Print this page

Map of Poland Believe it or not, but Poland is one of the most interesting countries in Europe. Mountains, forests, sandy beaches, culture and more than thousand years of history - Poland got them all and is growing more and more popular as a holiday destination. With a collapse of communism, Poland has opened up to travelers, revealing a rich cultural heritage and unspoiled natural beauty. It can satisfy the need both of the tourist who wants to spend there a long holiday and the traveler who is looking for interesting places to spend one or more weekends. Through years of dramatic history when Poland was constantly being fought over and divided by neighbours, the Poles have become masters of reconstruction and renovation. As invaders came and went, some left an inheritance of magnificent architecture while others razed towns to the ground. Today there is a little to show of the great destruction of the country that suffered in World War Two, as towns and cities have been masterfully and lovingly restored and Gdańsk, Kraków and Warsaw compete in presenting the most magnificent Old Towns. Although many people think of Poland as being part of Central Europe, from a geographical point of view the opposite is the case: Poland is situated many hundreds kilometers west of the geographical center of Europe, which is actually a Lithuania. Today Poland extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Carpathian Mountains in the south, from the River Bug in the east to the Odra in the west, covering a total area of more than 312 thousand sq. km, which roughly corresponds to the UK and Ireland put together. Poland is a relatively low-lying country. 91.3 percent of its territory lies below 300 m above sea level. The highest point is Mt Rysy in the Tatras (2499 m), while the lowest point is located west of the village of Raczki Elbląskie (1.8 m below sea level). The highest-lying settlement is Gubalówka (today part of the municipality of Zakopane; 1125 m), the lowest-lying settlement is Zółwiniec (1.3 m below sea level). There are three main mountain ranges in Poland: the Carpathians, the Sudetan Mountains, and the Góry Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross Mountains). The longest rivers are the Wisła (Vistula) (1047 km), Odra (Oder) (854 km), Warta (808 km), Bug (772 km), Narew (484 km), San (443 km), Noteć (388 km), Pilica (319 km), Wieprz (303 km) and the Bóbr (272 km). Poland has some 9,300 lakes with surface areas over 1 ha; they make up 1 percent of the country's territory. The largest is Lake Śniardwy (11,383 ha) in the Masurian Lake District, and the deepest is Lake Hańcza (108.5 m) north of Suwalki. Long, lonely sandy beaches edge the Baltic Sea. A belt of sleepy, picturesque lakes in the north (eastern part is called Mazuria - the land of thousands lakes) that stretches to the south was formed during the Ice Age is teeming with wildlife and is favourite with water sports lovers. The adjoining central Polish lowlands are mainly agricultural and the plateaux to the south are the remains of ancient mountain ranges that have been worn away over millions years, today are dotted with picturesque limestone rocks and ancient castles. Finally the Carpathian and Sudety Mountains form Poland's southern boundary with the highest summit in the country, the Rysy (2499 m), located in the Tatra Mountains. Warsaw, the Polish capital is not far from other European cities: Paris and London are 2 hours away by plane, Vienna and Berlin not much more than an hour. You can get here quickly by international roads and railway connections. Half a million places to stay, thousands of restaurants, hundreds of forms of leisure and entertainment - they're all waiting for visitors. Poland is a country that is safe and friendly for visitors from abroad, a statement confirmed by official international statistics. In figures concerning access to cash machines, for instance, Poland is 8th in Europe. Mobile phone networks cover 94% of the country. You can find more or less everything in Poland: alpine mountains, wide beaches, clean lakes, deep forests, world-class historic monuments, and friendly people. The climate is temperate, and the people warm and hospitable. Polish cities with a thousand-year history invite their visitors to encounters with culture, and Poland's villages and small-time towns offer the opportunity to get away from the bustle of modern life. And all this comes with a backdrop of breathtaking natural landscapes, because Poland's greatest attraction is nature. Wild, untouched, more diverse than in most countries either in Europe or the world and, what's more, easily accessible. Tourists value this greatly and their number is constantly increasing. With such a diverse landscape, Poland is a paradise for those who enjoy active holiday, whether it is hiking, climbing or skiing in the mountains, or fishing, sailing or canoeing in the vast network of lakes and rivers.

• Greater Poland and Kujawy Region (Wielkopolska i Kujawy) (4314) Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) is a historical region in western and central Poland, occupying the basins of the Warta, part of the middle Oder and the lower Vistula. It is the country's oldest province, dotted with monuments from the formative years of the Polish state. Although not as popular with visitors as the Tatras or Masuria, the region has plenty of attractions, its cities, towns and villages abounding with treasures: old manor houses and stately homes once belonging to eminent noble families, magnificent mansions and castles, churches, open-air museums of traditional folk architecture, and archaeological parks.  • Mazovia and Podlassia (Mazowsze i Podlasie) (4002) Mazowsze (Mazovia) is an historical and ethnographic region in central Poland, straddling the Vistula River. The Mazovian Lowland is one of Poland's most extensive geographical regions. Its natural extension is the Podlassian Lowland at the confluence of the Narew and Biebrza Rivers and the basin of the middle Bug.  • Pomerania (4080) Pomerania (Pomorze) is a historical and geographical region in northern Poland stretching along the Baltic coast from the German frontier in the west as far as the lower Vistula valley.  • Warmia and Mazuria (4719) Mazury (Masuria) is an historical and ethnographic region in northern Poland, encompassing the Masurian Lake District, a vast land subdivided into several smaller lake districts like the one around Suwalki and Augustów. The area is often referred to as "a land of a thousand lakes", which hardly does it justice as the actual number of lakes is about four thousand.