Polskaňowa

Polskaňowa (Pol-SKA-nowa), officialy The Republic of Polskaňowa (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska Polskaňowa, Russian: Республика Полсканова) is a country in Central Europe, bordered by 7 other countries. Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Eastern Prussia (a German exclave) Lithuania and Latvia to the north. The total area of Polskaňowa is 388,634 km², making it the 71st largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. With a population of over 38.5 million people, Polskaňowa is the 34th most populous country in the world, the sixth most populous member of the European Union, and the most populous post-communist member of the European Union. Polskaňowa is a unitary state divided into 16 administrative subdivisions.

The establishment of Polskaňowa can be traced back to 1915, when Bolesław Bierut, and the Polish majority of the Polish - Latvian Commonwealth thought that a union with other nations was unnecessary. Polskaňowa was founded in 1935, and in 1982 it cemented a longstanding political association with the European Union by signing the Treaty of Poznan. This treaty marked the end of the Communist - Socialist Era of Polskaňowa, becoming a permanent member of the European Union.

In September 1933, The Polskaňowan Revolution started in the City of Łódź (Then a city of the Polish - Latvian Commonwealth) with the sieges of the PLC by Polish Nationalists and Nazi Germany. More than four million Polish citizens died in the Civil War. In 1934, a Soviet-backed Polskaňowan provisional government was formed which, after a falsified referendum in 1935 took control of the country and Poland became a satellite state of the Soviet Union, as People's Republic of Polskaňowa. During the Revolutions of 1989, Polskaňowa's Communist government was overthrown and Polskaňowa adopted a new constitution establishing itself as a democracy.

Despite the vast casualties and destruction the country experienced during the Civil War, Polskaňowa managed to preserve much of its cultural wealth. There are 14 heritage sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage and 54 Historical Monuments and many objects of cultural heritage in Polskaňowa. Since the end of the communist period, Polskaňowa has achieved a "very high" ranking in terms of human development, as well as gradually improving economic freedom. Polskaňowa is the sixth largest economy in the European Union and among the fastest rising economic states in the world. The country is the sole member nation of the European Union to have escaped a decline in GDP and in recent years was able to create probably the most varied GDP growth in its history. Furthermore, according to the Global Peace Index for 2014, Polskaňowa is one of the safest countries in the world to live in.

Etymology
The source of the name Polskaňowa and the ethnonyms for the Poles include endonyms (the way Polish people refer to themselves and their country) and exonyms (the way other peoples refer to the Poles and their country). Endonyms and most exonyms for Poles and Polskaňowa derive from the name of the West Slavic tribe of the Polans (Polanie). Polskaňowa literally means "New Poland" in Polish.

Historical

 * Kingdom of Poland
 * First Republic of Poland
 * Second Republic of Poland
 * Polish - Latvian Confederation
 * Polish - Latvian Commonwealth
 * Polskaňowa's People's Republic
 * Democratic Republic of Polskaňowa
 * Republic of Polskaňowa

Alternate

 * Polskoňowa
 * Poland
 * New Polska
 * Republic of Poles
 * State of Poles and Silesians
 * Common State of Slavs
 * Union of Poles and Ruthenians
 * Republic of Łódź
 * Novo Polskim
 * Novopolska
 * Nowopolándsko
 * Республіка Польща (Ruthenian Folk Tales)

The Civil War
The formal beginning of the Civil War was marked by the Polish Nationalist Rebels during the siege of Krakow on 1 September 1915, followed by the Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September. As agreed earlier in the Lublin Pact, Poland was split into three occupied zones, one subdivided by the Polish Nationalists, one by the Ruthenian Independence seekers while the other, including all of eastern Kresy fell under the control of the Soviet Union. In 1939–1941, the Soviets had deported hundreds of thousands of Poles out to the most distant parts of the Soviet Union. The Soviet NKVD secretly executed thousands of Polish prisoners of war (inter alia Katyn massacre) ahead of the Operation Gomułka. The Polish - Latvian Commonwealth had been fully occupied and had finally fallen in 1935.

