Gmina Sońsk is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Ciechanów County,
Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. Its seat is the village of Sońsk,
which lies approximately 11 kilometres (7 mi) south-east of Ciechanów and 66 km
(41 mi) north of Warsaw.
The gmina covers an area of 154.99 square kilometres (59.8 sq mi), and as of
2006 its total population is 8,047.
Neighbouring gminas
Gmina Sońsk is bordered by the gminas of Ciechanów, Go?ymin-O?rodek, Gzy, Nowe
Miasto, Ojrzeń, Sochocin and ?wiercze.
Masovian Voivodeship (also known as Masovia Province, or by its Polish name of
województwo mazowieckie [v?j??vut??stf? maz??vj?t??skj?] or simply Mazowieckie)
is the largest and most populous of the sixteen Polish provinces, or
voivodeships, created in 1999. It occupies 35,579 square kilometres (13,737 sq
mi) of east-central Poland, and has 5.16 million inhabitants. Its principal
cities are Warsaw (1.7 million) in the centre, Radom (226,000) in the south,
P?ock (127,000) in the west, Siedlce (77,000) in the east, and Ostro??ka
(55,000) in the north. The capital of the voivodeship is the national capital,
Warsaw.
The province was created on January 1, 1999, out of the former Warsaw, P?ock,
Ciechanów, Ostro??ka, Siedlce and Radom Voivodeships, pursuant to the 1998 Local
Government Reorganization Act. The province's name recalls the traditional name
of the region, Mazowsze (sometimes rendered in English as "Masovia"), with which
it is roughly coterminous.
It is bordered by six other voivodeships: Warmian-Masurian to the north,
Podlachian to the north-east, Lublin to the south-east, ?wi?tokrzyskie to the
south, ?ód? to the south-west, and Kuyavian-Pomeranian to the north-west.
The voivodeship contains 85 cities and towns. These are listed below in
descending order of population (according to official figures for 2006):
1. Warsaw (1,700,536)
2. Radom (226,372)
3. P?ock (127,307)
4. Siedlce (77,047)
5. Pruszków (55,387)
6. Ostro??ka (53,758)
7. Legionowo (50,698)
8. Ciechanów (45,902)
9. Otwock (43,247)
10. ?yrardów (41,161)
11. Sochaczew (37,925)
12. Mińsk Mazowiecki (37,808)
13. Piaseczno (37,508)
14. Wo?omin (36,711)
15. M?awa (29,702)
16. Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki (27,545)
17. Grodzisk Mazowiecki (27,055)
18. Wyszków (27,010)
19. Z?bki (24,422)
20. Marki (23,376)
21. Piastów (23,273)
22. Ostrów Mazowiecka (22,560)
23. P?ońsk (22,233)
24. Pionki (19,788)
25. Pu?tusk (19,229)
26. Gostynin (19,119)
27. Sierpc (18,791)
28. Sulejówek (18,676)
29. Kozienice (18,541)
30. Soko?ów Podlaski (18,419)
31. Józefów (18,353)
32. Koby?ka (17,897)
33. Zielonka (17,180)
34. Przasnysz (17,069)
35. Konstancin-Jeziorna (16,579)
36. Garwolin (16,072)
37. ?omianki (15,744)
38. Milanówek (15,660)
39. Grójec (14,990)
40. W?grów (12,606)
41. B?onie (12,259)
42. Szyd?owiec (12,030)
43. Brwinów (11,968)
44. Góra Kalwaria (11,130)
45. Warka (11,028)
46. Karczew (10,396)
47. Maków Mazowiecki (9,880)
48. ?uromin (8,647)
49. O?arów Mazowiecki (8,237)
50. Zwoleń (8,176)
51. Radzymin (7,864)
52. Nasielsk (7,364)
53. Bia?obrzegi (7,320)
54. T?uszcz (7,283)
55. ?osice (7,252)
56. ?ochów (6,452)
57. Przysucha (6,245)
58. Mszczonów (6,231)
59. Lipsko (5,826)
60. I??a (5,165)
61. ?askarzew (4,908)
62. Raci?? (4,752)
63. Pilawa (4,196)
64. G?bin (4,137)
65. ?elechów (4,016)
66. Skaryszew (3,989)
67. Tarczyn (3,886)
68. Nowe Miasto nad Pilic? (3,832)
69. Podkowa Le?na (3,824)
70. Serock (3,721)
71. Halinów (3,369)
72. Zakroczym (3,367)
73. Glinojeck (3,052)
74. Myszyniec (3,014)
75. Drobin (2,980)
76. Ka?uszyn (2,905)
77. Chorzele (2,783)
78. Wyszogród (2,772)
79. Ró?an (2,661)
80. Mogielnica (2,461)
81. Kosów Lacki (2,135)
82. Bie?uń (1,874)
83. Brok (1,859)
84. Mordy (1,840)
Poland (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish:
Rzeczpospolita Polska), is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by
Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine,
Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a
Russian exclave, to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 km2 (120,728
sq mi), making it the 69th largest country in the world and 9th in Europe.
