Communnication is an Art project e-book-skonwertowany

My country's contribution
to the European cultural heritage

Zesp ł Szk ł in Wąbrze no, Poland

Erasmus+ project 2019-2022

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Preface

Polish culture forms an important part of western civilization and the
western world with significant contribution to art, music, philosophy,
mathematics, science, politics, and literature. Its unique character developed as
a result of its geographic confluence of various European regions.
In this book we are presenting some facts about Poland- important for us and
our culture. We mention here some great Poles- people who influenced the life
and history of our country; we are showing some interesting places worth
visiting and things associated with Poland. Of course, it is not possible to
mention all outstanding individuals and places. It is just an outline, a small part
of what is crucial to us.
We hope that this work will bring our country closer to you and make you
interested in our national heritage.

Project team

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Warsaw

The capital and largest city of Poland. It stands on the Vistula River in east-
central Poland and its population is officially estimated at 1.8 million residents.
The city rose to prominence in the late 16th century when the king Sigismund III
decided to move the Polish capital and his royal court from Krakow. The elegant
architecture and extensive boulevards earned Warsaw the nickname 'Paris of
the North' prior to the Second World War. Bombed at the start of the German
invasion in 1939, was largely destroyed by the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943,
the general Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Warsaw gained the new title of Phoenix
City because of its complete reconstruction after the war, which had left over
85% of its buildings in ruins. Warsaw Grand Old Town, which represents
examples of nearly every European architectural style and historical period, was
listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980. Other main architectural
attractions include the Royal Castle and the iconic King Sigismund II Column, the
Wilanów Palace, the Palace on the Isle, St. John’s Cathedral , Main Square, as
well as numerous churches and mansions along the Royal Route.

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Kraków
Krakow is one of the most visited cities in Poland and the second biggest
city in our country. It was the capital of Poland between 1038 and 1596.
The most significant sites (and the symbols of Krakow) are: the Wawel Castle,
main Market Square, the Sukiennice Cloth Hall and St. Mary's Basilica, Kazimierz.
Krakow's historic center is also on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The University of Krakow, founded in the 14th century, is the oldest university
in Poland.

In 2013, the Lonely Planet website voted Krakow's Market Square the best
market square in the world.

It is forbidden to feed pigeons in Krakow. They are pests that make life difficult
for the inhabitants.

Stephen Spielberg's famous film "Schindler's List" was shot in one of Krakow's
Jewish districts. Most of the houses in the district are still decorated with Stars
of David. The local caf s serve Jewish food.

The 10th Town Hall Tower in Krakow is its own version of the Leaning Tower of
Pisa. Although the tower differs from the base by only 55 cm, it is clearly visible
thanks to its height of 70 m.

The 11-ton Sigismund bell, located in the bell tower of Wawel Cathedral, only
plays during the most important Polish holidays.

The Wawel Cathedral has "one painting exhibition". It contains a work by
Leonardo da Vinci.

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Torun

Torun is in the middle of Poland. It is one of the oldest cities in the country
and has a population of around 200,000. Torun’s Old Town is on the list of
UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is seen as part of the seven wonders of
Poland. Torun has its own castle – Thorn Castle (Teutonic Knights' Castle), built
by the Teutonic knights in the 13th or 14th century, so this was before the great
Medieval Malbork Castle. It had only two wings, laid out in a pattern similar to
that of a horseshoe not the usual four. The castle is in ruin today, long since
after being destroyed in a town rebellion back in the 15th century.

Have you heard of Nicolaus Copernicus? He was born in Torun and the
chemical element Copernicium (Cn) with the atomic number 112 is named after
him.

Torun is famous for its tradition of gingerbread making ‘Torunskie Pierniki’
(Toruń gingerbread).

Torun is so much like Krakow but smaller, so it is often called little Krakow.
Like Krakow it is a Gothic city and much like Krakow, there are a lot of unique
and original large medieval architectural complexes.

In 1 00 the Tuba Dei Bell (God’s Trumpet) in St. Johns’ Cathedral tower used to
be the biggest bell in Poland, before the finishing of the Sigismund Bell in
Krakow in 1521.

Torun University (Nicolaus Copernicus University) is the biggest and oldest
academic institution in the north of Poland. The law, physics, astronomy, and
Administration departments have received high appraisals. It also hosted the
late Pope John Paul II.

