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1. We live in small city called Golub-Dobrzyń in Poland. Golub-Dobrzyń is a town in central Poland, located on both sides of the Drwęca River. Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (since 1999), it was previously in the Torun Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Golub-Dobrzyń County and has a population of 13,060. Poland, officially the Republic of Poland is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus to the east; and the Baltic Sea, Russia and Lithuania to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometers making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. Polish population is over 38.5 million people. Poland is currently divided into 16
provinces .
The Polish flag is a rectangular piece of cloth in the national colors, with or without the Polish coat of arms on the white stripe. The Polish Flag Day is celebrated on 2nd May.
The national colors of Poland are white and red, and the coat of arms is the White Eagle
The emblem of Poland consists of a white eagle on a red field. single-headed, crowned eagle with golden claws and beak, upon the red shield turned towards right

2. According to the legend, the White Eagle emblem originated when Lech, Poland’s legendary founder, once saw a white eagle against the setting sun which appeared tipped with gold. He was so delighted with the view that he decided to settle nearby and chose eagle as his emblem.
Since 1927 the Polish national anthem is the 'Dąbrowski's Mazurka'. Originally called the "Anthem of the Polish Legions in Italy", from its initial verse, "Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła" it is also informally known in English as "Poland Is Not Yet Lost" or "Poland Has Not Yet Perished". The words were written by Józef Wybicki in 1797.
The song originated during the formation of the Polish Legions in Italy in 18th century. Józef Wybicki, a poet and an officer in the Legions, wrote it in Reggio Emilia in July 1797 to the tune of a mazurka.
Poland has not yet perished, So long as we still live. What the alien force has taken from us, We shall retrieve with a sword.
March, march, Dąbrowski, From the Italian land to Poland. Under your command We shall rejoin the nation.
We'll cross the Vistula and the Warta, We shall be Polish. Bonaparte has given us the example Of how we should prevail.
March, march...
Like Czarniecki to Poznań After the Swedish occupation, To save our homeland, We shall return across the sea.
March, march...
A father, in tears, Says to his Basia: "Listen, our boys are said To be beating the tarabans."
March, march...
Some facts about Poland
1. The name "Poland" originates from the name of the tribe "Polanie" which means "people living in open fields".
2. The highest mountain in Australia was named in 1840 by Polish explorer Paul Edmund Strzeleck as Mount Kosciuszko because of the mountain's resemblance to the Kosciuszko Mound in Krakow.
3. Kraków was the headquarters and the place of coronation of Polish kings and the nation's capital from 1038 until the move to Warsaw in 1596.
4. It was the centre of the Euopean Jewish world with 3.3 million Jews living in Poland.
5. Located in Wrocław is the oldest restaurant in Europe, "Piwnica Swidnicka", operating since 1275.

3. 6. The Fiat was the first mass produced car in Poland and 10,000 were sold before the eve of WWII.
7. Polish has the second largest number of speakers among the Slavic languages after Russian.
8. Poles love their candies and chocolates
9. Poles represent the biggest number of people by nationality to rescue Jews during the German Nazi-organised Holocaust, up to around 450,000 from certain death. Poland holds the world record with the most people at 6,135 being awarded the title of Righteous among the Nations by the State of Israel.
10. Traditionally, the main meal of 3 courses is eaten around 2pm, starting with a soup, a main course of meat and a desert.
11. Polish dumplings or "pierogi" are one of national dishes and one of the best recognizable Polish food outside Poland.
12. It's first documented ruler was Mieszko I in the 10th century.
13. The Katyń Massacre records the murder of some 22,000 of Poland's finest soldiers, academics, professionals and business owners in the 1940 by the Soviet Secret Police who were buried in the Katyń Forest in what is today Russia.
14. All Saints' Day on 1st November is an important religious holiday where Poles visit cemeteries to honour their loved ones who have passed away.
15. In addition to birthdays, Poles celebrate their name day or "imieniny", which is the day commemorating the saint they are named after. The names associated with each day is listed in all calendars in Poland. Just like birthdays, there are parties with food, drinks, presents and the singing of the traditional birthday song, "sto lat". And if you want to wish someone on their name day, just say "Wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji imienin!"
One of the legends concerning the beginnings of our country
The Dragon of Wawel
Centuries ago there lived in a cave at the foot of Wawel Hill in Cracow a most horrible fire- belching dragon, a monster that ravaged the nearby meadows by devouring grazing cattle. The bravest knights tried to overcome the dragon in vain Even before they could took out their swords the fire from the beast's mouth killed them, so that one after another died
The king who reigned at the time sent out his heralds to announce that whoever could kill the dragon would as a reward marry his daughter and sit on his throne after his death. Knights encouraged by such a handsome offer came in large numbers, but they too were destroyed. The king gave himself up to despair, together with his daughter as she could not expect to ever be married. The dragon-ravaged country became poorer and poorer.
Then a shoemaker named Krak decided to conquer the beast by a unique strategy. After stuffing a fat ram with sulphur, he placed the tasty animal at the cave's entrance. The dragon, being greedy as well as stupid, swallowed the dangerous gift in one mouthful. Its