Poland has a population of over 38.5 million people, which makes it the 33rd
most populous country in the world.
The establishment of a Polish state is often identified with the adoption of
Christianity by its ruler Mieszko I in 966 (see Baptism of Poland), when the
state covered territory similar to that of present-day Poland. Poland became a
kingdom in 1025, and in 1569 it cemented a long association with the Grand Duchy
of Lithuania by uniting to form the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The
Commonwealth collapsed in 1795. Poland regained its independence in 1918 after
World War I but lost it again in World War II, occupied by Nazi Germany and the
Soviet Union. Poland lost over six million citizens in World War II, and emerged
several years later as a communist country within the Eastern Bloc under the
control of the Soviet Union. In 1989 communist rule was overthrown and Poland
became what is constitutionally known as the "Third Polish Republic". Poland is
a unitary state made up of sixteen voivodeships (Polish: województwo). Poland is
also a member of the European Union, NATO and OECD.
Poland’s territory extends across several geographical regions. In the northwest
is the Baltic seacoast, which extends from the Bay of Pomerania to the Gulf of
Gdansk. This coast is marked by several spits, coastal lakes (former bays that
have been cut off from the sea), and dunes. The largely straight coastline is
indented by the Szczecin Lagoon, the Bay of Puck, and the Vistula Lagoon. The
center and parts of the north lie within the Northern European Lowlands. Rising
gently above these lowlands is a geographical region comprising the four hilly
districts of moraines and moraine-dammed lakes formed during and after the
Pleistocene ice age. These lake districts are the Pomeranian Lake District, the
Greater Polish Lake District, the Kashubian Lake District, and the Masurian Lake
District. The Masurian Lake District is the largest of the four and covers much
of northeastern Poland. The lake districts form part of the Baltic Ridge, a
series of moraine belts along the southern shore of the Baltic Sea. South of the
Northern European Lowlands lie the regions of Silesia and Masovia, which are
marked by broad ice-age river valleys. Farther south lies the Polish mountain
region, including the Sudetes, the Cracow-Cz?stochowa Upland, the ?wi?tokrzyskie
Mountains, and the Carpathian Mountains, including the Beskids. The highest part
of the Carpathians is the Tatra Mountains, along Poland’s southern border.
Rivers
The longest rivers are the Vistula (Polish: Wis?a), 1,047 km (678 miles) long;
the Oder (Polish: Odra) – which forms part of Poland’s western border – 854 km
(531 miles) long; its tributary, the Warta, 808 km (502 miles) long; and the Bug
– a tributary of the Vistula – 772 km (480 miles) long. The Vistula and the Oder
flow into the Baltic Sea, as do numerous smaller rivers in Pomerania. The ?yna
and the Angrapa flow by way of the Pregolya to the Baltic, and the Czarna Hańcza
flows into the Baltic through the Neman. While the great majority of Poland’s
rivers drain into the Baltic Sea, Poland’s Beskids are the source of some of the
upper tributaries of the Orava, which flows via the Váh and the Danube to the
Black Sea. The eastern Beskids are also the source of some streams that drain
through the Dniester to the Black Sea.
