An estimated 94.2% of the population are believers and 3.1% are irreligious, making Poland one of the more devout countries in Europe. [77], Polish intelligence operatives proved extremely valuable to the Allies, providing much of the intelligence from Europe and beyond,[78] and Polish code breakers were responsible for cracking the Enigma cypher. A law passed in December 2015 limits the powers of the Constitutional Tribunal, obstructing an institution firmly established in the European democratic culture of checks and balances. [413][414] Founded in 1983, Inglot Cosmetics is the country's largest beauty products manufacturer and retailer active in 700 locations worldwide, including retail salons in New York City, London, Milan, Dubai and Las Vegas. The total fertility rate in 2020 was estimated at 1.44 children born to a woman, a considerable rise from previous years. [239] There are over 100 castles in the country, most in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship (inter alia The Piast Castles Trail), and also on the Trail of the Eagles' Nests. The Golden Liberty of the nobles began to develop under Casimir's rule, when in return for their military support, the king made a series of concessions to the nobility and establishing their legal status as superior to that of the townsfolk. [d] The movement functioned with relative stability until Piłsudski's death in 1935. Passenger ferries link Poland with Scandinavia all year round; these services are provided from Gdańsk and Świnoujście by Polferries, Stena Line from Gdynia and Unity Line from the Świnoujście. Other major cities include Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, and Szczecin. Silesian and Wymysorys (Vilamovian) are not legally recognized or acknowledged as separate languages with a minority status. Perhaps the most prominent and internationally admired Polish artist was Tamara de Lempicka, who specialized in the style of Art Deco. It has a legally elected President and parliament (two houses called Sejm and Senat). In 1226, Konrad I of Masovia, one of the regional Piast dukes, invited the Teutonic Knights to help him fight the Baltic Prussian pagans; a decision that led to centuries of warfare with the Knights. [196] According to SIPRI, the country exported EUR€487 million worth of arms and armaments to other countries, primarily to the United States, Chile, France and South Africa. [31] Poland is a member state of the Schengen Area, the United Nations, NATO, the OECD, the Three Seas Initiative and the Visegrád Group. [372] The oldest extant manuscript of fine prose in Old Polish is the Holy Cross Sermons, and the earliest religious text is the Bible of Queen Sophia. The royal election of 1764 resulted in the elevation of Stanisław II August (a Polish aristocrat connected to the Czartoryski family faction of magnates) to the monarchy. Major cities normally have the status of both gmina and powiat. [169] The Constitutional and State Tribunals are separate judicial bodies, which rule the constitutional liability of people holding the highest offices of state and supervise the compliance of statutory law, thus protecting the Constitution. [328] Throughout the entire country, many national museum and art institutions hold valuable works by famous masters. Polish mountains are one of the tourist attractions of the country. Among the most famous directors and producers, who worked in Poland as well as abroad are Roman Polański, Andrzej Wajda, Samuel Goldwyn, the Warner brothers (Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack), Max Fleischer, Lee Strasberg, Agnieszka Holland and Krzysztof Kieślowski. Polska żywność – fundament polskiego eksportu – 2012 kolejnym rokiem rekordowego eksportu żywności. – Powoływanie sędziów – Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej", "Czym zajmuje się Trybunał Konstytucyjny? Step by step for four years, Poland’s ruling party, the Law and Justice Party (PiS), has been dismantling democracy. But it ended up alienating the majority of voters and being replaced in the 2007 elections. [108] The western border became the Oder-Neisse line. For those who eagerly supported the ruling party, losing their jobs will certainly be an unpleasant experience. Polish troops played an important role in the Normandy, Italian and North African Campaigns and are particularly remembered for the Battle of Monte Cassino. [388], In the 20th century, five Polish authors were awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature – Henryk Sienkiewicz for Quo Vadis, Władysław Reymont for The Peasants, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Czesław Miłosz and Wisława Szymborska. Jan Chryzostom Pasek, also a respected baroque writer, is mostly remembered for his tales and memoirs reflecting sarmatian culture in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The scope of influence also entailed furniture; rococo Polish beds with canopies became commonplace in French palaces during the 18th century. Our country is now run by politicians accountable to Polish voters, not to German, British or French left-wing intellectuals. I belonged to a generation that was politicized at an early age. Country Dashboard: Poland. I fail to see how this is less democratic. The Sejm is elected under proportional representation according to the d'Hondt method, a method similar to that used in many parliamentary political systems. [198][201] The Polish Armed Forces took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, deploying 2,500 soldiers in the south of that country and commanding the 17-nation multinational force in Iraq. The most vital challenge facing contemporary Europe is the crisis of responsibility. [334], Particular traditions and superstitious customs observed in Poland are not found elsewhere in Europe. The Jagiellon dynasty spanned the late Middle Ages and early Modern Era of Polish history. ", "How Poland turned into a video