Poland Hotels Booking

Position - Poland is situated in Central Europe on the Baltic, in between Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the former Soviet Union. The total area is 3.487 kilometres and borders:

• The Baltic - 528 km;
• The Russian federation - Region Kaliningrad - 210 km;
• Lithuania - 103 km;
• Belarus - 416 km;
• Ukraine - 529 km;
• Slovakia - 539 km;
• The Czech Republic - 795 km;
• Germany - 467 km.

Surface - Poland amounts to 312.685 km², of which 304.465 km² is land and 8.220 km² is territorial sea with 1.200 km² of lagoons, which makes it the ninth largest nation of Europe and the 63rd largest nation in the world.

Climate - Poland has a temperate climate which is influenced by the sea in the north and more continental in the south east and east. Summers are generally warm and sunny, with the occasional rain shower. Poland has, in contrast with other countries, six seasons. There is a pre-spring and an extra autumn, in which the weather can be warm and dry. Especially this golden polish autumn, the so-called indian summer, is quite special.

Sea-level - Poland is a lowland of which 91,3% of the surface lies only 300 metres above the new Amsterdam water-mark.

Average temperature - in the spring and summer months the temperatures are very agreeable, averaging 17ºC in the north and 19ºC in the south. The average temperature in the winter months is between -1ºC and 0ºC in the west and -5ºC and -6ºC in the north-east and in the mountains to the south.

The highest mountain Rysy - is situated in the immense Tatra mountain range with a height of 2.499 metres above sea-level. The name “Rysy” in English means “cracks”, and it received it’s name because when looking at it from a distance it looks like as if there are many cracks running down the side as if drawn with a pencil. Rysy mountain ranks 15th highest of the Tatra mountain range, with the highest mountain being situated on the Slovakian side of the range and reaching a height of 2.655 metres.

Śniardwy - is the largest lake in Poland and is situated in Warmian – Masurian. The lake has a longitude of 22 kilometres and a latitude of more than 13 kilometres, and a total surface of 114 km². The maximum depth is 23 metres and the average depth is 5,8 metres. This lake is characterized by sand banks, flat stones which lie just below the surface of the water and high waves. There are a total of eight islands whose total combined surface amount of 44 hektares. The largest islands into the lake are called Szeroko Ostrów, Czarci Ostrów, Pajęcza and Kaczor. The largest lagoons in the south of the lake are classified as a lake of their own and are called Warnołty i Seksty.

Hańcza - with a depth of 108,5 metres Hancza is the deepest lake in Poland. It is a beautiful lake with pure clear water, and it is used for drinking water. The surface amounts to 305 hektares, the longitude nearly 5 kilometres and the maximum latitude 1 kilometres. The banks of the lake are mostly steep and high with many large stones. Since 1963 the lake has been used as a landscape-water-tank.

Żuławy - the lowlands of Poland are situated along the coastal region of Gdansk, in the river delta from the Wisła. The name Żuławy comes from the term “Żuł”, which means “sediment”. Żuławy lies 30 % below sea-level of which the lowest part lies –1,8 metres below new Amsterdam water mark. This place is marked as the lowest point in Poland and the nearest town is Raczki Elbląskie which is situated near the road Elbląg (Elbing) – Malbork (Marienburg).

The river Wisła - boasting a length of 1.047 kilometers, this is the most important and longest river in Poland and the largest river which flows into the Baltic Sea. The walls of the river are begin in the south of Poland and highly placed at 1.106 metres above new Amsterdam water mark. The average flow near the mouth of the river amounts to 1.054 metres³/second.

The time-zone - Poland shares Central Europe time zone, the 15º East longitude meridian. In the summer it is the Eastern Europe time, the 30º East longitude meridian. The extreme geographical co-ordinates of Poland are:

• 49º00’ geographical the North latitude (N) - the mountaintop Opołonek
• 54º50’ geographical the North latitude (N) - the cape Rozewie
• 14º07’ geographical the East longitude (E) - the winding of the river Oder near Osinów Dolny
• 24º08’ geographical the East longitude (E) - the knee of the river Bug near Zosin.

The population - the census at the end of 2005 was 38,64 million inhabitants.

Revival - in recent years, tourism in Poland has enjoyed a substantial boost thanks to an increasing number of budget airlines, more airports within Poland and improved roadways. Additionally, accommodation in Poland has improved in quality and remained low in price.

The coastal region to the North boasts magnificent sand beaches and a variety of water sports, geared toward all ages. The hilly landscape within the mountainous region to the South of the country offers many possibilities, among them are cycling, walking, hiking, mountaineering, skiing, tobogganing, biathalon and sledding. Above all, Poland has pure untouched nature just waiting to be appreciated.

Poland’s rich historical culture and various festivals has made Poland more and more interesting for tourists. The former capital city Krakaw is often seen as the most beautiful city in Poland, and receives annually approximately 1 million visitors. One of the main attractions in Krakaw is the Jagiellonen university, founded into 1364. The hotels, restaurants, pubs and the night-life are to be found in the larger cities of Krakaw, Warsaw, Breslaw and Poznan, which draw a young and metropolitan crowd.

There are in Poland 23 national parks and numerous nature reserves. For example, the Karkonosze national park is to be found close to the German border and it is magnificent to visit in the summer where you will find beautiful vegetation and foliage, as well as in the winter when the park is visited by many skiers. Szklarska Poręba and Karpacz are the most popular areas, with the salt-mines of Wielinczka and Bochnia enjoying as of late an increase in tourism mostly due to the various spas and resorts housed there.

Typically, Polish festivities have a connection with Christian traditions and/or various heathen ceremonies, resulting in a unique mixture of heathen and Christina traditions.