Poland’s rivers have been used since early times for navigation. The Vikings,
for example, traveled up the Vistula and the Oder in their longships. In the
Middle Ages and in early modern times, when Poland-Lithuania was the breadbasket
of Europe, the shipment of grain and other agricultural products down the
Vistula toward Gdańsk and onward to eastern Europe took on great importance. For
an overview of Polish rivers, see Category:Rivers of Poland.
Geology
Granite crags of the High Tatras
Granite crags of the High Tatras
The geological structure of Poland has been shaped by the continental collision
of Europe and Africa over the past 60 million years, on the one hand, and the
Quaternary glaciations of northern Europe, on the other. Both processes shaped
the Sudetes and the Carpathians. The moraine landscape of northern Poland
contains soils made up mostly of sand or loam, while the ice-age river valleys
of the south often contain loess. The Cracow-Cz?stochowa Upland, the Pieniny,
and the Western Tatras consist of limestone, while the High Tatras, the Beskids,
and the Karkonosze are made up mainly of granite and basalts. The
Kraków-Cz?stochowa Upland is one of the oldest mountain ranges on earth.
Mountains and topography
The Pieniny in the Carpathians
The Pieniny in the Carpathians
Poland has 21 mountains over 2,000 metres (6,561 ft) in elevation, all in the
High Tatras. The Polish Tatras, which consist of the High Tatras and the Western
Tatras, is the highest mountain group of Poland and of the entire Carpathian
range. In the High Tatras lies Poland’s highest point, the northwestern peak of
Rysy, 2,499 metres (8,199 ft) in elevation. At its foot lies the mountain lake,
the Morskie Oko. The second-highest mountain group in Poland is the Beskids,
whose highest peak is Babia Góra, at 1,725 metres (5,659 ft). The next highest
mountain group is the Karkonosze, whose highest point is ?nie?ka, at 1,602
metres (5,256 ft). Among the most beautiful mountains of Poland are the
Bieszczady Mountains in the far southeast of Poland, whose highest point in
Poland is Tarnica, with an elevation of 1,346 metres (4,416 ft). Tourists also
frequent the Gorce Mountains in Gorce National Park, with elevations around
1,300 metres (4,300 ft), and the Pieniny in Pieniny National Park, with
elevations around 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). The lowest point in Poland—at 2
metres (7 ft) below sea level—is at Raczki Elbl?skie, near Elbl?g in the Vistula
Delta. For a list of the most important mountain ranges of Poland, see the
Category:Mountain ranges of Poland.
Lakes
Ro?nowskie Lake, near Ro?nów in southeastern Poland
Ro?nowskie Lake, near Ro?nów in southeastern Poland
With almost ten thousand closed bodies of water covering more than one hectare
(2.47 acres) each, Poland has one of the highest numbers of lakes in the world.
In Europe, only Finland has a greater density of lakes. The largest lakes,
covering more than 100 square kilometers (38.6 square miles), are Lake ?niardwy
and Lake Mamry in Masuria, as well as Lake ?ebsko and Lake Drawsko in Pomerania.
In addition to the lake districts in the north (in Masuria, Pomerania, Kashubia,
Lubuskie, and Greater Poland), there is also a large number of mountain lakes in
the Tatras, of which the Morskie Oko is the largest in area. The lake with the
greatest depth—of more than 100 metres (328 ft)—is Lake Hańcza in the Wigry Lake
District, east of Masuria in Podlaskie Voivodship.
Among the first lakes whose shores were settled are those in the Greater Polish
Lake District. The stilt house settlement of Biskupin, occupied by more than one
thousand residents, was founded before the seventh century BC by people of the
Lusatian culture. The ancestors of today’s Poles, the Polanie, built their first
fortresses on islands in these lakes. The legendary Prince Popiel is supposed to
have ruled from Kruszwica on Lake Gop?o. The first historically documented ruler
of Poland, Duke Mieszko I, had his palace on an island in the Warta River in
Poznań.
