The first time I traveled to Poland, I fell in love with it. As a result, I returned to Poland to see more of this beautiful country a year later in 1999. I returned for a third trip to Gdansk in 2008. Poland is a true testament to the human spirit. After everything this nation and her people have been through in the last 500 years, she still takes her place among the great nations of Europe, and her people still possess a great warmth. This is another country that I would have no problem living in. Even if I return to Poland a hundred times more, I know I will always feel the same way about this great nation.
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Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived around the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe. |   |
