Poland Overview

Poland is a sprawling country where history has cast a long shadow. Plains that stretch from the Tatras Mountains in the south to the Baltic Sea in the north have seen foreign invaders time and time again. Meanwhile, the contrast between Western cities like Wrocław and Eastern outposts like Bialystok is a remnant of Poland’s subjection to competing empires. Ravaged during WWII, and later, viciously suppressed by the USSR, Poland is finally self-governed, and the change is marked. Today’s Poland is a haven for budget travelers, where the rich cultural treasures of medieval Kraków and bustlin Warsaw are complemented by wide Baltic beaches, rugged Tatras peaks, and tranquil Mazury lakes.

• Essentials

Official Name: Republic of Poland. Capital: Warsaw. Major Cities: Katowice, Kraków, Łódź. Population: 38,518,000. Time Zone: GMT +1. Language: Polish ...more

• Beyond Tourism

Auschwitz Jewish Center, Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation, 36 Battery Pl., New York, NY 10280, USA (☎ 646-437-4276; www.ajcf.org). Offers fully paid 6-week programs for college graduates and graduate ...more

• Lublin

Unlike most Polish cities, Lublin (LOO-blin; pop. 400,000) survived WWII with its cobblestones intact. Its medieval Old Town is not a commercialized reconstruction like Warsaw’s, but a more romantic ...more