P R E PA R E D BY DA M I A N S I D E Ł

SOURCE INTERESING FACTS ABOUT POLAND

2

LIST OF CONTENT

1. POLAND2. Wieliczka - a salt-pit in Poland3. Wawel – a castle in Cracow4. Mikolaj Kopernik5. Jan Pawel II – Pope Pole 6. Famous polish Nobel prize Winners7. Sport

3

POLAND• The location is in central Europe over Baltic Sea. Poland borders

with seven countries. The Germany (in the west), the Czech Republic and Slovakia (in the south) as well as Ukraine, Belorussia and Lithuania (in the east) and Russia (in the north). Poland has been a member of the European Union since 01.05.2004. In the south of the country there are highlands with the – Tatry Mountains. The longest rivers are: Wisła, Odra and Warta. Warsaw is the capital of Poland .

4

WIELICZKA - A SALT-PIT IN POLAND

• Wieliczka is a town in southern Poland, in Cracow metropolitan area and situated since 1999. Wieliczka is finding in Cracow. It is a salt mine. Almost everything there is made of the salt. The average annual temperature is (here) about 13 ° C. The Salt mine "Wieliczka" – is one of the oldest mining plants of Europe. It is worthwhile seeing the ones place.

5

WAWEL – A CASTLE IN CRACOW

• This is the Wawel Castle in Cracow. It's over 500 years old and

it was built in 1504. It's situated on the Wawel hill on the left

bank of the Vistula River. It's one of the most known polish

places and it is the most popular attraction among tourists.

6

Mikolaj Kopernik Mikolaj Kopernik was born in 1473 and he died in 1543. His father was a merchant and he died when Mikolaj was ten years old. After his death, young Mikołaj was brought up by his unckle - the bishop of Warmia. Mikolaj was well educated as he graduated from the University of Cracow. Later he went to Italy were he studied law and medicine. He came back to Poland and he became a canon. Not only was he interested in medicine and law but also in astronomy. He wrote a book titled "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium". It is said to be the basis of modern science and astronomy. He wrote there that it is not the Sun that goes round the Earth, but the all planets of solar system goes round the Sun. It is the heliocentric theory. For a very long time this book was not allowed to be read by the church. The reason was that before Kopernik discovery everybody thought that Earth was the center of the universe. It changed in 1835 and from that time Mikolaj Kopernik was named one of the biggest astronomers in the world.

7

Jan Pawel II – Pope Pole The Polish Pope. He was born in 1920 in Wadowice, as Karol Wojtyla. He studied Polish philology in Krakow, where he was preparing for the priesthood in a clandestine seminary. Then he went to study in Rome. After his return he taught at the Jagiellonian University and at the Catholic University of Lublin. In 1958 he became a bishop in 1963 – the Archbishop of Krakow and four years later - a cardinal. He participated in the work of Vatican. In 1978, to the astonishment of the world, accustomed to the popes-Italians, he was elected the head of the Roman Catholic Church. On 2 April 2005 Pope Jan Pawel II died at 21:47 in Vatican. In 27 April 2014, Jan Pawel II was a saint.

8

FAMOUS POLISH NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS

• In 1903 and 1911- Maria Sklodowska - Curie (physics)• In 1905 - Henryk Sienkiewicz (literature)• In 1924 - Wladyslaw Reymont (literature)• In 1980 - Czeslaw Milosz (literature)• In 1981 - Roald Hoffmann (chemistry)• In 1983 - Lech Walesa (peace prize)• In 1996 - Wislawa Szymborska (literature)

9

SPORT

• In 1974 Poland took 3rd place in the World Championship in Football.

• In 2014 Poland won the World Championship in volleyball.• Agnieszka Radwańska took 2nd place in the World Championship

in tennis.• Adam Małysz has got 39 wins in Ski Jumping.• Andrzej Gołota has got 41 wins in boxing.• Robert Kubica has got 2 wins in Formula 1• Justyna Kowalczyk won 29 gold medals in Ski running