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Poland
Poland, located in central
Europe, between Germany and what used to be the Soviet Union, has been
endowed by Nature with a wide variety of landscapes. In the northern part
of the country, long and wide sandy beaches stretch along the Baltic Sea
for over 500 kilometers. Just a few kilometers south of the coast, the
landscape becomes hilly. More than three thousand lakes, numerous rivers,
and lush forests form a beautiful natural scenery that attracts sailors,
canoeists, water skiers, fishermen and all those who love direct contact
with nature. The predominantly flat central Poland with a number of picturesque
villages and cities which witnessed the origins and development of Polish
statehood is a must for connoisseurs of history, architecture, art and
culture. The southern part of the country features a diversified terrain
full of beautiful valleys, rocks of fantastic shapes, caves, and health
spas. Two major mountain chains, the Carpatians and the Sudety, with thousands
of hiking and ski trails offer their beauty all year long.
Poland is a country with
more than a thousand years of turbulent history. It is also a country with
a great cultural and scientific heritage, the birthplace of Nicolas Copernicus,
Frederic Chopin, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Maria Curie-Skłodowska, Arthur Rubinstein,
Ignacy Paderewski, Krzysztof Penderecki, Stanisław Lem, and Karol Wojtyła
- the present Pope John Paul II.
Although the people of Poland
have had more than their fair share of hardship, they have always been
able to overcome obstacles and face new challenges. Poles are, for the
most part, friendly, outgoing, smiling people with big hearts. Respect
for tradition goes hand in hand with modernity. Poland is now leading post-communist
Central and Eastern Europe with unprecedented reforms transforming the
political and economic structures of the country and the lifestyles of
its citizens.
Warsaw
Warsaw, the capital of Poland
and its largest metropolitan area, is located in the central part of the
country. You can reach it in 1-1.5 flight hours from any major European
city: Paris, London, Rome, Zurich, Frankfurt, Moscow. The Warsaw downtown
is just 8 kilometers from Warsaw International Airport.
Warsaw has seven centuries
of history full of hardship. During World War II alone, 90% of the city
was destroyed, as the Nazi authorities intended to erase Warsaw from the
map of Europe. It raised itself from ruin like the phoenix emerging out
of the ashes. In 1980, the heart of Warsaw - the Old Town - restored with
amazing detail, was added by UNESCO to the world heritage list. Over the
centuries, the Old Town has witnessed a number of events of primary importance
to the nation's history. In 1773, in the Royal Castle, the Polish Parliament
established Europe's first Ministry of Education, the Commission for National
Education. In the same place, in 1791, the Constitution of May the Third,
Europe's first and the world's second (after that of the United States)
written democratic constitution was signed. You can absorb the history
of Warsaw and Poland just by walking around the city and visiting palaces,
museums, churches and cemeteries.
 As
the capital of the country, Warsaw is the center of public and cultural
life; there are hundreds of galleries, theaters, cinemas, music scenes;
several prestigious international cultural festivals and competitions take
place here every year.
Warsaw is a nice city to stay in. Located on both sides of the Vistula
river, it has numerous parks and gardens, including the world-renowned
palace and park complex, Łazienki, where a piano concert takes place every
Sunday. Mild weather makes outdoor activities pleasurable from mid-spring
to late fall; in winter you can sometimes enjoy snow covering streets and
trees. More important, with its 1.8 million population Warsaw managed to
avoid many of the social problems that have affected large North American
and European cities.
Warsaw is also one of the largest academic centers in Europe. Approximately
200 000 young people are currently studying at more than 50 universities
and colleges. We, engineers, are particularly proud of one of these - the
Warsaw University of Technology
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