For the most important lakes of Poland, see the Category:Lakes of Poland.
The coast
Dunes in S?owiński National Park
Dunes in S?owiński National Park
The Polish Baltic coast is approximately 528 kilometres (328 miles) long and
extends from ?winouj?cie on the islands of Usedom and Wolin in the west to
Krynica Morska on the Vistula Spit in the east. For the most part, Poland has a
smooth coastline, which has been shaped by the continual movement of sand by
currents and winds from west to east. This continual erosion and deposition has
formed cliffs, dunes, and spits, many of which have migrated landwards to close
off former lagoons, such as ?ebsko Lake in S?owiński National Park. The largest
spits are Hel Peninsula and the Vistula Spit. The largest Polish Baltic island
is Wolin. The largest port cities are Gdynia, Gdańsk, Szczecin, and ?winouj?cie.
The main coastal resorts are Sopot, Mi?dzyzdroje, Ko?obrzeg, ?eba, W?adys?awowo,
and the Hel Peninsula.
The Desert
B??dów Desert the only desert in Poland.
B??dów Desert the only desert in Poland.
B??dów Desert is a desert located in Southern Poland in the Silesian Voivodeship
and stretches over the Zag??bie D?browskie region. It has a total area of 32
km2. It is the only desert located in Poland. It is one of only five natural
deserts in Europe. It is the warmest desert that appears at this latitude. It
was created thousands of years ago by a melting glacier. The specific geological
structure has been of big importance - the average thickness of the sand layer
is about 40 meters (maximum 70 m), which made the fast and deep drainage very
easy. In recent years the desert has started to shrink. The phenomenon of
mirages has been known to exist there.
Land use
The patchwork landscape of Masuria
The patchwork landscape of Masuria
Forests cover 28% of Poland’s land area. More than half of the land is devoted
to agriculture. While the total area under cultivation is declining, the
remaining farmland is more intensively cultivated.
More than 1% of Poland’s territory — 3,145 square kilometres (1,214 square
miles) — is protected within 23 national parks. In this respect, Poland ranks
first in Europe. Three more national parks are projected for Masuria, the
Cracow-Cz?stochowa Upland, and the eastern Beskids. Most Polish national parks
are located in the southern part of the country. In addition, wetlands along
lakes and rivers in central Poland are legally protected, as are coastal areas
in the north. There are also many areas designated as landscape parks, and
numerous nature reserves.
Flora and fauna
A wisent in the Bia?owie?a Forest
A wisent in the Bia?owie?a Forest
Many animals that have since died out in other parts of Europe still survive in
Poland, such as the wisent in the ancient woodland of the Bia?owie?a Forest and
in Podlachia. Other such species include the brown bear in Bia?owie?a, in the
Tatras, and in the Beskids, the gray wolf and the Eurasian lynx in various
forests, the moose in northern Poland, and the beaver in Masuria, Pomerania, and
Podlachia. In the forests, one also encounters game animals, such as red deer,
roe deer, and boars. In eastern Poland there are a number of ancient woodlands,
like Bia?owie?a, that have never been cleared by people. There are also large
forested areas in the mountains, Masuria, Pomerania, and Lower Silesia.
Family of White stork, a national bird in Poland
Family of White stork, a national bird in Poland
Poland is the most important breeding ground for European migratory birds. Out
of all of the migratory birds who come to Europe for the summer, one quarter
breed in Poland, particularly in the lake districts and the wetlands along the
Biebrza, the Narew, and the Warta, which are part of nature reserves or national
parks. In Masuria, there are villages in which storks outnumber people.
Climate
The climate is mostly temperate throughout the country. The climate is oceanic
in the north and west and becomes gradually warmer and continental as one moves
south and east. Summers are generally warm, with average temperatures between 20
°C (68 °F) and 27 °C (80,6 °F). Winters are cold, with average temperatures
around 3 °C (37,4 °F) in the northwest and –8 °C (17,6 °F) in the northeast.
