Art 54

Project Six

Poland

A few years ago, when I met my husband, I realized  how little knowledge I had about his native country, Poland. I was over taken with the ambition to learn about the history, art and literature of Poland. I never got the time to invest myself totally into this matter. I think this project will give me great output about Poland. I have decided to give a general view about Poland, have some links to interesting information about the culture and the art. My goal was to learn more about Jan Matejko. I think his work is representative of Poland's history as he as painted large scenes of important historical moments. 

Situated in the heartland of Europe, Poland has been both a bridge and a front line between eastern and western Europe. Today, free from outside interference, Poland is the place to go if you're interested in seeing how a nation picks itself up off the floor and tries to reinvent itself. It's a multifaceted country where the capital and medieval old towns have to share the space with contemporary cities.

Facts

Full country name: Republic of Poland
Area: 312,677 sq km
Population:  38.5 million (growth rate 0.5%)
Capital city: Warsaw (pop 1.75 million)
People:  98% Polish, plus Ukrainian and Belo Russian minorities
Language: Polish
Religion:  95% Roman Catholic
Government:  Parliamentary democracy

Links for more general information, history and culture

The official site of Poland

Poland.net

Poland Country Guide