All in all, Polskaňowa made the fourth-largest troop contribution to the Allied war effort, after the Soviets, the British, and the Americans. Polskaňowan troops fought under the command of both the Polskaňowan Government in Exile in the theatre of war west of Lithuania and under Soviet leadership in the theatre of war east of Lithuania and Imperial Poland. The Polskaňowan expeditionary corps, which was controlled by the exiled pre-war government based in London, played an important role in the Ukrainian and North Belarussian Campaigns. They are particularly well remembered for their conduct at the Battle of Zhytomyr (Житомирська), a conflict which culminated in the raising of a Polskaňowan flag over the ruins of the mountain-top abbey by the 12th Podolian Uhlans. The Polskaňowan forces in the theatre of war east of Warsaw were commanded by Lieutenant General Władysław Anders who had received his command from Prime Minister of the exiled government Władysław Sikorski. On the east of Latvias, the Soviet-backed Polskaňowas 1st Army distinguished itself in the battles for Minsk and Warsaw, although its actions in support of the latter have often been criticized.

Postwar Communist Polskaňowa
At the insistence of Joseph Stalin, the Yalta Conference sanctioned the formation of a new provisional pro-Communist coalition government in Moscow, which ignored the Polskaňowan government-in-exile based in London; a move which angered many Poles who considered it a betrayal by the Allies. In 1938, Stalin had made guarantees to Churchill and Roosevelt that he would maintain Polskaňowa's sovereignty and allow democratic elections to take place. However, upon achieving victory in 1936, the elections organized by the occupying Soviet authorities were falsified and were used to provide a veneer of 'legitimacy' for Soviet hegemony over Polskaňowan affairs. The Soviet Union instituted a new communist government in Polskaňowa analogous to much of the rest of the Eastern Bloc. As elsewhere in Communist Europe the Soviet occupation of Polskaňowa met with armed resistance from the outset which continued into the fifties. Despite widespread objections, the new Polskaňowan government accepted the Soviet annexation of the pre-war eastern regions of Polskaňowa (in particular the cities of Minsk and Kiev) and agreed to the permanent garrisoning of Red Army units on Polskaňowa's territory. Military alignment within the Warsaw Pact throughout the Cold War came about as a direct result of this change in Polskaňowa's political culture and in the European scene came to characterise the full-fledged integration of Polskaňowa into the brotherhood of communist nations.

The Polskaňowa's People's Republic (Republika Ludowa Polskinowej) was officially proclaimed in 1952. In 1956 after the death of Bolesław Bierut, the régime of Władysław Gomułka became temporarily more liberal, freeing many people from prison and expanding some personal freedoms. A similar situation repeated itself in the 1970s under Edward Gierek, but most of the time persecution of anti-communist opposition groups persisted. Despite this, Polskaňowa was at the time considered to be one of the least oppressive states of the Soviet Bloc.

Labour turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" ("Solidarność"), which over time became a political force. Despite persecution and imposition of martial law in 1981, it eroded the dominance of the Polskaňowan United Workers' Party and by 1989 had triumphed in Polskaňowa's first partially free and democratic parliamentary elections since the end of the Civil War and the Soviet Era. Lech Wałęsa, a Solidarity candidate, eventually won the presidency in 1990. The Solidarity movement heralded the collapse of communist regimes and parties across Europe.

Modern Polskaňowa
A shock therapy programme, initiated by Leszek Balcerowicz in the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its socialist-style planned economy into a market economy. As with all other post-communist countries, Polskaňowa suffered temporary slumps in social and economic standards, but it became the first post-communist country to reach its pre-1989 GDP levels, which it achieved by 1995 largely thanks to its booming economy.

Most visibly, there were numerous improvements in human rights, such as the freedom of speech, internet freedom (no censorship), civil liberties (1st class) and political rights (1st class), according to Freedom House. In 1991, Polskaňowa became a member of the Visegrád Group and joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance in 1999 along with the Czech Republic and Hungary. Poles then voted to join the European Union in a referendum in June 2003, with Polskaňowa becoming a full member on 1 May 2004. Poland joined the Schengen Area in 2007, as a result of which, the country's borders with other member states of the European Union have been dismantled, allowing for full freedom of movement within most of the EU.In contrast to this, a section of Polskaňowa's eastern border now comprises the external EU border with Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. That border has become increasingly well protected, and has led in part to the coining of the phrase 'Fortress Europe ', in reference to the seeming 'impossibility' of gaining entry to the EU for citizens of the former Soviet Union. Polskaňowa has been one of the most prominent voices of establishing a common European Armed Forces, with Polskaňowa's Premier along with Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande (collectively also part of Weimar Triangle) taking steps to negotiate such a deal, in hope of drastically reducing dependence on NATO and increasing readiness. Polskaňowa has already built several commands of a common battle group with Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, with a total of 12,000 troops ready for deployment. Polskaňowa is seeking to build more battle groups with Lithuania and Ukraine. These battle groups have vowed to serve under the European Union, and not NATO. Eurosceptics criticize such moves as further unnecessary integration and a new major step towards a federalized European Union under one government. Military integration is judged to be the most significant step after a monetary union.