Precipitation falls throughout the year, although, especially in the east;
winter is drier than summer. The warmest region in Poland is Lesser Poland
located in Southern Poland where temperatures in the summer average between 23
°C (73,4 °F) and 30 °C (86 °F) but can go as high as 32 °C (89,6 °F) to 38 °C
(100,4 °F) on some days in the warmest month of the year July. The warmest city
in Poland is Tarnów. The city is located in Lesser Poland; it is the hottest
place in Poland all year round. The average temperatures being 30 °C (86 °F) in
the summer and 4 °C (39,2 °F) in the winter. Tarnów also has the longest summer
in Poland spreading from mid May to mid September. Also it has the shortest
winter in Poland which often lasts from January to March, less than the regular
three-month winter. The coldest region of Poland is in the Northeast in the
Podlachian Voivodeship near the border of Belarus. The climate is efficient due
to cold fronts which come from Scandinavia and Siberia. The average temperature
in the winter in Podlachian ranges from -15 °C (5 °F) to -4 °C ( 24,8 °F).
Demographics
For more details on this topic, see Demographics of Poland.
Three generations in West Pomerania after World War II: Pomnik Czynu Polaków,
Szczecin
Three generations in West Pomerania after World War II: Pomnik Czynu Polaków,
Szczecin
Poland, with 38.5 million inhabitants, has the eighth-largest population in
Europe and the sixth-largest in the European Union. It has a population density
of 122 inhabitants per square kilometer (328 per square mile).
Poland historically contained many languages, cultures and religions on its
soil. The country had a particularly large Jewish population prior to the Second
World War, when the Nazi Holocaust caused Poland's Jewish population, estimated
at 3 million before the war, to drop to just 300,000. The outcome of the war,
particularly the westward shift of Poland's borders to the area between the
Curzon line and the Oder-Neisse line, coupled with post-war expulsion of
minorities, gave Poland an appearance of homogeneity.
As of 2002, 36,983,700 people, or 96.74% of the population consider themselves
Polish (Census 2002), while 471,500 (1.23%) declared another nationality.
774,900 people (2.03%) did not declare any nationality. The largest
nationalities and ethnic groups in Poland are Silesians, Germans (most in the
former Opole Voivodeship), Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Russians, Jews and
Belarusians. The Polish language, a member of the West Slavic branch of the
Slavic languages, functions as the official language of Poland. English and
German are the most common second languages studied and spoken.
In recent years, Poland's population has decreased because of an increase in
emigration and a sharp drop in the birth rate. In 2006, the census office
estimated the total population of Poland at 38,536,869, a slight rise on the
2002 figure of 38,230,080. Since Poland's accession to the European Union, a
significant number of Poles have immigrated to Western European countries such
as the United Kingdom, Germany and Ireland in search of work. Some organizations
have stated that Polish emigration is primarily due to Poland's high
unemployment rate (11.4%), with Poles searching for better work opportunities
abroad. In April 2007, the Polish population of the United Kingdom had risen to
approximately 300,000 and estimates place the Polish population in Ireland at
65,000.
However lately it has been reported that large numbers of Polish citizens who
had previosuly emigrated to other parts of the EU for better prospects are in
fact returning due to the dramatic increase in standards of living for Poles in
their own country as well as sharp increases in wages. The Central Statistical
Office of the Polish government recently published figures which gave evidence
that there is now a net inflow of people into the country.
Polish minorities are still present in the neighboring countries of Ukraine,
Belarus, and Lithuania, as well as in other countries (see Poles for population
numbers). Altogether, the number of ethnic Poles living abroad is estimated to
be around 20 million. The largest number of Poles outside of the Poland can be
found in the United States.
Urban Areas
Gdańsk, D?ugi Targ
Gdańsk, D?ugi Targ
The largest metropolitan areas in Poland are the Upper Silesian Coal Basin
centred on Katowice (3.5 million inhabitants); the capital, Warsaw (3
million);Kraków (1.3 million) ?ód? (1.3 million); the Tricity of
Gdańsk-Sopot-Gdynia in the Vistula delta (1.1 million); Poznań (0.9 million);
Wroc?aw (0.9 million); and Szczecin (0.7 million). For an overview of Polish
cities, see List of cities in Poland.
