Poland
Encyclopedia : P : PO : POL : Poland
- For other uses, see Poland (disambiguation)}}}.
The Polish state was formed more than 1,000 years ago under the Piast dynasty, and reached its golden age near the end of the 16th century under the Jagiellonian dynasty, when Poland was one of the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful countries in Europe. In 1791 the Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth adopted the Constitution of May 3, Europe's first modern codified constitution, and the second in the world after the Constitution of the United States. Soon afterwards, the country ceased to exist after being partitioned by its neighbours Russia, Austria, and Prussia. It regained independence in 1918 in the aftermath of the First World War as the Second Polish Republic. Following the Second World War it became a communist satellite state of the Soviet Union known as the People's Republic of Poland. In 1989 the first partially-free elections in Poland's post-World War II history concluded the Solidarity (Solidarność) movement's struggle for freedom and resulted in the defeat of Poland's communist rulers. The current Third Polish Republic was established, followed a few years later by the drafting of a new constitution in 1997. In 1999 Poland acceded to NATO, and in 2004 it joined the European Union.
Officially the country is known as Republic of Poland, in Polish Rzeczpospolita . The word Rzeczpospolita is the historic name that has been used continuously since the 16th century during the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which was an elective monarchy. The term Rzeczpospolita can mean "commonwealth" or also "republic", whereas the Polish translation for the English term "republic" is republika. During communist rule from 1952 to 1989 the country's official name was the People's Republic of Poland (Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa), which was the only break in the historical official designation.
History
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The Black Death which affected most parts of Europe from 1347 to 1351 did not come to Poland.
Under the Jagiellon dynasty, Poland forged an alliance with its neighbour Lithuania. A golden age occurred in the 16th century during its union (Lublin Union) with Lithuania in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The citizens of Poland took pride in their ancient freedoms and Sejm parliamentary system, although the szlachta monopolised most of the benefits as most of the population since the middle of the fourteenth century were serfs. Landowners gained almost unlimited ownership over serfs. Since that time Poles have regarded freedom as their most important value. Poles often call themselves the nation of the free people.
The Enlightenment in Poland fostered a growing national movement to repair the state, resulting in what is claimed to be the first modern written constitution in Europe, the Constitution of May 3 in 1791. The process of reforms ceased with the three partitions of Poland between Russia, Prussia, and Austria in 1772, 1793 and 1795 which ultimately dissolved the country. Poles resented their shrinking freedoms and several times rebelled against their oppressors (see List of Polish Uprisings).
Napoleon recreated a Polish state, the Duchy of Warsaw, but after the Napoleonic wars, Poland was split again by the Allies at the Congress of Vienna. The eastern part was ruled by the Russian tsar as a Congress Kingdom, and possessed a liberal constitution. However, the tsars soon reduced Polish freedoms and Russia eventually de facto annexed the country. Later in the 19th century, Austrian-ruled Galicia became the oasis of Polish freedom.
During World War I all the Allies agreed on the restitution of Poland that United States President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed in point 13 of his Fourteen Points. Shortly after the surrender of Germany in November 1918, Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic (II Rzeczpospolita Polska). It was established after a series of military conflicts, like the 1919-1921 Polish-Soviet War.
The 1926 May Coup of Józef Piłsudski turned the reins of the Second Polish Republic over to the Sanacja movement. It lasted until the start of World War II on September 1 1939, when Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland(September 17). Warsaw capitulated on September 28 1939 and was split up into two zones, one occupied by Nazi Germany the other by the Soviet Union. The eastern part of the German occupied zone was transformed into the General Government area, and the western part (the areas that belonged to Germany before World War I) was simply incorporated to the German Reich.
Of all the countries involved in the war, Poland lost the highest percentage of its citizens: over 6 million perished, half of them Polish Jews. Poland also made the 4th largest troops contributions, after the US, the British and the Soviets, to combat the Germans. At the war's conclusion, Poland's borders were shifted westwards, pushing the eastern border to the Curzon line. Meanwhile, the western border was moved to the Oder-Neisse line. After the shifts, Poland emerged 20% smaller by 77,500 square kilometres (29,900 sq mi); although the important cities of Gdańsk (Danzig), Szczecin (Stettin) and Wrocław (Breslau) were all incorporated within its post-war borders. The shift forced the migration of millions of people – Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, and Jews.
