Discover Poland: Land of Rich History and Culture

1. We invite you to watch the presentation about Poland,LowerSilesia,DzierżoniówandRadiobuda Created by Michał Łojek

2. Poland The source of the name Poland and the ethnonyms for the Poles include endonyms (the way Polish people refer to themselves and their country) and exonyms (the way other peoples refer to the Poles and their country). Endonyms and most exonyms for Poles and Poland derive from the name of the West Slavic tribe of the Polans (Polanie). The origin of the name Polanie itself is uncertain. It may derive from such Polish words as pole (field).The early tribal inhabitants denominated it from the nature of the country. Lowlands and low hills predominate throughout the vast region from the Baltic shores to the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Inter AlpesHuniae et OceanumestPolonia, sic dicta in eorumidiomate quasi Campania is the description by Gervase of Tilbury in his Otiaimperialia (Recreation for the emperor, 1211). In some languages the exonyms for Poland derive from another tribal name, Lechites (Lechici).

3. Poland indifferentlanguages • Arabic: Bulánda • Chinese (Mandarin): Bōlán • Czech: Polsko • Esperanto: Pollando • Finnish: Puola • French: Pologne • German: Polen • Greek: Πολωνία (Polonía) • Hungarian: Lengyelország • Japanese: Pōrando • Lithuanian: Lenkija • Polish: Polska • Russian: Pól’ša • Spanish: Polonia • Turkish: Polonya, Lehistan • Welsh: Gwlad Pwyl

4. General information Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska), is a country in Central Europe 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 Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast), to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi), making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. Poland has a population of over 38 million people, which makes it the 34th most populous country in the world and the sixth most populous member of the European Union, being its most populous post-communist member. Poland is a unitary state made up of sixteen voivodeships. Poland is a member of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Economic Area, International Energy Agency, Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, International Atomic Energy Agency and G6.

5. Coat of arms of Poland

6. Flag of Poland

7. National anthem of Poland

8. Capital City - Warsaw Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa) is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly 260 kilometres from the Baltic Sea and 300 kilometresfrom the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of June 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855, and the Warsaw metropolitan area at approximately 2,631,902.The area of the city covers 516.9 square kilometres, while the city's agglomeration covers 6,100.43 square kilometres (Warsaw Metro Area – Obszar Metropolitalny Warszawy). Warsaw is the 9th largest city in the European Union by population.

9. Photosfrom Warsaw

10. Major  cities - Cracow

11. Major  cities – Gdansk

12. Major  cities – Lodz

13. Major  cities – Poznan

14. Major  cities – Szczecin

15. Major  cities – Wroclaw

16. FamousPoles – John Paul II Probably the most famous Pole ever, Pope John Paul II was born Karol Jozef Wojtyla in the small town of Wadowice in Poland. By being elected pope by the Catholic Church in 1978, he became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. This pope modernised the papacy and spread his reach internationally through massive gatherings of Catholics and frequent consultations with heads of state.

17. FamousPoles – Lech Wałęsa This feisty, moustachioed electrician from Gdansk shaped the end of the 20th century as the leader of the Solidarity movement that led Poland out of communism. Walesa's contribution to the end of communism in Europe, and hence the end of the cold war, stands beside those of his fellow Pole, Pope John Paul II, and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

18. FamousPoles – Fryderyk Chopin A Polish composer of the 19th century whose adult life centred mainly on Paris. A Romantic composer who wrote almost entirely for the piano, Chopin changed the world of keyboard music forever. His distinctively expressive style is reflected in his many small-scale works and two concertos he created for the piano.

19. FamousPoles – Nicolaus Copernicus Copernicus is said to be the founder of modern astronomy. Born on February 19, 1473, in Torun, Poland, Nicolaus Copernicus was destined to become, through the eventual publication of his heliocentric planetary theory 70 years later, one of the seminal figures in the history of scientific thought.

