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Situated in the heartland of Europe, Poland has been both a bridge and a front line between eastern and western Europe. Today, free from outside interference, Poland is the place to go if you're interested in seeing how a nation picks itself up off the floor and tries to reinvent itself. It's a multifaceted country where the capital and medieval old towns are coddled by contemporary city slickers and where horse-drawn carts negotiate country lanes in areas where the 20th century appears to have got lost somewhere down the road.
Full country name:
Republic of Poland
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Population: 38.6 million
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Capital city:
Warsaw (pop 1.75 million)
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Religion: 95% Roman Catholic
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Government: Parliamentary republic
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Premier: Leszek Miller
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President: Aleksander Kwasniewski
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Warsaw has been the capital of Poland since the 17th Century. Although a fortified town and castle already existed, most of the beautiful churches and palaces were built during this period and consequently are in the Baroque style. During World War II all were damaged, those in the center totally destroyed. What you see today are faithful reproductions of the originals created from drawings, paintings, photographs and incorporating fragments of the original buildings recovered from the rubble. Let's take a walk through the old town. A good place to start is in the broad avenue that leads to the Royal Castle -Krakowskie Przedmiescie, lined with wonderful Baroque churches and palaces. After you pass the President's Palace on your right, and the statue of the poet Mickiewicz, you come

Warsaw's beloved symbol - the fighting mermaid Syrenka - was recently moved from its remote location to a new position in the center of the square. The mermaid, with raised sword and shield, is a symbol of Warsaw's fighting spirit and has been on the city's coat of arms for centuries. Every city building, bus and taxi proudly carries this insignia.
Continue north along another narrow street (motor vehicles are barred from the Old Town) to the reconstructed gateway in the old city walls,