As a result of these events, Poland became, for the first time in history, an ethnically unified country. A Polish minority is still present in neighbouring countries Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania, as well as in other countries (see Poles article for the population numbers). The largest number of ethnic Poles outside of the country can be found in the United States.
The Soviet Union instituted a new communist government in Poland, analogous to much of the rest of the Eastern Bloc. Military alignment within the Warsaw Pact throughout the Cold War was also part of this change. In 1948 a turn towards Stalinism brought in the beginning of the next period of totalitarian rule. The People's Republic of Poland (Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa) was officially proclaimed in 1952. In 1956 the régime became more liberal, freeing many people from prison and expanding some personal freedoms. In 1970 the government was changed. It was a time when the economy was more modern, and the government had large credits. Labour turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union, "Solidarity" ("Solidarność" in Polish), which over time became a political force. It eroded the dominance of the Communist Party; by 1989 it had triumphed in parliamentary elections, and Lech Wałęsa, a Solidarity candidate, eventually won the presidency in 1990. The Solidarity movement greatly contributed to the soon-following collapse of Communism all over Eastern Europe.
A shock therapy program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe. Despite a temporary slump in social and economic standards, there were numerous improvements in other human rights (free speech, functioning democracy and the like). Poland was the first post-communist country to regain pre-1989 GDP levels. In 1991 Poland became a member of the Visegrad Group and joined the NATO alliance in 1999 along with the Czech Republic and Hungary. Polish voters then said yes to the EU in a referendum in June 2003. Poland joined the European Union on May 1 2004.
Politics
- More information on politics and government of Poland can be found at the Politics and government of Poland series.
Polish voters elect a bicameral parliament consisting of a 460 member lower house Sejm and a 100 member Senate (Senat). The Sejm is elected under a proportional representation electoral system using the d'Hondt method similar to that used in many parliamentary political systems. The Senate, on the other hand, is elected under a rare plurality bloc voting method where several candidates with the highest support are elected from each constituency. With the exception of ethnic minority parties, only candidates of political parties receiving at least 5% of the total national vote can enter the Sejm. When sitting in joint session, members of the Sejm and Senate form the National Assembly, (Polish Zgromadzenie Narodowe). The National Assembly is formed on three occasions: Taking the oath of office by a new president, bringing an indictment against the President of the Republic to the Tribunal of State, and declaration of a President's permanent incapacity to exercise their duties due to the state of their health. Only the first kind has occurred to date.
The judicial branch plays a minor role in decision-making. Its major institutions include the Supreme Court (Sąd Najwyższy), the Supreme Administrative Court (Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny) (judges appointed by the president of the republic on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period), the Constitutional Tribunal (Trybunał Konstytucyjny) (judges chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms) and the Tribunal of State (Trybunał Stanu) (judges chosen by the Sejm for the current term of office of the Sejm, except for the position of chairperson which is held by the First President of the Supreme Court). The Sejm (on approval of the Polish Senate) appoints the Ombudsman or the Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection (Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich) for a five-year term. The Ombudsman has the duty of guarding the observance and implementation of the rights and liberties of the human being and of the citizen, the law and principles of community life and social justice.