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Malbork Castle

Poland has at least 500 castles around the countryside. Located near the
city of Gdansk, the Malbork Castle has the largest surface area of any castle in
the world. It is also Europe’s largest brick building. Completed in 1 0 , the castle
is recognized today as a UNESCO World Heritage Site- ‘Castle of the Teutonic
Order’.
Malbork Castle is located in the north of Poland, on the East bank of the river
Nogat. It is the most complete and elaborate example of a Gothic brick- built
castle complex in the characteristic and unique style of the Teutonic Order. The
state was founded in the 13th century by German communities of military monks
who carried out crusades against the pagan Prussians and Lithuanians living on
the south Baltic coast, as well as against the Christian Kingdom of Poland. It
reached its greatest influence in the 14th century. The castle- convent embodies
the drama of late medieval Christianity, straining between extremes of sanctity
and violence. The castle was built by the Teutonic Order after the conquest of
Old Prussia. Its main purpose was to strengthen their own control of the area
following the Order’s 12 suppression of the Great Prussian Uprising of the
Baltic tribes.
The Teutonic Knights named the castle Marienburg in honour of Mary, mother of
Jesus.
In 1945 during World War II combat in the area, more than half the castle was
destroyed.

Malbork Castle official website https://zamek.malbork.pl/en

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Wieliczka Salt Mine
The Wieliczka Salt Mine is now an official Polish Historic Monument and a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Located on the same rock salt formation in the vicinity of Krakow. It worked for
more than seven hundred years. It started in the 13thcentury and grew into
labyrinthine, richly decorated complexes of galleries and chambers that have
fascinated visitors for generations. There are 2391 chambers in the mine and
245 corridors leading to them on 9 levels.
Only 2% of the whole mine is open to visitors.
It is absolutely safe to lick the salt walls; the salt kills bacteria.
The depth of the mine is so deep that it could fit Eiffel Tower, 2x Cheops
pyramid, and 5 Sydney opera houses.
Salt from Wieliczka is no longer mined for industrial purposes. The deposits are
mainly used for making souvenirs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_XshzE6IEI salt

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Białowieża National Park

The park is famous for its resident ‘king of the forest’ – the bison. A mere
two kilometres (1.2 miles) from the Belarus border, the town draws its
influences from an eclectic mix of Russian, Polish and Belarusian history and
culture. Most tourists will be here to explore the last primeval forest in Europe –
Białowieża National Park, where you can find wild bison in their natural habitat.
It is the second oldest national park in the country and was inscribed on the UNESCO
World Heritage List. The park protects the best- preserved part of the Białowieża
Primeval Forest - the last natural forest of the primitive nature in the European
lowlands. About 12,000 species live on its site, but it is estimated that only 50% of the
forest fauna has been recognized. The most popular mammal is the European bison,
which was saved from total extinction thanks to the local reserve.
Currently, the largest population of European bison in the world lives in the Białowieża
Primeval Forest.

https://youtu.be/9CIFFOrX-WU

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Amber jewellery

The Baltic region is rich in amber, a honey-colored gemstone formed from
fossilized tree resin. Craftsman in workshops in the Polish City of Gdansk buff
and polish the stones to a unique finish and shine. If you light it or just heat it up
in your hand, it produces a characteristic, resinous smell. Pieces of amber often
contain vits of wood, plants as well as insects. Millions years ago the territory of
central and northern Europe was covered by thick ‘amber forests’. The resin
from the trees dripped down on the very moist bedding and then was carried
with the current of streams and rivers to their mouths, where it settled in the
sand. Many of those mouths were located on the area of today’s northern
Poland. Through the tens of millions of years the resin trapped in soil and water
was a subject to many physical and chemical processes, to become amber in the
end.
The best way to find amber jewellery is to take a stroll down Mariacha Street,
a busy street in Gdansk.

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The Witcher

(Polish: Wied min, pronounced [ vj d mjin]) is a series of 6
fantasy novels and 15 short stories written by Polish author Andrzej
Sapkowski. The series revolves around the titular "witcher", Geralt of
Rivia, one of the beast hunters who developed their supernatural abilities
at a young age to battle wild beasts and monsters.
The series of novels is known as the Witcher Saga. The short stories and
novels have been translated into numerous languages, including
Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Lithuanian, Spanish
and Ukrainian.

