Poland in my eyes by Anna Gil

Hey, as you now I’m a Polish girl from Cracow – today I decided to write a few words about my country, just to give you some general overview and some basic information about my beautiful land.

Poland in Europe

Poland is the 9th largest country in Europe and with a population of over 38.5 million, it’s the 6th most populous member of the European Union – that’s a really good score, foreigners generally don’t know about it!

Poland is situated in central-east Europe and it borders  7 other countries, among them Germany, Belarus and Ukraine. We’ve got access to the Baltic sea in the north and to the wonderful Tatry mountains in the south.

History of Poland

Our history is not an easy topic – it’s not that long but it’s full of struggles and revolutions, pacts with other countries and short periods of glory.

The establishment of Polish state: Mieszko I in 966

1569 – Lithuanian Commonwealth

1795 – partition of Poland

1918 – Poland regained its independence

1939 – invasion of Poland

1944 – client state of the Soviet Union

1989 – Revolutions, first partially free and democratic parliamentary elections

2004 – member of European Union

In 2013, Poland also became a member of the Development Assistance Committee.

Nature in Poland

In Poland you can find all you need – mountains in the south – a perfect place for skiing in the winter and sea in the north – if you need refreshment in hot summer, a lot of lakes in the north – east – a top place for sailing fun. A lot of forests and rivers – for mushroom pickers and fishermen  – with rich fauna and flora. We’ve got 23 national parks.

Weather in Poland

The thing that I like in Poland is weather – we know what each season is like. In the winter the average temperature is around minus 10 to minus  2 Celsius degrees , we’ve got a lot of snow – which is perfect for making a snowman and tobogganing, then it’s time for the green, flowery spring, sunny an fruity summer and autumn – with long evenings and red, orange and yellow leaves falling from the trees.

My favourite place in Poland

It’s difficult to name only one place: I love two cities very much – Cracow (Kraków) and Wrocław – for their peaceful atmosphere, a lot of mysterious places, cozy bars, narrow streets and musicians or mimes on every corner. They are called “the students’ cities”.

If you like energy, hustle, majesty – you should definitely see our capital Warsaw (Warszawa) – it never sleeps.

You won’t understand Polish culture without visiting : Zakopane, Oświęcim, Poznań and Gdańsk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXPeofkW-Pw

My favorite Polish dish

We still prepare dinner mainly at home – Poles are very good chefs and the best bakers.

It’s impossible to choose only one favorite dish.  At this moment I recommend reading my article about polish cuisine, link below:

 http://clubeinterculturaleuropeu.wordpress.com/?s=polish+cuisine

People in Poland

Due to our history we’re somewhere between being very conservative, especially people in the east, and liberal, mainly those living in the west. We’re very close to our families and we’re religious – you can surely see that during Christmas and Easter. A typical Pole is a hardworking blagger with motivation to succeed in life. We’re helpful and friendly – and if people on the street pretend they don’t see you it only because they don’t speak foreign languages.

We’re gallant people with honour and respect for other nations and their rights.

We’re well educated and our schools care about general knowledge about history, geography and literature.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbu_FRg8vuU

I travel a lot and every time I’m back in Poland I’m more aware of my culture and the love to my country. I’m proud to be Polish and I’m glad I can share my culture with other nations 😀