Poland+History


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Poland History Native people Poles

Independence November 11, 1918 is when Poland gained independence after 123 years of partition by Russia, Prussia and Austria. This is one of the most significant days in Poland's history.



During World War II Poland was invaded by Germany and did not regain independence until 1989. It was known as the "Third Polish Republic".

The above information came from Wikipedia.



Interesting Facts


 * The country's first historically documented ruler was MIeszko I, Duke of Polans
 * Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish born astronomer, formulated the first heliocentric model of the solar system. This started the scientific revolution that would transform Europe and weaken the Catholic Church. This is ironic because Poland is mainly of the Catholic religion today.
 * In 1939, Poland had the largest Jewish community in Europe (about 3.5 million). This might have something to do with why 70% of the Nazi extermination camps during WWII were located in what is now Poland. This included three very famous camps: Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka and Belzec.

The above facts came from Eupedia.

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 Created by: Whitney Davis- wldavis@ilstu.edu  Created: 11/29/2010 Last Modified: 12/14/2010  © 2010 Illinois State University