Poland sits in the heart of Europe and during the past thousand years of its existence it has been forced to rigorously defend its freedoms.
Lodged between Germany in the west, Russia, Lithuania and the Baltic Sea to the north, Ukraine and Belarus in the east and the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Poland has many international borders.


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As a result the country has a rich history, having featured in countless wars, risings, invasions, famines and epidemics.
Famous names from history including Charles XII of Sweden, Frederick the Great, Napoleon, Hindenburg, Hitler and Stalin all played a part in the timeline of the country.


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While these individuals did not have positive influence on Poland, they did help to shape the country into what it is today.
Tracing the roots of a nation
Poland was likely inhabited by Slavic tribes as far back as prehistoric times although the first documented ruler only appears in the history books in the tenth century.
Close ties were soon formed with Lithuania and the combined forces of the two countries played a pivotal role in one of the largest and most influential battles in the medieval period – the 1410 Battle of Tannenberg.


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There, the united force completely obliterated the Teutonic Knights and the battle was recognised as one of the key moments in Poland’s history. It has since been the source of many romantic tales and also became a symbol of the struggle against foreign invaders, especially during World War Two when both the Nazi’s and Soviets used it in propaganda campaigns.
Poland’s Golden Age
The country advanced rapidly during the Renaissance period, as art, science and culture developed at pace.
A Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus developed the theory of the solar system while the country also expanded its territories through its Lithuanian ties.


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It was during this period that the capital of the country was shifted from Krakow to the modern day capital Warsaw, as the latter is more centrally located.
Wiped from the map
Once the largest country in Europe, albeit a long time ago, Poland was also erased from the world map entirely for more than one hundred years.
The last in a series of Partitions of Poland, the third in 1795 saw the country wiped from the map and split among Prussia and the Austrian and Russian empires.


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That situation remained the case until the First World War ended in 1918.
Despite being oppressed, the concept of Polish independence remained and many Poles engaged in armed resistance, including fighting alongside Napoleon in the early 19th century.
The world at war
The First World War provided Poland with an opportunity to regain freedom. The armistice in 1918 saw the country appear on the map once again – 123 years after it was removed.
A little over decades later saw Poland once again at the centre of conflict, when the combined forces of the Nazis and Soviets invaded the country from east and west.


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The move sparked the Second World War, a conflict that would claim the lives of some six million polish citizens. Although the Polish forces were quickly overrun, resistance remained to the occupation throughout the war, with the 1944 Warsaw Uprising regarded as the largest single military effort to be carried out by a resistance force.


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Although it ultimately failed, it provided a reminder that the Poles were not willing to give in.
Dealing with communism
Poland fell behind the iron curtain following the war, with the People’s Republic of Poland formed as a Soviet satellite state. Its borders were shifted west and mass movements of people saw the country lose its traditional multi-ethnic character. The fight against communism is not forgotten in modern Poland either.

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Upon the demise of Soviet control in Europe, the modern Polish state arose. A new constitution was agreed in 1997 and the country become member of NATO two years later. Poland finally joined the European Union in 2004.


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The history of Poland may be a turbulent one, but what remains now is a stable country that has much to offer the modern world. The past should not be forgotten though, with the country a hotbed of history just waiting to be discovered.

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