Portal:Poland
Welcome to the Poland Portal — Witaj w Portalu o Polsce
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.
From Polish history –
Selected biography –
Selected location –
Did you know –
- ... that Polish girls (pictured) get wet and spanked on Easter Monday, but have their revenge on the following day?
- ... that a series of mostly pagan uprisings in the 1030s threw the fledgling Kingdom of Poland into chaos?
- ... that Grand Duke Leszek the White and a number of other Polish Piast dukes were ambushed in their baths during the 13th-century Gąsawa massacre?
- ... that Frédéric Chopin, Juliusz Słowacki, and Napoleon III were all in love with Maria Wodzińska?
Poland now
Recent events
- Poland at the 2024 Summer Paralympics:
- On 4 September, Patryk Chojnowski and Natalia Partyka won gold and bronze medals, respectively, in table tennis, while Łukasz Ciszek won a silver medal in archery and Zbigniew Maciejewski won a bronze medal in cycling.
- On 3 September, Lucyna Kornobys won a silver medal in shot put, Marek Dobrowolski won a bronze medal in shooting, while Michał Dąbrowski and Kinga Dróżdż won a silver medal each in wheelchair fencing.
- On 1 September, Patryk Chojnowski and Piotr Grudzień won a gold medal in table tennis.
- On 18 August, Polish cyclist Katarzyna Niewiadoma (pictured) won the 2024 Tour de France Femmes.
- Poland won 10 medals, including one gold, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, ranking 42nd in the medal table.
Ongoing
Constitutional crisis • Belarus–EU border crisis • Ukrainian refugee crisis
Holidays and observances in September 2024
(statutory public holidays in bold)
- Harvest festivals (wreath pictured)
- Polish Underground State Day, 27 September
Selected image –
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Wikipedias in the languages of Poland
Kaszëbskô Wikipedijô Kashubian Wikipedia |
Polska Wikipedia Polish Wikipedia |
Ślůnsko Wikipedyjo Silesian Wikipedia |
Wymysiöeryś Wikipedyj Vilamovian Wikipedia Incubator |
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