20. FamousPoles – Maria Sklodowska-Curie Through her discovery of radium, Marie Curie paved the way for nuclear physics and cancer therapy. Born of Polish parents, she was a woman of science and courage, compassionate yet stubbornly determined. She was twice awarded the Nobel Prize: in 1903 in physics (jointly with her husband) for research in the area of natural radiation, and in 1911 in chemistry for extracting pure radium.Her research work was to cost her her own life.

21. OtherfamousPoles • Adam Malysz - ski jumper. The most important Małysz's successes are 4 individual Olympic Games medals, 4 individual World Championships gold medals (all-time record), 4 individual World Cup titles (all-time record), 39 individual competition wins and 92 podiums in total. • Agnieszka Holland - film, theatre and television director.  She is a member of the European Film Academy and was nominated for an Oscar for ‘Bitter harvest’ (1985). • AndrzejWajda - director, member of the ‘Immortal Circle’ of the French Academy of Fine Arts. • Krzysztof Penderecki - composer and conductor. He has been awarded many prestigious awards, including the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts in 2001. • Roman Polanski - actor, director, script writer, graduate of the Lodz Film School. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers." • Robert Korzeniowski - athlete. Twice Olympic 50 km walking champion, in 1996 and 2000, and 20 km champion in 2000. Twice world 50 km walking champion (1997, 2001) • Irena Szewinska - athlete.Between 1964 and 1980 she participated in five Olympic Games, winning seven medals, three of them gold.

22. Lower Silesia - General information Lower Silesia covers the territory of about 20 thousand square kilometers that makes 6,4 per cent of the area of Poland. It is inhabited by nearly 3-million society (7,6 per cent of Poland population) and density of population is about 20 per cent higher than average in the country.Lower Silesia has 90 cities (10,2 per cent of all cities in Poland). Region is divided into 29 counties and 169 communes. Wrocław is the capital of region - it has 634 thousands inhabitants and is important economic, scientific, cultural center having impact on other regions of Poland.There are more than 300 thousands companies and 5,8 thousands of them there are enterprises with foreign capital. The number of companies is still increasing. The unemployment rate shows decreasing tendency.

23. Coat of arms of Lower Silesia

24. Flag of Lower Silesia

25. Capital of Lower Silesia - Wroclaw Wroclaw is the main city in south-western Poland, situated on the River Oder (Polish: Odra). Wroclaw was the historical capital of Silesia and is today the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Over the centuries, the city has been either part of Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia or Germany, and has been part of Poland since 1945. According to official population figures for end 2010, its population is 632,996, making it the fourth largest city in Poland. Wroclaw has been selected as European Capital of Culture for 2016. It will share the title with San Sebastián, Spain.

26. PhotosfromWroclaw

27. Attractions of Lower Silesia Lower Silesia is a special region, region of numerous possibilities, attractions and opportunities. Situated in the south-western part of Poland, bordering on Germany and Czech Republic, creates the most convenient conditions for work, active leisure and entertainment both for its inhabitants and tourists from Poland and other countries.The river system of the Lower Silesia is formed by the Odra (Oder) and its tributaries; and there are a number of large artificial lakes as well as intersting waterfalls. Large parts of Lower Silesia are forested, including the Sudetan and Lower Silesian woods.Landscape of Lower Silesia is picturesque and varied. In the southern part of the region there are beautiful and high mountains - Sudety with the highest Śnieżka Mountain (1602 metres above the sea level). The second biggest river of Poland - Odra flows through Lower Silesia, creating picturesque meanders and pools. In the western part of Lower Silesia Bory Dolnośląskie (forests) attract tourists' attention with its beauty and mysteriousness. The Milickie Ponds in the eastern part of the region also rivet the attention of tourists. Lower Silesia is also famous for its flora and rare species of animals. Two national parks -Karkonoski and Góry Stołowe - as well as nine landscape parks are the testimony of region's beauty. Climate of Lower Silesia is the most moderate in comparison with other regions in Poland.Nizina Śląska (Silesian Lowlands) has a very moderate and mild winters but mountainous, southern parts of the region are the coldest and the most rainy in Poland.