Geography
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For detailed view see: [Poland Topo Map on-line]
Principal Cities
| Agglomeration or conurbation | Voivodship | Inhabitants (Estimated, 2005)
| |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katowice / MK (USIA) | Silesia | 3,487,000 |
| 2 | Warsaw (Warszawa) | Masovia | 2,679,000 |
| 3 | Kraków | Lesser Poland | 1,400,000 |
| 4 | Łódź | Łódź | 1,300,000 |
| 5 | Tricity | Pomerania | 1,100,000 |
| 5 | Poznań | Greater Poland | 1,000,000 |
| City | Voivodship | Inhabitants May 20 2002 | Inhabitants December 31 2004 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warsaw (Warszawa) | Masovia | 1,671,670 | 1,692,854 |
| 2 | Łódź | Łódź | 789,318 | 774,004 |
| 3 | Kraków | Lesser Poland | 758,544 | 757,430 |
| 4 | Wrocław | Lower Silesia | 640,367 | 636,268 |
| 5 | Poznań | Greater Poland | 578,886 | 570,778 |
| 6 | Gdańsk | Pomerania | 461,334 | 459,072 |
| 7 | Szczecin | Western Pomerania | 415,399 | 411,900 |
| 8 | Bydgoszcz | Cuiavia-Pomerania | 373,804 | 368,235 |
| 9 | Lublin | Lublin | 357,110 | 355,998 |
| 10 | Katowice | Silesia | 327,222 | 319,904 |
| 11 | Białystok | Podlasie | 291,383 | 292,150 |
| 12 | Gdynia | Pomerania | 253,458 | 253,324 |
| 13 | Częstochowa | Silesia | 251,436 | 248,032 |
| 14 | Sosnowiec | Silesia | 232,622 | 228,192 |
| 15 | Radom | Masovia | 229,699 | 227,613 |
| 16 | Kielce | Świętokrzyskie | 212,429 | 209,455 |
| 17 | Toruń | Cuiavia-Pomerania | 211,243 | 208,278 |
| 18 | Gliwice | Silesia | 203,814 | 200,361 |
| 19 | Zabrze | Silesia | 195,293 | 192,546 |
| 20 | Bytom | Silesia | 193,546 | 189,535 |
| 21 | Bielsko-Biała | Silesia | 178,028 | 176,987 |
| 22 | Olsztyn | Warmia-Masuria | 173,102 | 174,550 |
| 23 | Rzeszów | Subcarpathia | 160,376 | 159,020 |
| 24 | Ruda Śląska | Silesia | 150,595 | 147,403 |
| 25 | Rybnik | Silesia | 142,731 | 141,755 |
| 26 | Tychy | Silesia | 132,816 | 131,547 |
| 27 | Dąbrowa Górnicza | Silesia | 132,236 | 130,789 |
| 28 | Opole | Opole | 129,946 | 128,864 |
| 29 | Płock | Masovia | 128,361 | 127,841 |
| 30 | Elbląg | Warmia-Masuria | 128,134 | 127,655 |
| 31 | Wałbrzych | Lower Silesia | 130,268 | 127,566 |
| 32 | Gorzów Wielkopolski | Lubusz | 125,914 | 125,578 |
| 33 | Włocławek | Cuiavia-Pomerania | 121,229 | 120,369 |
| 34 | Tarnów | Lesser Poland | 119,913 | 118,267 |
| 35 | Zielona Góra | Lubusz | 118,293 | 118,516 |
| 36 | Chorzów | Silesia | 117,430 | 115,241 |
| 37 | Kalisz | Greater Poland | 109,498 | 108,792 |
| 38 | Koszalin | Western Pomerania | 108,709 | 107,773 |
| 39 | Legnica | Lower Silesia | 107,100 | 106,143 |
| 40 | Słupsk | Pomerania | 100,376 | 99,827 |
| 41 | Grudziądz | Cuiavia-Pomerania | 99,943 | 98,757 |
See also: a complete [Gazetteer] of Polish towns and settlements
Administrative Divisions
- For more details on this topic, see Administrative division of Poland.
Poland is subdivided into sixteen administrative regions known as voivodships (województwa, singular - województwo):
| Voivodship | Capital city (cities) |
|---|---|
| Cuiavian-Pomeranian Voivodship (Kujawsko-Pomorskie) | Bydgoszcz and Toruń |
| Greater Poland Voivodship (Wielkopolskie) | Poznań |
| Lesser Poland Voivodship (Małopolskie) | Kraków |
| Łódź Voivodship (Łódzkie) | Łódź |
| Lower Silesian Voivodship (Dolnośląskie) | Wrocław |
| Lublin Voivodship (Lubelskie) | Lublin |
| Lubusz Voivodship (Lubuskie) | Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra |
| Masovian Voivodship (Mazowieckie) | Warsaw |
| Opole Voivodship (Opolskie) | Opole |
| Podlasie Voivodship (Podlaskie) | Białystok |
| Pomeranian Voivodship (Pomorskie) | Gdańsk |
| Silesian Voivodship (Śląskie) | Katowice |
| Subcarpathian Voivodship (Podkarpackie) | Rzeszów |
| Swietokrzyskie Voivodship (Świętokrzyskie) | Kielce |
| Warmian-Masurian Voivodship (Warmińsko-Mazurskie) | Olsztyn |
| West Pomeranian Voivodship (Zachodniopomorskie) | Szczecin |
Lower levels of administrative division are:
Economy
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Since its return to democracy, Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of liberalising the economy and today stands out as one of the most successful and open examples of the transition from a partially state-capitalist market economy to a primarily privately owned market economy.
