Polish poetry
Within the last 35 years, Poland has had two Nobel Prize winners in literature – and both of them poets: Czesław Miłosz (1980) and Wisława Szymborska (1996). Poland has a strong tradition of poetry , which in this country has been considered a powerful tool of national resistance and redemption, with poets like Mickiewicz and Słowacki taking the role of prophets.
The Miracle on the Vistula
The battle fought in August 1920 on the outskirts of Polish capital is often referred to as one of the most important battles in world history. It shattered Lenin's plans to spread Bolshevic Revolution into the Western Europe and helped to maintain Poland's sovereignity in the inter-war period.
Bigos & other Polish dishes
Most foreigners associate Polish cuisine with żurek (sour barley soup with egg and kiełbasa), pierogi (dumplings), gołąbki (stuffed cabbage rolls), and of course bigos. Bigos stew is a one-pot, stick-to-your-ribs dish made of pickled cabbage, sausage, and bits of pork stewed with mushrooms, onions, dried prunes and spices. It tastes best after slowly cooking for three days.
Solidarność
Created on 17th September 1980, the Self-governing Trade Union “Solidarity” was the result of a series of strikes and crises which shook the country that year. Very soon, Solidarność, which at its peak counted 10 million people among its members, became a serious threat to the regime. The “Carnival of Freedom” ended 15 months later when the Polish authorities, under pressure from the Kremlin, introduced Martial Law. All independent organizations were made illegal and their leaders interned, among them Lech Wałęsa.
But the social resistance triggered by Solidarity could not have been suppressed. In 1989, when the negotiations between the authorities and opposition began, the activists of Solidarność – which all this time has been operating underground – played an important role. That same year on June 4 the Solidarity-backed candidates emerged victorious in the first partially free parliamentary elections. Next year Wałęsa was elected president of the Republic of Poland.
Białowieża's unspoiled nature
Poland has an extremely diverse landscape – and the usual definition 'Mountains in the south, sea in the north' just doesn't cover the beauty and complexity of Polish geography. Poland has 14 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, defined as exceptionally precious natural areas that represent exemplary harmony between man and nature. One of them is Białowieża National Park, considered the last primeval forest in Europe, and home to the world's largest population of European bison (Polish: żubr).
Other UNESCO reserves include areas in Karkonosze and the Tatra Mountains, Łukajno Lake (home to the largest population of mute swans in Europe), Słowiński National Park (famous for its shifting sand dunes) and the West Polesie Reserve – a land of peat bogs, quagmires, and karst lakes.
The article incorporates material from the book Symbols of Poland
published in 2015 (Bookmark SA), which includes 120 symbolic people, places and things.
www.book-mark.pl