28. Tourism and leisure Taking into account nature and landscape, Lower Silesia is the wonderful place for active leisure for all people keen on sports - both in summer and winter. Dense network of tourist trails attract groups of tourists looking for contact with nature. Two national parks are especially worth visiting - Karkonoski and Stołowe Mountains although there are also many attractive places in other parts of Lower Silesia. Moreover, Sudety have more than 2000 km of tourist trails and the Main Sudety Trail, leading from Paczków to Świeradów Zdrój, has 350 km.Various trails leading through Sudety create excellent opportunities for doing sports as well as nordic walking - new but very popular form of active spending spare time. This form of walking, combined with admiring nature and beauty of mountains, allows to rest actively and recuperate effectively.Numerous hostels and guesthouses offer warm meal, opportunity to rest and place to sleep for all tired tourists.People fond of mountain cycling and bike tourism will find a lot of satisfaction in Lower Silesia. Sudety Mountains are famous for its marvelous cycling trails. Izerskie Mountains seem to be created for visiting them by bike - they offer mild hills, wide roads and picturesque view of Karkonosze Mountains. You can find well-signed routes convenient both for family tourism and more ambitious bikers. Great opportunities for amateurs of biking are also offered by Rudawy Janowickie, Sowie Mountains, Bystrzyckie Mountains, Orlickie Mountains or Śnieżka Massif. People preferring mild routes, not situated in mountains, will also find something for themselves in Lower Silesia. There were prepared some interesting tourist trails especially for them. Among them there are "Liczyrzepa" in the western part of Sudety Mountains, "Dolina Bobru", a picturesque route through river meanders, "Obwodnica Jeleniogórska" with all attractions of Kotlina Jeleniogórska, European Cistersian Route as well as "Route of Underground Attractions" leading to places where various mysteries of the region are hidden under the ground. People loving other forms of active tourism can feel a lot of satisfaction in Lower Silesia. Rudawy Janowickie and Sokoliki are the favourite places for mountain climbers. The experienced climbers reach steep mountainsides of Szczeliniec Wielki in Stołowe Mountains or Śnieżne Kotły in Karkonosze Mountains. There are plenty of rocks in Sudety Mountains which are favourite places of climbing for amateurs of this sport. Enthusiasts of aviation sports are able to do this kind of sport in Lower Silesia - especially in Szybowcowa Mountain located in the vicinity of Jelenia Góra.Amateurs of horse riding (famous stud in the vicinity of Książ Castle), speleologists and anglers always find attractive places for themselves. Anglers fish trouts in Ziemia Kłodzka (the area of Kłodzko, famous town in Lower Silesia) and sea trout in Kwisa River. 