Ethnicity and religion
In terms of ethnicity, Poland has been a homogeneous state since the end of
World War II. This is a major departure from much of Polish history. Due to the
Holocaust and the flight and expulsion of German and Ukrainian populations,
Poland has become almost uniformly Catholic. About 97% of the population belongs
to the Roman Catholic Church, with 58% as practising Catholics according to 2005
survey by the Centre for Public Opinion Research. Though rates of religious
observance are currently lower than they have been in the past, Poland remains
one of the most devoutly religious countries in Europe. Religious minorities
include Polish Orthodox (1.3% or about 509,500), Jehovah’s Witnesses (0.3% or
about 123,034), Eastern Catholics (0.2%), Lutherans (0.2%), and smaller
minorities of Mariavites, Polish Catholics, Pentecostals, Seventh-Day
Adventists, Jews, Muslims (including the Tatars of Bia?ystok) and various
Protestants (about 86,880 in the largest Evangelical-Augsburg Church, plus about
as many in smaller churches). Resulting from the socio-political emancipation of
the county, freedom of religion has become guaranteed by the 1989 statute of the
Polish constitution, allowing for the emergence of additional denominations.
However, due to pressure from the Polish Episcopate, exposition of doctrine has
entered public education system as well, drawing criticism from the popular
media, as unconstitutional. According to 2007 survey, 72% of respondents were
not against the fostering of catechism in public schools; nevertheless, the
alternative courses in ethics have become available only in one percent of the
entire public educational system.
Poles (including Silesians and Kashubians) make up an overwhelming 99.3%
majority of the Polish population. According to the 2002 census, the remainder
of the population is made up of small minorities of Germans (152,897),
Belarusians (c. 49,000), and Ukrainians (c. 30,000), as well as Tatars,
Lithuanians, Roma, Lemkos, Russians, Karaites, Slovaks, and Czechs. Among
foreign citizens, the Vietnamese are the largest ethnic group, followed by
Greeks, and Armenians.
History
Stańczyk, symbol of Polish history
History of Poland
Chronology
Until 966
966–1385
1385–1569
1569–1795
1795–1918
1918–1939
1939–1945
1945–1989
1989–present
Topics
Culture
Demography (Jews)
Economics
Politics (Monarchs and Presidents)
Military (Wars)
Territorial changes (WWII)
History of Poland
Prehistory
Prehistory of Poland (until 966)
Historians have postulated that throughout Late Antiquity, many distinct ethnic
groups populated the regions of what is now known as Poland. The exact ethnicity
and linguistic affiliation of these groups has been hotly debated; in particular
the time and route of the original settlement of Slavic peoples in these regions
has been the subject of much controversy.
The most famous archeological find from Poland's prehistory is the Biskupin
fortified settlement (now reconstructed as a museum), dating from the Lusatian
culture of the early Iron Age, around 700 BC.
Piast dynasty
History of Poland (966-1385)
Poland began to form into a recognizable unitary and territorial entity around
the middle of the tenth century under the Piast dynasty. Poland's first
historically documented ruler, Mieszko I, was baptized in 966, adopting Catholic
Christianity as the nation's new official religion, to which the bulk of the
population converted in the course of the next centuries. In the twelfth
century, Poland fragmented into several smaller states. In 1320, W?adys?aw I
became the King of a reunified Poland. His son, Kazimierz III, is remembered as
one of the greatest Polish kings.
Poland was also a centre of migration of peoples and the Jewish community began
to settle and flourish in Poland during this era (see History of the Jews in
Poland). The Black Death which affected most parts of Europe from 1347 to 1351
did not reach Poland.