The privatisation of small and medium state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms have allowed the development of an aggressive private sector, followed by a development of consumer rights organisations later on. Restructuring and privatisation of "sensitive sectors" (e.g., coal, steel, railways, and energy) has begun. The biggest privatisations so far were a sale of Telekomunikacja Polska, a national telecom to France Telecom (2000) and an issue of 30% shares of the biggest Polish bank, PKO BP, on the Polish stockmarket (2004).
Poland has a large agricultural sector of private farms, that could be a leading producer of food in the European Union now that Poland is a member. Challenges remain, especially under-investment. Structural reforms in health care, education, the pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger-than-expected fiscal pressures. Warsaw leads Central Europe in foreign investment [[Citing sources citation needed]] and needs a continued large inflow. GDP growth had been strong and steady from 1993 to 2000 with only a short slowdown from 2001 to 2002. The prospect of closer integration with the European Union has put the economy back on track, with growth of 3.7% annually in 2003, a rise from 1.4% annually in 2002. In 2004 GDP growth equalled 5.4%, and in 2005 3.3%. Forecasted GDP for 2006 is 5.0%.
Annual growth rates broken down by quarters:
- 2003: Q1 - 2.2% | Q2 - 3.8% | Q3 - 4.7% | Q4 - 4.7%
- 2004: Q1 - 6.9% | Q2 - 6.1% | Q3 - 4.8% | Q4 - 4.9%
- 2005: Q1 - 2.1% | Q2 - 2.8% | Q3 - 3.7% | Q4 - 4.3%
- 2006: Q1 - 5.2% | Q2 - 5.2% |
Since joining the European Union, many young Polish people have left their country to work in other EU countries because of high unemployment rate, which is the highest in the EU (about 16%).
Products Poland produces include clothes, electronics, cars (including luxury car Leopard), buses (Autosan, Jelcz SA, Solaris, Solbus), helicopters (PZL Świdnik), transport equipment, locomotives, planes (PZL Mielec), ships, military engineering (including tanks, SPAAG systems), medicines (Polpharma, Polfa, etc), food, chemical products etc.
Science, technology and education
- For a more detailed treatment of this topic, see the subarticles Polish science and technology and Education in Poland.
According to a recent report by the European Commission, Poland is low down on the list of EU states in the area of innovation (Poland ranks 21st). Conditions for knowledge creation, are worsening, particularly due to a decline in business Research and development, from 0.28% of GDP in 1998 to 0.16% in 2003. Public R&D expenditures were 0.43% of GDP in 2003. The share of university R&D funded by the business sector has also declined, indicating that firms have not turned to outsourcing research to make up for declining R&D expenditures. Partly due to very low levels of R&D, the process of transition of Poland to a knowledge economy is slow. For more info, see [Innovation performance factsheet].
Telecommunication and IT
- For a more detailed treatment of this topic, see the subarticles Communications in Poland and Software development in Poland.
the coverage mobile cellular is 660 users per 1000 people (2005)
- Telephones - mobile cellular: 25.3 million (Raport Telecom Team 2005)
- Telephones - main lines in use: 12.5 million (Raport Telecom Team 2005)
Transportation
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- Rail: Poland's railways constitute one of the larger railway systems in the European Union, with 23,420 kilometres (14,552 miles) of network (1998). Access to track has been opened up to competition[link] as required by the EU. However, delays by successive Governments in reforming the state railway company, PKP[link], combined with the imposition of severe budgetary constraints, have caused a major cash crisis. Refurbishment of the network, bringing key routes into line with the standards on western European railway networks, is proceeding very slowly, and serious arrears of maintenance have resulted in the imposition of speed restrictions on many other lines. Line closures and the withdrawal of feeder services similar to those that took place in the UK under the 'Beeching Axe' have accelerated since 2000.
- Road: By Western European standards, Poland has a relatively poor infrastructure of expressways/highways. The Government has undertaken a programme to improve the standard of a number of significant national highways by 2013. The total length of expressways/highways is 364,657 kilometres (226,587 mi). There are a total of 9,283,000 registered passenger automobiles, as well as 1,762,000 registered trucks and buses (2000).