game powerhouse", "Poland Is Home to the Biggest eSports Event in the World", "The most popular Polish sportsmen and sportswomen", "Grandest slam: Świątek makes tennis history by becoming first Pole to win grand-slam singles title", "FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship Poland 2014", "Speedway World Cup: Poland win 2010 Speedway World Cup", Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique, Prix des cinq continents de la francophonie, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Commission against Racism and Intolerance, Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, Special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poland&oldid=1009160638, Member states of the Union for the Mediterranean, States and territories established in 1918, Articles containing Kashubian-language text, Articles with Polish-language sources (pl), Articles with dead external links from March 2017, Articles with incomplete citations from July 2018, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing explicitly cited English-language text, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Pages using Sister project links with default search, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1922 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with TDVİA identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with multiple identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Part of Polish popular opinion has become strongly anti-Western and in particular, anti-German, as a result of what they regard as unwarranted interference. Gordon Welchman, The Hut Six Story, 1982, p. 289. including the capture of the monastery hill at the. Over the course of history, the Polish people have made considerable contributions in the fields of science, technology and mathematics. [428], Poland has also emerged as a major hub for video game developers in Europe, with the country now being home to hundreds of studios. [425] In 2019, Pawlikowski received an Academy Award for Best Director nomination for his historical drama Cold War. Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the abolition of censorship, and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Poland’s civil society is again defending its hard-won democracy from a state determined to do away with it. [133] The highest point of the Sudeten massif is Mount Śnieżka (1,603.3 metres (5,260 ft)), shared with the Czech Republic. Latest news, analysis and comment from POLITICO’s editors and guest writers on the continent. [120][121], Poland's vast territory covers approximately 312,696 km2 (120,733 sq mi), of which 98.52% is dry land and 1.48% is water. [207][208], Emergency services in Poland consist of the emergency medical services, search and rescue units of the Polish Armed Forces and State Fire Service. Democracy is not about posturing and finger-pointing. In an effort to strengthen military cooperation with its neighbors, Poland set up the Visegrád Battlegroup with Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, with a total of 3,000 troops ready for deployment. Eurocrats are good at debating relocation quotas for refugees, but they are unable to strengthen border controls. Unless Europeans take heed of the dramatic changes occuring in Poland and use all the tools at their disposal to uphold democracy and the … After the defeat, the semi-independent Congress Poland lost its constitution, army and legislative assembly, and was integrated more closely with the Russian Empire. Poland is in a precarious position. There are clear echoes of the previous situation in Hungary, but also in other EU member states like Italy, Bulgaria and Romania. However, as a one-time personal admirer of Empress Catherine II of Russia, the new king spent much of his reign torn between his desire to implement reforms necessary to save his nation, and his perceived necessity to remain in a political relationship with his Russian sponsor. [267], Polish is the only official and predominant spoken language in Poland, but it is also used throughout the world by Polish minorities in other countries as well as being one of the official languages of the European Union. [124] The largely straight coastline is indented by the Szczecin Lagoon, the Bay of Puck, and the Vistula Lagoon. At present there are nine Civic Platform appointees. Administrative authority at voivodeship level is shared between a government-appointed voivode (governor), an elected regional assembly (sejmik) and a voivodeship marshal, an executive elected by that assembly. They were in fact controlled by Civil Platform and disseminated an endless stream of virulent anti-PiS propaganda. [411][412], As of 2020, Poland possesses the fifth-largest cosmetic market in Europe. There is certainly a worry that the present ruling party is attempting to tinker with the law and constitution to favour its own cause, and make it more difficult for opponents to challenge it. [160][161] The government structure centers on the Council of Ministers, led by a prime minister. And the Polish government does influence the media, by withdrawing advertisements, or banning a play because it is allegedly pornographic for instance. Ukraińców. Since I knew a little Danish a considerable part of my pocket money went to purchasing Politiken and Berlingske Tidende. It’s hard for us at Wprost to treat seriously accusations, levelled by politicians from the former ruling party and the radio and television chiefs they nominated, that the new government is attacking our freedom of speech. His efforts to create an institution of higher learning in Poland were finally rewarded when Pope Urban V granted him permission to open the University of Kraków. [408] Another notable example is the Witzchoura, a long mantle with collar and hood, which was possibly introduced by Napoleon's Polish mistress Maria Walewska.
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