Advent - is the time of the fasting, prayer and focus on divine service, and lasts four weeks. This is the period which leads up to Christmas and during this time there are no parties or festivities. It is a a time of devotion and prayers for those who have died, as it is believed that those who have died can also harass the living. In the time of Advent there are treats early in the morning in all churches (the so called Rotary or Jutrznie) along with prayer to celebrate the Advent of Christ.

Holy Evening (24th December) - is the most festive evening of the year and the beginning of Christmas, which belongs to the family feasts of the year which is full of traditions, atmosphere and excitement!

The Holy Evening typically includes dishes which are prepared from the ingredients of the field, the orchard, the garden, the forest and the water. A festive menu must contain: soup from red beets, mushrooms or from fish. A central dish would be herring or carp which could be prepared in several ways. On the table it is not be permitted to miss cabbage-dishes, compote from dried fruit, noodles with poppy seed, sweets, poppy seed cakes or poppy seed with dried semi-tropical fruit - the so called “Kutia” -. Various Christmas cakes can be served including honey-cakes, biscuits and curd cheese cakes. And no Holy Evening table would be complete without nuts, fruit and various assorted sweets.

The birth of J.C. - Christmas (25th of December) - in the colloquial language “Christmas Day”, formerly called Godami, Godnimi or Godnymi (dignity-festivity-day). Christmas Day commences with the participation in an early mass. On this day no one works and in earlier days, it was a day of rest without social gatherings or guests with the exception of family. Nowadays people have moved away from this attitude and do socialize however it is low-key and spent with immediate family.

Holy Szczepan (26th of December) - The day after Christmas Day. The patron saint of the day is the “Holy Szczepan”, the first Christian martyr. Traditionally, mainly in the villages, people consecrated oats, or other corn-sorts, during the divine service in memory of the first Christian martyr, who was stoned to death. At home the whole family, neighbors and acquaintances enjoy the various corn-sorts. The Holy Szczepan also signals the beginning of carnival, ad time of festivities and the tours of the balled-singers.

Christmas - keeps man from the IV century and during the centuries formed the premise of the majority of folk-customs and religious ceremonies themselves. Some of these rituals are slowly disappearing, while others maintain a rich and meaningful form.

Also attached man Christmas with many traditions. For example the next one, which means that there must always be an even number of people at the table, otherwise it is believed that a family member or a person close to the family would go away for ever. Each person must taste every dish. In former days people enjoyed the Christmas dinner in silence, and no one was allowed to leave the table early or put their spoon on the table, before everyone was finished. If it was necessary, people would hold the spoons between their teeth. After dinner, it was not allowed to clear the table and everything would stand there until the next morning. It was also tradition to place a bottle of vodka on the table for the souls of the dead. After dinner, Christmas carols would be sung and afterwards off to church to celebrate Christmas mass.

While the traditions have changed, many disappeared altogether with only a small few remaining. Nowadays people will share wafers before dinner and make a wish out loud before eating them. All dishes must be tasted and there must not be more than one empty spot at the table – the logic behind this being that no one must be alone on this day. Ceremonies such as singing Christmas carols and attending mass at the church have always been observed. On Holy Evening presents are also given, and in former times only the children received presents and even then this was mostly practices among the wealthier city dwellers who could afford to do so. In several parts of Poland the houses are visited by people who are called “little stars” or simply put: Christmas carolers.

New Year’s Eve (31st of December) / New Year (1st of January) - still in the XIX century the New Year’s Eves were almost exclusively celebrated in affluent families. Nowadays the dancing, festivities and parties are considered a time-honored tradition. New Year’s Eve- and New Year’s festivities are spent mostly among family or with close friends at a private party, disco, in a restaurant or some other location where people reserve their place far ahead of time. However, it is not compulsory to celebrate this as big as possible. Many people prefer to spend the evening sitting snugly in front of the television or at home, but the fact remains that no one is supposed to be alone on this day. On this day it is appropriate to wish someone, in the old Polish language, “do siego roku” which means “I wish you well” but the most fun is had drinking champagne and at midnight ringing in the New Year with fireworks in the European way.

Carnival - after an old Polish habit called “zapusty”, is the time from New Years up to Ash Wednesday. This is a time of pleasure, feasts and dancing which takes place right before the long fasting period.

All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day (1st and 2nd of November) - are days sacred to the memory of all deceased people. The first of November was considered “All Saint’s Day”, and was a cheerful and festive day which was reflected in the liturgical dress that was worn by the clergy on that day during mass. The second of November “All Soul’s Day”, was a day for memorial feasts honoring the deceased. The festival started with the church-liturgy in the X century and at that time there was a memorial service for the souls of the deceased. The former traditions have now evolved and are replaced by placing flowers and candles on the graves of the deceased. Burning candles are a symbol of memorializing those who have passed on, and are also symbol of Christ and the eternal light.

Andrzejki (30th of November) - is the time of predictions for young ladies throughout Poland, regarding love and marriage. Although this ritual is widely known and practiced, there is uncertainty as to how this particular tradition came about. Regardless of it’s true origin, people agree that the signs have developed a Christian connotation. According to the Catholic calendar, the day of the holy Andrzejki ends the church-year, after which Advent begins.

In Poland the tradition of Andrzejki has survived ages, and throughout it’s practice it’s never been allowed that older or married woman, nor boys are invited to participate. The most well-known and frequently used form of obtaining a prediction makes use of pouring heated wax or lead onto water through the opening of a key, and watching the thus formed silhouettes on the wall, you could see ghostly images of what the future would bring. A prediction of the same form was to burn paper and to observe the movable shadows on the wall. These and many other forms of making predictions were locally developed and depended on the needs and imaginations of the young ladies. The traditions have sustained until now and are still popular, although nowadays they are used primarily as a form of entertainment.