Poland Country

Introduction
Proud Poland has been crushed flat so many times it's become indestructible. Overrun countless times by marauding aggressors, subjugated to overbearing foreign rule for centuries, and now told their beloved vodka can be made from anything, the Polish nation has endured a lot. Yet Poland is shaking off the last vestiges of forced slumber to warmly welcome the 21st century.

Despite the country's push towards the future, its past cannot be ignored - confronting you at every turn. Warsaw may be embracing new world cuisine, cafe culture, and clubs that never close, but you'll still encounter peasant women selling flowers in its beautifully reconstructed Old Town. 'The Pole listening to Chopin listens to the voice of his whole race.' - Ignace Paderewski

Geography:
With primeval forest, sand dunes, coastal lakes, beaches, islands, caves, craters, a desert, and a peninsula called 'Hel', it's fair to say that the Polish landscape is eclectic. Its neighbours are interesting too; Poland is bordered by seven countries and one sea. Its northwest border is the 524km (326mi) Baltic coastline, in the west it shares 460km (286mi) with Germany, to the south it borders the Czech and Slovak republics (1310km/814mi), and to the east it shares borders with northeast Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Russia (1244km/773mi). Poland is more than twice the size of Nepal and four times the size of the Czech Republic. Some 52% of the land is agricultural, and almost 30% is forested. Poland's landscape was largely forged during the last ice age, when the Scandinavian ice sheet advanced southward across the Plains and receded some 10,000 years later. Now there are four discernable landscape zones: the Sudeten and Carpathian Mountains in the south, the Baltic Sea in the North, and the vast central lowlands and north-flowing rivers of the lake belt in between.

Destination Facts
Capital: Warsaw
President: Lech Kaczynski
Prime Minister: Donald Tusk
Government: republic
Time zone: GMT +1
Area: 312685
Population: 38518250
People: Polish (96.7%), German (0.4%), Ukrainian (0.1%)Belarussian (0.1%), other (2.7%)
Languages: A western variant of the group of Slavonic languages (which includes Czech and Slovak). Roman Catholic (95%), other (5%)
Currency: Zloty (zl)
Major industries: machinery, iron &-ent steel, chemicals ent-amp; agriculture, beverages
Major Trading Partners: EU (esp. France, Germany, Italy, UK), Russia
Daylight Saving: From last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October
Country Dialing Code: 48

Getting there and away
There are direct flights to Warsaw from major European destinations, and Ryanair flies from London Stansted to eight regional Polish cities (Rzeszow, Krakow, Lodz, Wroclaw, Poznan, Gdansk, Bydgoszcz and Szczecin). Flights to Warsaw also depart from US cities such as New York and Chicago, which have large Polish communities. There is no departure tax. Train and bus fares from some European destinations can be as expensive as discounted air fares, unless you have some kind of transport pass. Road connections with Poland are good and getting better, but there are still border delays, especially when crossing from other Eastern European countries. There are sea connections from Denmark and Sweden to Gda ń sk, Gdynia and Ś winouj ś cie. All services have car-freighting facilities.

Getting around
LOT (www.lot.com) operates a comprehensive network of domestic routes. There are daily flights between Warsaw and Bydgoszcz, Gda ń sk, Katowice, Krak ó w, Ł ó d ź , Pozna ń , Rzesz ó w, Szczecin, Wroc ł aw and Zielona G ó ra. All flights between regional cities travel via Warsaw and connections aren't always convenient. Currently there is no domestic competition, but this may change if DirectFly (www.directfly.pl) resumes operations in the future.Poland has great potential as a place to tour by bicycle - most of the country is fairly flat and you can throw your bike on a train to cover long distances quickly. Major roads carry pretty heavy traffic and are best avoided. Instead, you can easily plan your route along minor roads, which are usually much less crowded and in reasonable shape. Be warned that the standard of driving in Poland may not be what you're used to at home; nor are cyclists allowed to ride two abreast.Bike-hire outlets are growing in number, but they still aren't numerous. They seldom offer anything other than ordinary Polish bikes, the condition of which may leave a little to be desired.Poland has a long coastline and lots of rivers and canals, but passenger-boat services are limited and operate only in summer. Poland has a comprehensive bus network (far greater than the rail network) covering most villages accessible by road. They are often more convenient than trains over a short distance. Ticket prices and service frequency varies greatly, so shop around. Most of Poland's bus transport is operated by the former state bus company, PKS (Pa ń stwowa Komunikacja Samochodowa), although deregulation of the country's bus system has made room for a plethora of private operators.In most cities you can travel on the autobus (bus) and tramwaj (tram), and some also have a trolejbus (trolleybus). Warsaw is the only city with a metro.

Weather
The Polish winter is reasonably harsh, particularly towards the east of the country, with January days in most places around 0° C (32° F) and a bit lower at night. Summers are mildly warm, with average July highs of 24° C (75° F) for most of the country, although it can be wet. Poland's Baltic coast trades in milder winters for cooler summers.