- Air: Poland has nine major airports (in decreasing order of traffic: Warsaw, Kraków, Katowice, Gdańsk, Poznań, Wrocław, Szczecin, Łódź, Bydgoszcz and Rzeszów), a total of 123 airports and airfields, as well as three heliports. The number of passengers at Polish airports has consistently increased since 1991.
- Marine: The total length of navigable rivers and canals is 3,812 kilometres (2,369 mi). The merchant marine consists of 114 ships, with an additional 100 ships registered outside the country. The principal ports and harbours are: Port of Gdańsk, Port of Gdynia, Port of Szczecin, Port of Świnoujście, Port of Ustka, Port of Kolobrzeg, Gliwice, Warsaw, Wrocław.
Demographics
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In recent years Poland's population has stopped increasing, due to an increase in emigration and a sharp drop in the birth rate. In 2005 the census office estimated the total population of Poland at 38,173,835, a slight fall on the 2002 figure of 38,230,080. Since Poland's accession to the European Union, a significant number of Polish people have moved to work in West European countries like the UK and Ireland.
Culture
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Cuisine
Famous Polish meals include bigos, kiełbasa, barszcz (borscht), czernina (duck blood soup), gołąbki and various potato dishes.
International rankings
- Human Development Index 2005: Rank 36th out of 177 countries.
- Reporters Without Borders world-wide press freedom index 2004: Rank 32nd out of 167 countries.
- Index of Economic Freedom 2005: Rank 41st out of 155 countries.
- Summary Innovation Index 2005: Rank 21st out of 25 countries
See also
- Tourism in Poland
- Holidays in Poland
- Extreme points of Poland
- List of castles of Poland
- List of cities in Poland
- List of Poland-related topics
- List of Poles
- Polish Armed Forces
References
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External links
Governmental institutions
- [Sejm] - Sejm - lower chamber of the Parliament
- [Senat] - Senate - upper chamber of the Parliament
- [Prezydent] - President of the Republic of Poland
- [KPRM] - Prime Minister's Office
- [Sąd Najwyższy] - Supreme Court
- [Trybunał Konstytucyjny] - Constitutional Tribunal
- [National Bank of Poland]
- [The Poland.pl portal]
- [Warsaw Stock Exchange]
- [GUS] - Central Statistical Office
- [Constitution of Poland]
Tourism in Poland
- [Polish Guide of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (poland.gov.pl)]
- [Polish National Tourist Office (poland-tourism.pl, a part of pot.gov.pl)]
- from Wikitravel
- [Parks in Poland] National parks, wetlands, biosphere reserves and other protected areas
English-language websites on Poland
- [Dobranoc - Free English to Polish Translation Services]
- [poland.gov.pl - the governmental page about Poland for international visitors]
- [Centreurope.org: Poland section]
- [World History Database Chronology of Poland]
English-language news on Poland
- [Warsaw Voice, an English-language newspaper]
- [Warsaw Business Journal, an English-language newspaper]
- [PolBlog - Polish News Site]
- [- Google News listing stories about Poland]
French-language news on Poland
| Visegrád group | Czech Republic | Hungary | Poland | Slovakia |
| Voivodeships of Poland |
|
|---|---|
| Greater Poland | Kuyavia-Pomerania | Lesser Poland | Lower Silesia | Lublin | Lubusz | Łódź | Masovia | Opole | Podlachia | Pomerania | Silesia | Subcarpathia | Świętokrzyskie | Warmia and Masuria | West Pomerania | |
| Principal cities: Warsaw | Łódź | Kraków | Wrocław | Poznań | Gdańsk | Szczecin | Bydgoszcz | Lublin | Katowice | Białystok | Częstochowa | Gdynia | Gorzów Wielkopolski | Toruń | Radom | Kielce | Rzeszów | Olsztyn | |
Candidate countries: Albania • Croatia • Republic of Macedonia
Other territories and entities: Akrotiri and Dhekelia2 | Åland | Faroe Islands | Gibraltar | Greenland3 | Guernsey | Jan Mayen | Jersey | Isle of Man | Svalbard
Unrecognised countries: Abkhazia | Nagorno-Karabakh2 | South Ossetia | Transnistria | Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus2
Geographical notes: (1) Partly in Asia; (2) Entirely in Asia but having sociopolitical connections with Europe; (3) Entirely in North America but having sociopolitical connections with Europe
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