By Marika Kuleta.

1. My Country - Poland. By Marika Kuleta.

2. My country is fascinating.. • Symbols of Poland. • Capital city of Poland. • The most interesting places in Poland. • Travelling all over Poland. • Green in Poland, that is forests, meadows... • Schools in Poland. • Rivers, lakes and the sea of Poland.

3. Symbols of Poland. Our Flag Our Emblem But apart from the Flag and the Emblem we have also our national anthem.

4. Capital city of Poland Warsaw - is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly 260 kilometers (162 mln) from the Baltic Sea and 300 kilometers (186 mln) from the Carpathian Mountains. It’s population as of June 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855, and the Warsaw metropolitan area at approximately 2,785,000. The city area is 516.9 square kilometers (199.6 sq mln), with an agglomeration of 6,100.43 square kilometers (2,355.4 sq mln) (Warsaw Metro Area – Obszar Metropolitalny Warszawy). Warsaw is the 9th largest city in the European Union by population. Warszawianka (1831) (French: La Varsovienne) is widely considered the unofficial anthem of Warsaw. On 9 November 1940 the City of Warsaw was awarded the supreme military decoration for courage in the face of the enemy - Order Virtuti Militari for the heroic defence in 1939. Warsaw is also known as the "phoenix city", as it recovered from extensive damage during World War II (during which 80% of it’s buildings were destroyed), being rebuilt with the effort of Polish citizens. Warsaw has given it’s name to the Warsaw Confederation, Warsaw Pact, the Duchy of Warsaw, Warsaw Convention, Treaty of Warsaw and the Warsaw Uprising.

5. The most interesting places in Poland There is a plenty of room here in Poland for rest and the relaxation. There is a sea, there are also mountains and various places to accommodation. There are many cities in which is a zoo, we have also an oceanarium.

6. Zakopane Zakopane Style of Architecture - The Zakopane Style of Architecture is an architectural mode inspired by the regional art of Poland’s highland region known as Podhale. Drawing on the motifs and traditions in the buildings of the Carpathian Mountains, this synthesis was created by Stanisław Witkiewicz and is now considered to be one of the core traditions of the Góral people.

7. Gdańsk The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay (of the Baltic Sea), in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the Tricity, with a population of over 800,000. Gdańsk itself has a population of 435,830 (June 2010), making it the largest city in the Pomerania region of Northern Poland. Gdańsk is Poland's principal seaport as well as the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is also historically the largest city of the Kashubian region. The city is close to the former late medieval/modern boundary between West Slavic and Germanic lands and it has a complex political history with periods of Polish rule, periods of German rule, and extensive self-rule, with two spells as a free city. It has been part of modern Poland since 1945. Gdańsk is situated at the mouth of the Motława River, connected to the Leniwka, a branch in the delta of the nearby Vistula River, whose waterway system supplies 60% of the area of Poland and connects Gdańsk to the national capital in Warsaw. This gives the city a unique advantage as the centre of Poland's sea trade.

8. Gdańsk Cd. Together with the nearby port of Gdynia, Gdańsk is also an important industrial centre. Historically an important seaport and shipbuilding centre, Gdańsk was a member of the Hanseatic League. The city was the birthplace of the Solidarity movement which, under the leadership of political activist Lech Wałęsa, played a major role in bringing an end to Communist rule across Central Europe. It is also the home and birthplace of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is of Kashubian origin.

9. About 1235, the town was granted city rights under Lübeck law by Pomerelian duke Swantopolk II, an autonomy charter similar to that of Lübeck which was also the primary origin of many settlers. In 1300, the town had an estimated population of 2,000. While overall the town was not that an important trade centre at that time, it had some relevance in the trade with Eastern Europe. In 1308, the town was in rebellion and the Teutonic Knights were sent to restore order. Subsequently, they took over control the town. Medieval massacre records of 10,000 inhabitants are perceived divergently in modern literature: while sources state it as a fact, other sources discard it as a medieval exaggeration. Polish propaganda claims that the Knights then massacred the inhabitants. The alleged massacre was used as evidence by the Polish crown in a subsequent papal lawsuit. The knights colonized the area, replacing local Kashubians with German settlers. In 1308, they founded Osiek Hakelwerk near the town, initially as a Slavic fishing settlement. In 1340, the Teutonic Knights built a large fortress, which became the seat of the knights' Komtur. In 1343, they founded Rechtstadt, which in contrast to the pre-existing town (thence Altstadt, "Old Town" or Stare Miasto) was chartered with Kulm Law. In 1358, Danzig joined the Hanseatic League, and became an active member in 1361. It maintained relations with the trade centres Brügge, Novgorod, Lisboa and Sevilla. In 1377, the Old Town's city limits were expanded. In 1380, Neustadt "New Town" was founded as the fourth, independent settlement.