4. throat burned so that it ran to the nearby Wisla river, gulping down so much water that it burst with a great bang, that way he set the surrounding countryside free from the grip of terror.
The shoemaker married the king's daughter, and after the monarch's death, ascended to the throne. The town he rescued from the clutches of Smok, the dragon of Wawel Hill, took its name from him, and bears it to this day with great honour - the old capital of Poland, Krakow.
Famous People
Pope John Paul II also known as Karol Wojtyla (1920-2005). He was a poet, actor and enthusiast of the Polish mountains He was the only Polish Pope to this day and served the second longest. He contributed greatly to the collapse of communism in Poland and throughout Central and Eastern Europe. on 16 October 1978 he had chosen as a Pope. on 13 May 1981, Jan II Paweł was shot but fortunately survived The Pope died on 2 April at 21: 37 His family home in Wadowice just outside of Kraków is now a famous site of Christian pilgrimage in Poland.
Nicolaus Copernicus or Mikołaj Kopernik born on February 19, 1473 in Toruń, Poland was a Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a heliocentric model of the universe which placed the Sun, rather than the Earth, at the center. The publication of Copernicus' book On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres, just before his death in 1543, is considered a major event in the history of science. It began the Copernican Revolution and contributed importantly to the

5. scientific revolution. Copernicus had a doctorate in canon law , was a physician, polyglot, classics scholar, translator, governor, diplomat, and economist
a photo 1849
Fryderyk Chopin, born on March 1, 1810, in Zelazowa Wola, Poland, grew up in a middle-class family. He published his first composition at age 7 and began performing one year later. In 1832, he moved to Paris, socialized with high society and was known as an excellent piano teacher. His piano compositions were highly influential. He died of tuberculosis and ill health on October 17, 1849, in Paris
Marie Curie,Maria Sklodowska Curie, was born in Warsaw on November 7, 1867, the daughter of a secondary-school teacher. She received a general education in local schools and some scientific training from her father. She became involved in a students' revolutionary organization as a result had to leave Warsaw to Cracow, which at that time was under Austrian rule. In 1891, she went to Paris to continue her studies at the Sorbonne where she obtained Bachelor’s degree in Physics and the Mathematical Sciences. She met Pierre Curie, Professor in the School of Physics, in 1894 and in the following year they were married. She succeeded her husband as Head of the Physics Laboratory at the Sorbonne, gained her Doctorate of Science degree in 1903, and following the tragic death of

6. Pierre Curie in 1906, she took his place as Professor of General Physics in the Faculty of Sciences, the first time a woman had held this position. She was also appointed the Director of the Curie Laboratory in the Radium Institute of the University of Paris, founded in 1914.
Interesting places
Gdańsk - the capital of Pomerania
Gdańsk is the Polish maritime capital with the population nearing half a million. It is a large centre of economic life, science, culture, and a popular tourist destination. Gdańsk, capital of the Pomerania, lying on the Bay of Gdańsk and the southern cost of the Baltic Sea the city is a thousand years old.
Cracow (Kraków) is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. 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 places . It was the capital of Poland from 1038 to 1569

7. Royal Salt Mines located in the town of Wieliczka in southern Poland The mine, built in the 13th century, produced table salt continuously until 2007
Other places on Unesco List
Auschwitz Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945) (1979)
Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork (1997)
Centennial Hall in Wrocław (2006)
Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica (2001)
Historic Centre of Kraków (1978)
Historic Centre of Warsaw (1980)
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska: the Mannerist Architectural and Park Landscape Complex and Pilgrimage Park (1999)
Medieval Town of Toruń (1997)
Muskauer Park / Park Mużakowski (2004)
Old City of Zamość (1992)
Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines (1978)
Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine (2013)
Wooden Churches of Southern Małopolska (2003)