WHAT IS

THE

SYMBOLE

OF POLAND

FLAG

The flag of Poland consists of two
horizontal stripes of equal width, the
upper one white and the lower one
red. The two colors are defined in
the Polish constitution as the
national colors. White and red were
officially adopted as national colors
in 1831.

COAT OF ARMS

The White Eagle is the national
coat of arms of Poland. It is a
stylized white eagle with a
golden beak and talons, and
wearing a golden crown, in a
red shield.

GOVERNMENT : Parlimentary republic

PRESIDENT

PRIME MINISTER

Lech Kaczyński

Donald Tusk

Poland is a democracy, with a President as a Head of State,
whose current constitution dates from 1997. The government
structure centres on the Council of Ministers, led by a prime
minister. The president appoints the cabinet according to the
proposals of the prime minister, typically from the majority
coalition in the Sejm. The president is elected by popular vote
every five years. The current president is Lech Kaczyński, the
current prime minister is Donald Tusk.

The Sejm building in Warsaw

Polish złoty

The złoty literally meaning
"golden", is the currency of
Poland. The modern złoty is
subdivided into 100 groszy .

As a result of inflation in the
early 1990s, the currency
underwent redenomination.
Thus, on 1 January 1995,
10,000 old złotych (PLZ)
became one new złoty (PLN).

ARCHITECTURE

Standing in the very heart of
Warsaw the Palace of Culture and
Science (Polish: Pałac Kultury i
Nauki) is the tallest building in
Poland and one of the most
recognizable symbols of the
country’s capital.

The Palace was built between
1952 and 1955 and presented to
the Polish people as a gift from
Stalin’s Soviet Union. A ’non
returnable’ gift of friendship, in
fact a symbol of Russian
occupation.

Palace of Culture and
Science

Czestochowa is a celebrated religious center, and a world-
famous place of pilgrimage. Its monastery stands on the Jasna
Gora [mountain of light] and contains an image of Mary known as
the Black Madonna.

In 1655, when Charles X
of Sweden overran
Poland, the prior and a
handful of soldiers
defended the monastery
and its relic for 40 days
until the Swedes
abandoned the siege.
The monastery was again
defended against the
Swedes in 1702.
Venerated as the "Queen
of Poland," the image
became the national
symbol of Poland.

Kraków is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland and a
popular tourist destination. Its historic centre was inscribed on
the list of World Heritage Sites as the first of its kind. Kraków has
traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic,
cultural and artistic life, and is one of Poland's most important
economic centres. It was the capital of Poland from 1038 to
1596. It is now the capital of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.

Main Market Square in
Kraków is a heart of cultural
capital of southern Poland.