"POLAND - THE MAGICAL DESTINATION" a Poland Travel Page by Wiktoria

Pictured: Tatra Mountains

LONG DEMOCRATIC TRADITIONS IN POLAND:
I though this would be a very interesting but probably little known fact about Poland. In 1493 Poland established Seym (diet or parliament). It was made up of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The electorate was limited to gentry only. However, gentry in Poland formed 20% of the population. During the assemblies all members were equal. It didn't matter if a member was almost as poor as a peasant or if he was a magnate who owned hundreds of villages. The system was well established and worked like a true parliamentary system. It was the GOLDEN LIBERTY OF POLAND, that every Pole was proud of since it was without a question THE ONLY SYSTEM OF ITS KIND IN EUROPE of that time. Moreover, the SIZE OF THE ELECTORATE IN 17 CENTURY POLAND WAS NOT EQUALLED BY THE REST OF EUROPE UNTIL THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19 CENTURY. And one last thing, Poland passed <font color="burgundy">THE FIRST MODERN CONSTITUTION IN EUROPE</font> (second in the world) on May 3rd, 1791.

Sites in Poland on <font color="brown">UNESCO</font> World Heritage List:

1. 1978 Krakow
2. 1978 Wieliczka Salt Mine
3. 1979 Oswiecim-Brzezinka (Auschwitz-Birkenau) German Nazi Concentration Camp
4. 1980 Warsaw
5. 1992 Zamosc
6. 1997 Torun
7. 1997 Malbork
8. 1999 Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
9. 2001 Churches of Peace in Jawor and Swidnica
10. 2002 six XV and XVI centuries Gothic wooden churches from the Malopolska region
11. 2004 Park Muzakowski

Other places that will join the UNESCO World Heritage list in the near future:

1. Gdansk
2. Wisloujscie (fortress near Gdansk)
3. Neolithic flint mine in the village of Krzemionki Opatowskie (close to Kielce)

Places in Poland on the UNESCO Biosphere list:
1. Babia Gora (Babia Mountain)
2. Bialowieza Forest
3. Lukajno Lake
4. Slowinski National Park
5. Puszcza Kampinoska (forest)
6. West Polesie
7. Karkonosze Mountains
8. East Carpathians (mountains)
9. Tatra Mountains