Poland is an important European country with a population around 38 million. The country has a long coastline on the Baltic Sea; bordering Belarus in the east, the Czech Republic in the southwest, Germany in the west, Russia and Lithuania in the northeast, Slovakia in the south, and Ukraine in the southeast. The country, which implements a parliamentary democratic system, has a developing economic performance with increasing GDP and per capita income each year. Poland is one of the top 21-22 economies in the world. In the near future, it could easily reach top 20. At the same time, Poland has been a member of the United Nations (UN) since 1945, of NATO since 1999, and of the European Union (EU) since 2004.
The country stands out with its cultural richness. Of Polish society, around 90 % the people belong to the Roman Catholic faith. The country is very rich especially in terms of its historical churches and museums. Although its history was the scene of many bloody wars in the past, Poland overcame all these difficulties and carried its values to the present day. In addition to the fact that most of the Polish population lives in cities, the rural areas are also well preserved and organic agriculture is widely practiced in Poland.
I mentioned earlier that Poland has a war-filled past. However, now that all the negative aspects of the oppressive communist regime is left behind, there is a fully democratic structure and an atmosphere of prosperity and freedom in every parts of the country. The developing structure of the country, with its economy, educated young population, and promising future, makes Poland a target country for international students, investors, and tourists.
Although the older generation only knows and uses the local Polish language in the daily live, the fact that the young population in the country is very well educated and knows English language provides an advantage at the point of communication. When you come here, you will find many good hotels and restaurants etc. In addition to widespread communication in English, there is the possibility of encountering various languages. However, English is the most widely used language in Polish cities.
The city where I continue to my doctoral education is Warsaw, a city with a population of 1,724,404. Warsaw is the capital and also the largest city of Poland. After the great fire in Krakow in 1595, it became the capital of Poland. Warsaw is a city of culture, art, and history. At this point, it should be added that it is the most touristic city in Poland as well. The city, which suffered great damage in the Second World War, has an old appearance with its old structure, but still standing with its new structures. Warsaw is also one of the most historically and culturally important cities not only in Poland, but also in the whole Europe. A few buildings here are on the UNESCO World Heritage List and are under protection.
Although it became a member of the EU several years ago, we can say that, Poland, which has not started to use the Euro as its currency yet, is one of the most suitable countries to visit for tourists. The prices are not that expensive and the country is in general very tourist-friendly. Furthermore, there are many different transportation networks in big cities, which offer fast and safe travel opportunities. There are almost all global brands even in small and medium-sized markets and shopping malls.
Andrzej Duda
I would like to say a few things about current Polish politics as well with a particular focus on Poland’s solidarity with Ukraine. The President of Poland, Mr. Andrzej Duda, stated that he had met with the Ukrainian President Volodomir Zelenskiy in Kiev shortly before the start of the Russia-Ukraine War and he had told him that -despite Mr. Zelenskiy’s pessimistic statement about not being able to see each other once again- they would meet more often and that they could always trust Poland. Since Poland, -due to its history- loves, supports, and knows the value of freedom, it stands together with Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression. Polish people understand the feelings of Ukrainian people and they support Ukrainian fight for independence. Today, with this war, Russia is trying to achieve geographical changes with the dream of creating an empire and Moscow wants Europe to be dependent on its energy resources. However, during the war, we have seen the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian society, which resulted in a miracle and prevented the mighty Russian Army to take control in Ukrainian lands. Although the winner and the loser of the war are not yet clear, it seems essential for Ukraine to win this war for the sake of humanity, democracy, and peace. Ukrainian people deserve this.
Türkiye (Turkey) also showed its clear political/diplomatic support for Ukraine at this point, as Turkish President of the Republic, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, many times condemned the Russian aggression and declared his support for the Ukranian people who defend their territories. At this point, one should discover that in fact we are not anti-Russia, but we only defend the international law and the UN Charter, which clearly support territorial integrity of all states.
Oğuzhan MANİOĞLU
