Posts under "Geography"

Amnesty for illegal immigrants in Poland

Posted by Kasia 3 Comments
Dec 29 2011

Thousands of illegal immigrants will be allowed to stay and work in Poland under an amnesty unveiled today that highlights the country’s transformation into a regional economic powerhouse from communist-era basket case.

Traditionally a country of emigration, Poland has become an increasingly attractive magnet for immigrants, especially from neighboring former Soviet republics such as Ukraine and Belarus, as it notches up high rates of economic growth.

Under the amnesty, economic migrants and unsuccessful asylum seekers will be able from January 1 to receive a resident card for two years that will allow them to work legally in Poland. Legalizing the immigrants will benefit the Polish economy by turning them into taxpayers.

The amnesty will apply to undocumented immigrants who arrived in Poland before December 20, 2007, and to asylum seekers who were denied refugee status before January 1, 2010, provided that they have continuously resided in Poland. The idea is to reach the largest number of foreigners in order to regularize this situation in the widest possible manner.

Most economic migrants entered Poland legally but overstayed their visas, officials say.

More than two thirds of the illegal immigrants in Poland are believed to live in Warsaw and the surrounding Mazowsze region. Some 7,000 of these people probably fulfill the criteria of the amnesty.

1 million visitors to Wieliczka Salt Mine

Posted by Kasia 1 Comment
Nov 26 2011
One millionth visitor to the Wieliczka Salt Mine this year is expected this week. As in the previous year, the lucky buyer of one millionth ticket will be welcomed by fanfares and the legendary “Treasurer”.

The lucky tourist will also receive a voucher for PLN 2,000 (about $600US) to spend on additional attractions in the salt mine.

Big countdown continues for weeks. On Tuesday, the number of tourists at the end of the day amounted to 999 597 people.

Tourists from Great Britain were the largest group among the foreign visitors who came to Wielczka. They were followed by Germans and Italians. Mine was also visited by tourists from all corners of the world including Rwanda, India, Kuwait, Ethiopia, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe and Togo.

The Wieliczka Salt Mine, located in the town of Wieliczka in southern Poland, lies within the Kraków metropolitan area. The mine, built in the 13th century, produced table salt continuously until 2007, as one of the world’s oldest salt mines still in operation. From its beginning and throughout its existence, the Royal mine was run by the Żupy krakowskie Salt Mines, believed to be the world’s 14th-oldest company. Commercial mining was discontinued in 1996 due to low salt prices and mine flooding.

Take a look at this post:http://www.transparent.com/polish/salt-mine-in-wieliczka/

The mine’s attractions include dozens of statues and an entire chapel that has been carved out of the rock salt by the miners. The oldest sculptures are augmented by the new carvings by actual artists. About 1.2 million people visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine annually.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Ronald Reagan statue unveiled in Warsaw

Posted by Kasia 2 Comments
Nov 21 2011

Today some recent news from Poland.

Former Polish president and anti-communist leader Lech Wałęsa unveiled a statue of Ronald Reagan on an elegant Warsaw street on Monday, honoring the late U.S. president for inspiring Poland’s toppling of communism (obalenie komunizmu).

Though Reagan’s legacy is mixed in the U.S., across much of central and eastern Europe he is considered the greatest American leader in recent history for challenging the Soviet Union.

“I wonder whether today’s Poland, Europe and world could look the same without president Reagan,” Wałęsa said. “As a participant in those events, I must say that it’s inconceivable.”

The 11.5-foot bronze statue depicts a smiling Reagan in a historic moment — as he stood at a podium at Berlin’s Brandenburg gate in 1987 and said the famous words, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

It sits across from the U.S. Embassy on Aleje Ujazdowskie, a street lined with embassies and manicured parks in the heart of the capital.

“Reagan gave us hope,” said Janusz Dorosiewicz, the president of the board of the Ronald Reagan Foundation in Poland. He conceived of the monument and struggled for six years with bureaucracy to secure the prized location for the statue.

Several statues of Reagan have gone up this year, the centennial of Reagan’s birth. Most notably, monuments to him have been erected in London and in Budapest, Hungary, and yet another is to be unveiled later this week in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

“We’ve been joking that there are so many statues that we should do a coffee table book,” said Linda Bond, a representative of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, who was in Warsaw for the ceremony.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Visiting Trzęsacz

Posted by Kasia No Comments
Nov 7 2011

Trzęsacz is visited by crowds of people every year. A lot of them are summer holidaymakers enjoying the sea and the sandy beaches, while others come here to see the remains of the Gothic church of St. Nicolas, erected in the 15th century and the ruins of which are the postcard symbol of Trzęsacz. This part of the coastline is a spectacular example of the erosive power of the waves, and visiting the ruins picturesquely located on the cliff gives you a clear idea of just how mighty the sea is.

The church in Trzęsacz was originally erected 2 km away from the sea; however, during the course of time the sea has eroded and devoured the land. In the 19th century a decision was taken to close the church for safety reasons, and the first wall fell in 1901 with the next soon after. The final collapse took place in 1994 and at present all that remains is just one brick wall standing alone on a sandy cliff covered with concrete for protection against the powerful waves. Nevertheless, predictions say that before long nothing will be left of the church: after over 100 years it will certainly succumb to the destructive power of the sea. Nevertheless, today the ruins continue to draw tourists and are a much-photographed site.

In summer you can get to Trzęsacz from the town of Gryfice on board a train on the old narrow-gauge railway. A stay in the village at this time of the year gives you the opportunity for plenty of water sports and especially for paragliding from the take-off point on one of the cliffs. The local 19th century palace nowadays houses a hotel and horse stables.

Has anyone visited this place? Let us know what you thought about it!

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Dunajec rafting

Posted by Kasia 4 Comments
Oct 17 2011

Do you feel like looking at some stunning views and possibly some equally amazing stories thrown in? Well, hop on a plane or train to the south of Poland, where you can go rafting and explore the fantastic Dunajec River Gorge.

The Dunajec River runs through a very picturesque gorge (Przełom Dunajca), whose peaks rise over hundreds of metres above the water. The rafting is organised by local flisaks (“flisak”is an old Polish word used to refer to those who transport people or goods on rivers). They have special boats, or canoes, which take up to 20 people and travel downstream to the town of Szczawnica. On the way you pass through the Pieniny National Park with its mind-blowing views and lush nature. The scenery of jade green waters through the limestone mountains is stunning and a rafter’s dream. The Flisacy raftsmen skilfully steer their simple boats through breathtaking scenery using a single wooden pole. During the journey they regale their passengers with folkloric tales in very interesting English/Slovak, occasionally cracking the odd ethnic joke.

Cliffs, castles, forests and farmlands glide past until a lunch stop is found and a simple but superb meal of trout and sheep-milk cheese with cranberry sauce completes the surreal experience.

Sounds like a unique way to see a very unusual and relatively unknown part of ‘old Europe’ which is still very beautiful, relatively untouched and still quite traditional.

The gorge runs through the Pieniny Mountains which are in the south of Poland, near the Slovak border. In fact, part the river itself forms the border between the two countries. Views of the gorge are breath-taking and it’s definitely at its best in the summer or in early autumn, when the colours of the trees begin to change.

Have you done this rafting before? Please let us know what you thought about it?

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

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