29. Tourism and leisure All amateurs of angling are able to find many good places which provide them with a great many of fish. The only inconvenience is the fact that these are commercial ponds.One of the most interesting activities is adventure with searching for treasures and mysteries such as panning for gold. The amateurs of history learn a lot about the mysteries of the Second World War and can look for some testimonies hidden in drifts of Sowie Mountains in Lower Silesia. There is also a wide range of winter attractions for amateurs of active leisure - mainly skiing. The biggest centers of winter sports are Szklarska Poręba and Karpacz in Karkonosze Mountains as well as Czarna Mountain in Śnieżnik Massif and Zieleniec in Orlickie Mountains. Not only nature but also infrastructure and everything needed for active leisure can be found in the places mentioned above. We should nott forget about smaller ski and snowboard centers such as Świeradów Zdrój, Dziwiszów/Łysa Góra, Kamienica in the vicinity of Stronie Śląskie and places in Sowie Mountains well-known for attractive mountainsides. Sudety Mountains offer marvellous conditions for cross-country skiing. Bieg Piastów - the event attracting participants from all over the world and the biggest event of this kind in Poland - is organized in Izerskie Mountains, in Polana Jakuszycka every year.The most popular place among skiers is area of Sokołowsko in Suche Mountains and paths of Orlickie and Bystrzyckie Mountains are the best for cross-country skiing. Jamrozowa Polana with biathlon stadium is situated in the vicinity of Duszniki Zdrój, one of Lower Silesian spas.Routes around Czarna Mountain, Śnieżnik Massif and routes of Bialskie Mountains belong to the best skiing trails. The trails of Bardzkie and Sowie Mountains are the most picturesque ones. Unique climate conditions and mineral waters as well as landscape of Lower Silesian mountains are the reasons of creating famous and highly-valued spas.Health resorts - there are eleven of them in the region - are well-known for beautiful architecture which harmonizes with wonderful landscape of the mountains. They give wide range of opportunities for rest, recreation and treatment. Specific climate, mineral and healing waters support treatment of many illnesses. Lower Silesian spas are well-known for rich cultural life which symbol is the International Piano Festival of Fryderyk Chopin Music in Duszniki Zdrój. This is the oldest festival of the piano music all over the world.For these reasons spas of Sudety Mountains have been visited by a great many of tourists and patients.

30. Culture Lower Silesia is a place famous for its intensive cultural life. One of icons of Lower Silesian culture is Wratislavia Cantans Festival which has been organized since 1966 and it is still one of the most significant events in Poland. The most famous artists from all over the world are invited to take part in this event, presenting both masterpieces of well-known composers and works of less-known artists.Opera Dolnośląska (Opera Theatre in Lower Silesia) is one of the biggest and most meaningful opera theatres in Poland. Under direction of Prof. Ewa Michnik, the opera achieves significant successes all over Europe. As the only opera in Poland, Opera Dolnośląska prepares so-called megaperformances addressed to the audience of many thousands spectators, for instance "Trubadur" by G. Verdi or "Nibelung's ring" by R. Wagner. Opera shows outdoor performances such as "Gioconda" by Ponchielli on the Odra River. In Lower Silesian calendar of cultural events there are also performances such as International Piano Festival of Chopin Music in Duszniki Zdrój, International Festival "Dialogue", International Festival of Street Artists "Buskerbus", International Biennale of Media Art, Festival of Stage Song, Festival of Comedies in Lubomierz, Slot Art Festival. The annual reconstruction of battle by Kaczawa from 1813 in Warmątowice attracts amateurs of arms from all over Europe. National Museum in Wrocław has extremely interesting collections. It is one of the most interesting and rich museums in Poland. It was opened in 1948 and it has become the central museum of the region in the fifties, in the 20th century. There are gathered more than 120 objects of art from all periods of history: beginning in Medieval Ages and ending in 21st century. The amateurs of toys will find very interesting collection in the Town Museum of Toys in Karpacz. There are toys and dolls from all over the world.Wrocław is famous for its theatres - more than twenty of them are located in the capital of the region. Drama Theatre in Wałbrzych and Theatre in Legnica are also well-known to amateurs of this kind of art. Work Centre of Jerzy Grotowski is still active.

31. Photosfrom Lower Silesia

32. Dzierżoniów – general information Dzierżoniów (German: Reichenbach or Reichenbach im Eulengebirge; former Polish: Rychbach) is a town in southwestern Poland. It is situated in Lower Silesian Voivodeship (from 1975–1998 it was in the formerWałbrzych Voivodeship). It is the seat of Dzierżoniów County, and of Gmina Dzierżoniów (although it is not part of the territory of the latter, since the town forms a separate urban gmina). Dzierżoniów covers an area of 20.1 km², and according to official figures for 2008 has a population of 34,396. It is named after Polish priest and scientist Jan Dzierżon.