In 2013 a collection of eight short stories was published- Opowie ci ze
wiata Wied mina, written by eight Russian and Ukrainian fantasy
writers set in the world of The Witcher and/or featuring characters from
the saga.
In 2017, S pony i k y, a similar collection of eleven short stories by
eleven authors. The books have been adapted into a film, two television
series, a trilogy of video games and a graphic novel series, tabletop role-
playing games, PC or Xbox games as well as card or board games. All
based on Sapkowski's series, The Witcher.
The latest and world -famous adaptation of The Witcher was produced
by Netflix with Polish cooperation. The first season of that fantasy drama
streaming television series was released on Netflix.

If this is still not enough for you, go online to
https://pl.gear.cdprojektred.com/ where you can buy games, clothes,
accessories, figurines, toys, posters, notebooks, and puzzles. All about

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Gra karciana:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP2kyPtsW94&t=3s
gra mobilna:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJONQYsru1c&t=4s
iOS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4SGGoe12DQ
movie trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndl1W4ltcmg
Tabletop role-playing game
https://witcher.fandom.com/wiki/The_Witcher_Role-Playing_Game

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Nicolaus Copernicus

One of the greatest astronomers of the 16th century. He was born in
1473 in Torun, Poland. (His real name was Mikolaj Kopernik). He was the first
modern European scientist to propose that Earth and other planets
revolve around the sun. His book was called ‘On the Revolutions of the
Heavenly Bodies’. Shortly afterwards Copernicus died. However, after his death,
he became famous throughout Europe. We have a famous saying about him:
‘He stopped the Sun, he moved the Earth, the Polish tribe gave him away’.

One of the craters on the Moon and Mars, and the asteroid (1322)
Coppernicus were named after him.

In 1965 the National Bank of Poland produced a banknote with an image of
Nicolaus Copernicus.

He developed a new recipe for bread, noting at the time that its price was far
too high.

Copernicus was an example of a true Renaissance man. He knew Latin and
Greek, and while studying in Italy, he met Leonardo da Vinci.

Apart from astronomy, Copernicus was involved in law, mathematics,
economics, astrology, and military strategy. He was also a translator and
a doctor.

Read more:

Nicolaus Copernicus Early Life

Nicolaus Copernicus and the Heliocentric Theory

What Did Nicolaus Copernicus Discover?

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King Jan III Sobieski - the King Who Saved Europe
King Jan Sobieski was born in Olesko near Lwów (now
Ukrainian Lviv) in 1629. He received a first class education and went on
to study at Jagiellonian University in Kraków before Jan travelled
abroad. He studied military history and tactics including, significantly as it
would turn out, in Turkey, where he learned the Tartar language in the
1650s. Sobieski also spoke French, German and Italian.
Sobieski s greatest moment was to come in 1683. Having marched
through most of the Balkans, a vast Turkish army was massed on the
outskirts of Vienna threatening to overwhelm the Christian world. Led by
King Jan III Sobieski a joint Polish/German/Austrian army scored a
magnificent victory in a day-long battle on 12 September 1683,
vanquishing the Turks. Sobieski led a charge of Polish hussars breaking
the opposition lines. The Turks were to name Sobieski The Lion of
Lechistan (Lechistan being an ancient name of Poland).

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Maria Skłodowska- Curie

Maria Skłodowska – Curie (1867 –1934), was a Polish and naturalized-
French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research
on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person
and the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win
the Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. She was the first woman to become a
professor at the University of Paris in 1906. Marie won the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry for her discovery of the elements polonium and radium, using
techniques she invented for isolating radioactive isotopes.
In 1920 she founded the Curie Institute in Paris, and in 1932 the Curie Institute
in Warsaw; both remain major centres of medical research. During World War
I she developed mobile radiography units to provide X-ray services to field
hospitals. She never lost her sense of Polish identity. She named the
first chemical element she discovered polonium, after her native country.

https://www.liveworksheets.com/tm23163dg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOmyrupuLj8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeVaEPFFNYc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuSsHxPciW0

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Frederic Chopin

Frederic Chopin was a Polish music composer and pianist of the Romantic
era who wrote mainly for the solo piano. He was born in 1810 and grew up in
Warsaw and then lived in Paris for his adult life. His life unfortunately ended
early.

