland in Numbers

Total Population: 38mln
Number of Households: 13.4mln
Ethnically Polish Pop.: 97.6%

Avg. Monthly Salary: 750euro
Unemployment Rate: 17%

History

Although legend has it that Poland was started by Lech, one of three brothers, it was actually started by the conversion of Prince Mieszko 1 in 966 A.D. In the succeeding centuries, Poland continued to grow and develop. In the 1300's, Kazimierz the Great refortified Poland, turning it into a regional power. In the 1400s, the Polish army defeated the Teutonic knights at the battle of Grunwald and established its place in central Europe.

Over the next three centuries, Poland continued to expand. After uniting with the kingdom of Lithuania in the 1500s, Poland became the largest European kingdom of that time, stretching from the Baltic in the north, to the Black Sea in the south. The 1600s are considered in the "Golden Age" of Poland. The nation excelled in both literature and science. Its army was known throughout Europe and its soldiers were well-regarded. The high point of its military success was rescuing Vienna from the Turkish Army in 1683 under the leadership of King Jan Sobieski.

However, these developments did not lead to a lasting peace for Poland. Its "Achilles heel" was in the power held by its nobles. At a time when other European countries were consolidating their power, Polish nobles had the power to veto any action by the government. They even voted for their king! This weakness in Polish government allowed its three powerful neighbors - Russia, Prussia and Austria - to split apart Poland piece by piece. Poland disappeared from the map of Europe after the Third Partition in 1795.

During the next 123 years, the Polish people bravely fought to regain independence. There were periodic uprisings but ultimately the resistance movement moved underground. The Polish people were not allowed to speak Polish except at church - putting the Roman Catholic Church as the center of Polish language and culture.

Poland finally regained its freedom in 1918, at the end of World War I. After a short period of nation building, it was attacked again on September 1, 1939, starting World War II. During the Nazi occupation, the nation saw its population systematically killed. By the end of the war, Poland had lost over seventeen percent of its population, including its Jewish community - the largest in Europe. At the end of the war, Poland lost one-third of its landmass, and, even more tragically, its freedom, as it fell under the domination of the Soviet Republic.

However, even under the Communists, the Polish people kept up their fight for freedom. Workers uprisings against the Communist leaders occurred regularly, and were put down violently. Finally, the founding of the workers' union "Solidarity" by Lech Walesa led to the declaration of martial law in December, 1981. By the end of the decade, the Communists had fallen from power, ushering in a new age of democracy and capitalism. The Polish people finally had their country back!