Located at the very centre of Europe, Poland is bordered by the Baltic Sea to the northwest, Germany to the west, the Czech and Slovak republics to the south and Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Russia to the east. Because of its central location, ever since the Polanie — the 'people of the fields' - first settled here during the 10th century, the country has suffered repeated invasions by its neighbours. But despite its history of war and occupation, Poland has long been a centre of European civilisation. As far back as the 14th century, Krakow was given one of Europe's first universities by its king, Casimir III, who also built a system of castles and forts throughout the country. It wasn't until the 17th century, when its nobles divided the country up into city states, that Poland truly began its long age of subjugation, which culminated in the horrors of World War II and communist repression.
Geography and climate
Poland is square-ish, about 680 kilometres wide from east to west and roughly 650 kilometres long from north to south. To the northeast the glorious Baltic coastline boasts miles of lovely beaches. Poland's northern region is made up of picturesque, forested hills dotted with thousands of glacial lakes. Its flat and fertile central strip, fed by Poland's longest river — the Baltic-bound Vistula — is the country's main agricultural region.
Towards the south, the land folds and becomes steadily more spectacular, with the Sudeten Mountains to the west and the huge Carpathian Mountains, guarding the southern frontier all the way to the east. Poland's highest peak, Mt Rysy, sits in the Tatra alpine range and rises to a magnificent 2,499 metres.
From May to September, Poland is warm and during this time its Baltic beach resorts and spas are thronging, while its lakes become littered with sailboats, and the mountains dotted with hikers. Late spring and early autumn can also be very warm and pleasant, and during this time there is no shortage of cultural activities, particularly in the cities. Unsurprisingly, Polish winters can sometimes be very cold, with perishing Siberian winds bringing not just snow but also thousands of people to the ski resorts of the south.
Tourism and culture
At the very heart of the country, Warsaw was built from the ashes of a city destroyed by World War II. Though its historic town centre has been studiously rebuilt, the rest of Warsaw's grim Stalinist designs seem uninviting at first. But the atmosphere of the city has changed dramatically since communist times and its parks, streets, cafes, shops, bars, clubs and restaurants throng with life. The Royal Way — Warsaw's main north-south boulevard - is one of Europe's finest streets, with fantastic churches, palaces, galleries and museums lining the route.
Northeast of Warsaw is Mazuria, which has the largest concentration of lakes in Poland (over 15 per cent of it is underwater). Sniardwy and the Mamry (its biggest lakes) are linked by a network of rivers and canals. Watersports enthusiasts flock there in huge numbers and stay in the area's main towns of Gizycko and Mikolajki. Mazuria is also famous for its huge bison-populated primeval forests (the largest in Europe).The Baltic coast, which stretches northwestwards over a region called Pomerania, is the other main attraction in this region. This coast ispeppered with beautiful fishing villages and resorts with miles of pristine white sand beaches. The major city of note in the area is historic Gdansk, a great maritime centre buzzing with nightlife and blessed with fine Gothic architecture.
Travel south from Warsaw and you come to Krakow - Poland's Prague or Vienna. After somehow surviving the war unscathed, it retains a wealth of architecture from different periods in one of the most meticulously preserved old town centres in Europe. Go south further still, and you come to the mighty Tatras - Poland's alpine range. A region of towering peaks, rearing cliffs and glacial lakes, it affords a wealth of skiing and hiking opportunities. At the feet of the Tatras is the Podhale region. Speckled with small, traditional highland villages, it's an area relatively untouched by time.
Silesia in the southeast features fir-clothed mountains with beautiful medieval towns and spa resorts snuggled in wooded valleys. Its major city is Lublin, a youthful place with a wonderful, restored hilltop centre. Ski centres are beginning to spring up in this area, too, like Szczyrk, an up-and-coming resort in the heart of the Beskid mountains.