Study, work and live in Poland

The modern state of Poland, with its current borders, was created following the Second World War. The Soviet Union established a communist government there, and during the Cold War, Poland was a member of the Eastern Bloc. In the late 1970’s discontent among workers led to the formation of Solidarity, a labour union led by Lech Walesa. Solidarity played a major role in the disintegration of Communism in the Eastern Bloc, and had triumphed in the parliamentary and presidential elections by 1990. With the restoration of democracy, Poland liberalised its economy, and joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004.

Poland is a beautiful country with green fields sloping into the Carpathian Mountains in the south, interspersed with rustic villages. There are also historic towns such as Krakow, Wroclaw, and Gdansk. Poland has been the birthplace of some of the leading names in music, such as Frederic Chopin and Ignace Paderewski, scientists such as Nicolas Copernicus and Marie Curie, and men of letters such as Adam Mickiewicz and Henryk Sienkiewicz.

Quick facts:

• Population- 38,625,000 (est 2006)
• Principal languages- Polish
• Capital- Warsaw
• Other major cities- Lodz, Krakow, Wroclaw
• Monetary unit- Zloty = 100 Groszy
• Internet domain- .pl
• International dialling code- +48