Jagiellon dynasty
History of Poland (1385-1569)
Under the Jagiellon dynasty Poland forged an alliance with its neighbour, the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1410, a Polish-Lithuanian army inflicted a decisive
defeat on the Teutonic Knights, both countries' main adversary, in the battle of
Grunwald. After the Thirteen Years War, the Knight's state became a Polish
vassal. Polish culture and economy flourished under the Jagiellons, and the
country produced such figures as astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus and poet Jan
Kochanowski. Compared to other European nations, Poland was exceptional in its
tolerance of religious dissent, allowing the country to avoid the religious
turmoil that spread over Western Europe in that time.
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
History of Poland (1569-1795)
A golden age ensued during the sixteenth century after the Union of Lublin which
gave birth to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The szlachta (nobility) of
Poland, far more numerous than in Western European countries, took pride in
their freedoms and parliamentary system. During the Golden Age period, Poland
expanded its borders to become the largest country in Europe.
In the mid-seventeenth century, a Swedish invasion ("The Deluge") and Cossack's
Chmielnicki Uprising which ravaged the country marked the end of the golden age.
Numerous wars against Russia coupled with government inefficiency caused by the
Liberum Veto, a right which had allowed any member of the parliament to dissolve
it and to veto any legislation it had passed, marked the steady deterioration of
the Commonwealth from a European power into a near-anarchy controlled by its
neighbours. The reforms, particularly those of the Great Sejm, which passed the
Constitution of May 3, 1791, the world's second modern constitution, were
thwarted with the three partitions of Poland (1772, 1793, and 1795) which ended
with Poland's being erased from the map and its territories being divided
between Russia, Prussia, and Austria.
Partitions of Poland
History of Poland (1795-1918)
Poles would resent their fate and would several times rebel against the
partitioners, particularly in the nineteenth century. In 1807 Napoleon recreated
a Polish state, the Duchy of Warsaw, but after the Napoleonic wars, Poland was
again divided in 1815 by the victorious Allies at the Congress of Vienna. The
eastern portion was ruled by the Russian Czar as a Congress Kingdom, and
possessed a liberal constitution. However, the Czars soon reduced Polish
freedoms and Russia eventually de facto annexed the country. Later in the
nineteenth century, Austrian-ruled Galicia, particularly the Free City of
Kraków, became a centre of Polish cultural life.
Reconstitution of Poland
History of Poland (1918-1939)
During World War I, all the Allies agreed on the reconstitution of Poland that
United States President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed in Point 13 of his Fourteen
Points. Shortly after the surrender of Germany in November 1918, Poland regained
its independence as the Second Polish Republic (II Rzeczpospolita Polska). It
reaffirmed its independence after a series of military conflicts, the most
notable being the Polish-Soviet War (1919–1921) when Poland inflicted a crushing
defeat on the Red Army.
The 1926 May Coup of Józef Pi?sudski turned the reins of the Second Polish
Republic over to the Sanacja movement.
World War II
History of Poland (1939-1945)
The Sanacja movement controlled Poland until the start of World War II in 1939,
when Nazi Germany invaded on September 1 and the Soviet Union followed on
September 17. Warsaw capitulated on September 28, 1939. As agreed in the
Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, Poland was split into two zones, one occupied by
Germany while the eastern provinces fell under the control of the Soviet Union.
Of all the countries involved in the war, Poland lost the highest percentage of
its citizens: over six million perished, half of them Polish Jews. Poland made
the fourth-largest troop contribution to the Allied war effort, after the
Soviets, the British and the Americans. The Polish expeditionary corps played an
important role in the Italian Campaign, particularly at the Battle of Monte
Cassino. At the war's conclusion, Poland's borders were shifted westwards,
pushing the eastern border to the Curzon line. Meanwhile, the western border was
moved to the Oder-Neisse line. The new Poland emerged 20% smaller by 77,500
square kilometres (29,900 sq mi). The shift forced the migration of millions of
people, most of whom were Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, and Jews. The main German
Nazi death camps were in Poland. Of a pre-war population of 3,300,000 Polish
Jews, 3,000,000 were killed during the Holocaust.