33. Coat of arms of Dzierżoniów

34. Flag of Dzierżoniów

35. History In its early history, the town was known as Reichenbach; composed of the German words reich (rich, strong) and Bach (stream), it refers to the current of the Piława River. The name was rendered in Polish as Rychbach. To differentiate between other places named Reichenbach, the Lower Silesian town became known in German as Reichenbach im Eulengebirge, or "Reichenbach in the Owl Mountains". Reichenbach was first mentioned in a document dating to 13 February 1258. The parish Church of St. George was also noted early on.The coat of arms, depicting Saint George slaying a dragon, was used by 1290 at the latest. The town passed successively from the Bishopric of Wrocław (Breslau), to the Duchy of Ziębice (Münsterberg), and to the Duchy of Świdnica-Jawor (Schweidnitz-Jauer).Reichenbach became part of the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1325 and the Knights Hospitaller built a school and hospital in the town in 1338. It was plundered by the Hussites during the 15th-century Hussite Wars. The Habsburg Monarchy of Austria inherited the Bohemian throne in 1526 and became the town's new lords. Reichenbach developed into a trading center, especially for textiles and linen, during the 16th century. After the First Silesian War in 1742, most of Silesia, including Reichenbach, became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1762 during the Seven Years' War, the region between Reichenbach and Schweidnitz (Świdnica) was the setting for the Battle of Burkersdorf between Prussia and Austria. In 1790 representatives from Austria, Prussia, Holland, and Poland met at Reichenbach to discuss the Ottoman wars in Europe. In 1813 Tsar Alexander I of Russia met with King Frederick William III of Prussia. From 1816–1945 Reichenbach contained the district office for Landkreis Reichenbach. Until 1820 the town was the seat of a Prussian district president. Reichenbach was connected to a rail network in 1855. It became part of the Prussian-led German Empire in 1871. Reichenbach was transferred from Germany to Poland in 1945 after World War II. Many of its German inhabitants had fled earlier in 1945 before the war's end, while most of those who had stayed were subsequently expelled. The void was filled by Poles moving in, especially from the eastern part of the country that had been annexed by the Soviet Union. In the period immediately following WWII, the town was known by different names. The municipal office, the local office and the railway administration all used different names for it: Rychbach (its traditional Polish name), Reichenbach and Drobniszew. In 1946 the town was renamed Dzierżoniów after the apiarist Jan Dzierżon. It was also the site of a Jewish commune of 50,000 led by Jakub Egit from 1945-1948. One of the town's synagogues survived the war and has been restored.

36. Town twinning • Bischofheim, Germany (since 1990) • Lanškroun, Czech Republic (since 1999) • Crewe, United Kingdom (since 2005) • Alushta, Ukraine (since 2001) • Serock, Poland • Kluczbork, Poland

37. Photosfrom Dzierżoniów

38. Radiobuda The official name Radiobuda is "Zespół Szkół Nr 1 im. prof. W. Rotkiewicza” in Dzierżoniów. The school has existed since 1946. In the school year 2011/2012, you can educate yourself in High School, in the Technical for the following professions: IT technician, mechatronics technician, technician mechanic and technician, and professional school in the profession of electrical and electronics fitter. Published by the "Perspektywy" and the editors of "Rzeczpospolita" ranking Technicians 2011, No. 1 Technical School in "Zespół Szkół Nr 1 im. prof. W. Rotkiewicza” in Dzierżoniów as the only one inthe county was among the best technicial school in Lower Silesia, occupying 19th place in the list.

39. Photos of Radiobuda

40. Sources • Wikipedia.org • Youtube.com • Youtube.com/radziuPL • Poland.gov.pl • Regiony.poland.gov.pl • Lovewarsaw.co.uk • Diki.pl • Wroclaw-airtour.pl • Wymarzony-ogrod.com.pl • Odleglosci.pl • Dzierzoniow.naszestrony.pl • Zsr.dzierzoniow.pl