10. Foundation and the Middle Ages Regia Civitatis Gedanensis (Royal City of Gdańsk) coin of 1589, Sigismund III Vasa. Early settlements are associated with the Wielbark culture; after the Great Migrations, they were replaced by a Pomeranian settlement that probably dates back to the 7th century. In the 980s, a stronghold was built most probably by Mieszko I of Poland who thereby connected the Polish state ruled by the Piast dynasty with the trade routes of the Baltic Sea. The first written record of this stronghold is the vita of Saint Adalbert, written in 999 and describing events of 997. This date is generally[citation needed] regarded as the founding of Gdańsk in Poland; in 1997 the city celebrated the millennial anniversary of the year 997 when Saint Adalbert of Prague baptized the inhabitants of the settlement on behalf of Boleslaw the Brave of Poland. In the 12th century, the settlement became part of the Samborides' duchy and consisted of a settlement at the modern Long Market, craftmens' settlements along the Altstädter Graben ditch, German merchant settlements around the St Nicolas church and the old Piast stronghold. In 1186, a Cistercian monastery was set up in nearby Oliwa, which is now within the city limits. In 1215, the ducal stronghold became the centre of a Pomerelian splinter duchy. In 1224/25, Germans in the course of the Ostsiedlung established a settlement in the area of the earlier fortress. Gdańsk history

11. Main sights Neptune's Fountain in the centre of the Long Market, a masterpiece by a Dutch architect Abraham van den Blocke, 1617. Royal Chapel of the Polish King - John III Sobieski was built in baroque style between 1678-1681 by Tylman Gamerski. The city has many fine buildings from the time of the Hanseatic League. Most tourist attractions are located along or near Ulica Długa (Long Street) and Długi Targ (Long Market), a pedestrian thoroughfare surrounded by buildings reconstructed in historical (primarily 17th century) style and flanked at both ends by elaborate city gates. This part of the city is sometimes referred to as the Royal Road as the former path of processions for visiting kings. Walking from end to end, sites encountered on or near the Royal Way include: Upland Gate (Brama Wyżynna) Torture House (Katownia) Prison Tower (Wieża więzienna) Golden Gate (Złota Brama) Long Street (Ulica Długa) Uphagen House (Dom Uphagena)

12. Main sights Cd. Main Town Hall (Ratusz Głównego Miasta) Long Market (Długi Targ) Artus' Court (Dwór Artusa) Neptune Fountain (Fontanna Neptuna) Golden House (Złota kamienica) Green Gate (Zielona Brama) Gdańsk has a number of historical churches: St. Bridget St. Catherine St. John St Mary (Bazylika Mariacka), a municipal church built during the 15th century, is the largest brick church in the world. St Nicholas' Church Church of the Holy Trinity The museum ship SS Soldek is anchored on the Motława River and was the first ship built in post-war Poland. In the 16th century, Gdańsk hosted Shakespearean theatre on foreign tours, and the Danzig Research Society founded in 1743 was one of the first of its kind. Currently, there is a Fundation Theatrum Gedanensis aimed at rebuilding the Shakespeare theatre at its historical site. It is expected that Gdańsk will have a permanent English-language theatre, as at present it is only an annual event. Gdańsk and the Metropolis is going to be European Capital of Culture in 2016.

13. Travelling all over Poland I would like to show what we are moving along roads, to the school and to the work with. Bikes Our Cars

14. Travelling all over Poland Tram Train Municipal bus Our School Bus

15. Green in Poland, that is forests, meadows... Poland forests and meadows is interesting.

16. Schools in Poland Since changes made in 2009 Education in Poland starts at the age of five or six for the 0 class (Kindergarten) and six or seven years in the 1st class of primary school (Polish szkoła podstawowa). It is compulsory that children do one year of formal education before entering 1st class at no later than 7 years of age. At the end of 6th class when the students are 13, they take a compulsory exam that will determine to which lower secondary school (gimnazjum, (Middle School/Junior High) they will be accepted. They will attend this school for three years for classes, 7, 8, and 9. They then take another compulsory exam to determine the upper secondary level school they will attend. There are several alternatives, the most common being the three years in a liceum or four years in a technikum. Both end with a maturity examination (matura, quite similar to French baccalauréat), and may be followed by several forms education.

17. Two biggest and most important in terms of the area of the river. Vistula The Oder

18. Two biggest lakes in Poland. Śniardwy and Clinks

19. Sea Baltic The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Qresund, the Great Belt and the Little Belt. The Kattegat continues through Skagerrak into the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The Baltic Sea is connected by man-made waterways to the White Sea via the White Sea Canal, and to the North Sea via the Kiel Canal. The Baltic Sea might be considered to be bordered on its northern edge by the Gulf of Bothnia, on its northeastern edge by the Gulf of Finland, and on its eastern edge by the Gulf of Riga. However, these various gulfs can be considered to be simply offshoots of the Baltic Sea, and therefore parts of it.

20. Gallery „Architecture Zakopane” „Baltic Sea”

21. The End :)