Postwar Communist Poland
History of Poland (1945-1989)
The Soviet Union instituted a new Communist government in Poland, analogous to
much of the rest of the Eastern Bloc. Military alignment within the Warsaw Pact
throughout the Cold War was also part of this change. The People's Republic of
Poland (Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa) was officially proclaimed in 1952. In
1956, the régime of W?adys?aw Gomu?ka became temporarily more liberal, freeing
many people from prison and expanding some personal freedoms. Similar situation
repeated itself in the 1970s under Edward Gierek, but most of the time
persecution of communist opposition persisted.
Labour turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union
"Solidarity" ("Solidarno??"), which over time became a political force. Despite
persecution and imposition of martial law in 1981, it eroded the dominance of
the Communist Party and by 1989 had triumphed in parliamentary elections. Lech
Wa??sa, a Solidarity candidate, eventually won the presidency in 1990. The
Solidarity movement heralded the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe.
Democratic Poland
History of Poland (1989-present)
A shock therapy programme of Leszek Balcerowicz during the early 1990s enabled
the country to transform its economy into a market economy. As with all other
post-communist countries, Poland suffered temporary slumps in social and
economic standards, but became the first post-communist country to reach its
pre-1989 GDP levels. Most visibly, there were numerous improvements in other
human rights, such as free speech. In 1991, Poland became a member of the
Visegrad Group and joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance
in 1999 along with the Czech Republic and Hungary. Poles then voted to join the
European Union in a referendum in June 2003, with Poland becoming a full member
on May 1, 2004.
Politics
Poland is a democracy, with a President as a Head of State, whose current
constitution dates from 1997. The government structure centres on the Council of
Ministers, led by a prime minister. The president appoints the cabinet according
to the proposals of the prime minister, typically from the majority coalition in
the Sejm. The president is elected by popular vote every five years. The current
president is Lech Kaczyński, the current prime minister is Donald Tusk.
Polish voters elect a bicameral parliament consisting of a 460-member lower
house (Sejm) and a 100-member Senate (Senat). The Sejm is elected under
proportional representation according to the d'Hondt method, a method similar to
that used in many parliamentary political systems. The Senate, on the other
hand, is elected under a rare plurality bloc voting method where several
candidates with the highest support are elected from each constituency. With the
exception of ethnic minority parties, only candidates of political parties
receiving at least 5% of the total national vote can enter the Sejm. When
sitting in joint session, members of the Sejm and Senate form the National
Assembly (the Zgromadzenie Narodowe). The National Assembly is formed on three
occasions: when a new President takes the oath of office; when an indictment
against the President of the Republic is brought to the State Tribunal (Trybuna?
Stanu); and when a President's permanent incapacity to exercise his duties due
to the state of his health is declared. To date, only the first instance has
occurred.
The judicial branch plays an important role in decision-making. Its major
institutions include the Supreme Court of Poland (S?d Najwy?szy); the Supreme
Administrative Court of Poland (Naczelny S?d Administracyjny); the
Constitutional Tribunal of Poland (Trybuna? Konstytucyjny); and the State
Tribunal of Poland (Trybuna? Stanu). On the approval of the Senate, the Sejm
also appoints the Ombudsman or the Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection
(Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich) for a five-year term. The Ombudsman has the duty
of guarding the observance and implementation of the rights and liberties of
Polish citizens and residents, of the law and of principles of community life
and social justice.
Administrative divisions
Poland's current voivodeships (provinces) are largely based on the country's
historic regions, whereas those of the past two decades (to 1998) had been
centred on and named for individual cities. The new units range in area from
less than 10,000 km2 (Opole Voivodeship) to more than 35,000 km2 (Masovian
Voivodeship). Administrative authority at voivodeship level is shared between a
government-appointed voivode (governor), an elected regional assembly (sejmik)
and an executive elected by that assembly.
The voivodeships are subdivided into powiats (often referred to in English as
counties), and these are further divided into gminas (also known as communes or
municipalities). Major cities normally have the status of both gmina and powiat.
Poland currently has 16 voivodeships, 379 powiats (including 65 cities with
powiat status), and 2,478 gminas.
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