Chopin played the piano in the dark throughout his entire life. He would
always put out the candles in the room, and even when playing at an event or

party. https://youtu.be/wk3eBPC3KKE
He was shy, and only gave around 30 public concerts in his lifetime.
Chopin was a child star; he was writing and composing poetry at age 6 and

performed his first public concerto at age 8. He inherited the music genes from
his parents, his mother was a piano teacher, and his father was a flute and violin

expert. Here is his first work https://youtu.be/XhNaIwGbiOA

In 1 2 , he spent the summer months in Szafarnia (near Wąbrzeźno), the

mansion which is now called the “Chopin Centre,” equipped with a concert hall

and small museum.

Chopin is one of the few composers whose style formed and remained the

same during his youth and never changed throughout his lifetime.

Chopin’s “Minute Waltz” doesn’t mean minute, as in small, but minute as in

the unit of time measurement. The 138 bars of music, however, take around 90

to 120 seconds to play.

Chopin died in 1849, at the young age of 39. His heart was removed from his

body after his death and remains preserved in Poland. He is buried at the Père

Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

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Pope JOHN PAUL II
John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła) was born 1 May 1 20 in Wadowice, near
Krakow. The Pope, authority for many people. Among others he contributed to
Polish Revolutions of 1989.
John Paul visited many countries; he was on each continent and he was in places
where other popes have never been; he knew many languages. His pontificate
started in October 1978.
He is symbol of faith, reconciliation, sacrifice; he is still authority for many Poles.
Karol Wojtyła liked to meet young people, in 1 he started tradition of World
Youth Day which is celebrated till today.
In May 1981 the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II took place in
Vatican City’. The Pope was shot and wounded by Turkish assassin.
He tried to kill the Pope but fortunately our Pope survived.
John Paul II died in 2005 in Vatican City at the age of 85.
In 2011 there was his beatifications ; 2014- he was canonized.

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It is particularly the story of Solidarity that remains the most impressive
element of the Polish road to freedom. What started as a workers union led by
Lech Walesa at the Gdansk Shipyard, in 1980 turned into one of the biggest civic
movements in world history.

Those days Solidarity was declared illegal, and its leaders were arrested.
On It remained an underground movement until 1989.
In 1981, martial law was imposed in Poland to crush the Solidarity movement. In
April 1989 the government agreed to legalize the movement.

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By the summer of 1990 all the former communist regimes of Eastern Europe
were replaced by democratically elected governments. The course was set for
the reintegration of Eastern Europe into Western economic, political, and
security frameworks.
While today the most recognizable symbol of the end of communism in Eastern
Europe is surely the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, it is very
likely that communism in this region had ended a couple of months earlier. In
Poland.

Solidarity remains the most powerful symbol of a nation proud to submit to
oppression and a lesson from which we all can learn today.

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National Folk Song and Dance Ensemble ‘Mazowsze’

https://youtu.be/OeQ6jYzt6cM
https://youtu.be/EbY95g4XaO4
https://youtu.be/ctrO5GV_te0

‘Mazowsze ‘is one of the largest artistic ensembles in the world
performing Poland’s national dances, songs, chants, and traditions. The name
comes from Poland’s central region – Mazowsze, but the ensemble’s repertoire
has quickly expanded to incorporate the folklore of other regions. As of today, it
includes stage presentations of forty-two various regions and their folklore.
‘Mazowsze’ was created in 1948.
Taking into consideration the vast richness of its repertoire as well as its efforts
for the preservation of cultural heritage, Mazowsze is acknowledged as
a national ensemble.

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Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski (born in 1988 in Warsaw) is a Polish footballer,
a forward for German club Bayern Munich and the Polish national team, of
which he is the captain.
As the only Polish player in history, he received the FIFA Footballer of the Year
award, as well as the UEFA Footballer of the Year. With 23 trophies, he is the
most successful Polish footballer in history. By scoring five goals in nine minutes,
in a league match against Wolfsburg in 2015, he entered the Guinness Book of
Records.
In 228 Bundesliga appearances to date, he has rattled off 152 goals.
Lewandowski also has a creative side. ... Prolific, selfless, and as fit as a
fiddle, Lewandowski has to be considered one of the, if not, the most
complete striker in world football today – think Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic
rolled into one.

Robert Lewandowski 5 goals in 9 minutes
https://youtu.be/TthnLjCrMTg
Robert Lewandowski - Magical Skills & Goals-

https://youtu.be/RMQdjlUx5sM

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Wąbrze no, May 2021

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