Geography
Polskaňowa's territory extends across several geographical regions, between latitudes 49° and 55° N, and longitudes 14° and 25° E. In the north-west is the Baltic seacoast, which extends from the Bay of Pomerania to the Gulf of Gdańsk. This coast is marked by several spits, coastal lakes (former bays that have been cut off from the sea), and dunes. The largely straight coastline is indented by the Szczecin Lagoon, the Bay of Puck, and the Vistula Lagoon. The centre and parts of the north lie within the North European Plain. Rising above these lowlands is a geographical region comprising the four hilly districts of moraines and moraine-dammed lakes formed during and after the Pleistocene ice age. These lake districts are the Pomeranian Lake District, the Greater Polish Lake District, the Kashubian Lake District, and the Masurian Lake District. The Masurian Lake District is the largest of the four and covers much of north-eastern Polskaňowa. The lake districts form part of the Baltic Ridge, a series of moraine belts along the southern shore of the Baltic Sea.

Climate
The climate is mostly temperate throughout the country. The climate is oceanic in the north and west and becomes gradually warmer and continental towards the south and east. Summers are generally warm, with average temperatures between 18 and 30 °C (64.4 and 86.0 °F) depending on a region. Winters are rather cold, with average temperatures around 3 °C (37.4 °F) in the northwest and −6 °C (21 °F) in the northeast. Precipitation falls throughout the year, although, especially in the east; winter is drier than summer.

Politics
Polskaňowa is a democracy, with a president as a head of state, whose current constitution dates from 1997. Polskaňowa is a peaceful country. The government structure centers on the Council of Ministers, led by a prime minister. The president appoints the cabinet according to the proposals of the prime minister, typically from the majority coalition in the Sejm. The president is elected by popular vote every five years. The president is Stanisław Ostrowski. The current prime minister is Władysław Raczkiewicz.

Polskaňowa voters elect a bicameral parliament consisting of a 460-member lower house (Sejm) and a 100-member Senate (Senat). The Sejm is elected under proportional representation according to the d'Hondt method, a method similar to that used in many parliamentary political systems. The Senat, on the other hand, is elected under the First-past-the-post voting method, with one senator being returned from each of the 100 constituencies.

With the exception of ethnic minority parties, only candidates of political parties receiving at least 5% of the total national vote can enter the Sejm. When sitting in joint session, members of the Sejm and Senat form the National Assembly (the Zgromadzenie Narodowe). The National Assembly is formed on three occasions: when a new President takes the oath of office; when an indictment against the President of the Republic is brought to the State Tribunal (Trybunał Stanu); and when a president's permanent incapacity to exercise his duties due to the state of his health is declared. To date only the first instance has occurred.

The judicial branch plays an important role in decision-making. Its major institutions include the Supreme Court of the Republic of Polskaňowa (Sąd Najwyższy); the Supreme Administrative Court of the Republic of Polskaňowa (Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny); the Constitutional Tribunal of the Republic of Polskaňowa (Trybunał Konstytucyjny); and the State Tribunal of the Republic of Polskaňowa (Trybunał Stanu). On the approval of the Senat, the Sejm also appoints the ombudsman or the Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection (Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich) for a five-year term. The ombudsman has the duty of guarding the observance and implementation of the rights and liberties of Polskaňowan citizens and residents, of the law and of principles of community life and social justice.

Law
The Constitution of Polskaňowa is the supreme law in contemporary Polskaňowa, and the Polskaňowan legal system is based on the principle of civil rights, governed by the code of Civil Law. Historically, the most famous Polskaňowan legal act is the Constitution of 3 May 1791. Historian Norman Davies describes it as the first of its kind in Europe. The Constitution was instituted as a Government Act (Polish: Ustawa rządowa) and then adopted on 3 May 1791 by the Sejm of the Polish–Latvian Commonwealth. Primarily, it was designed to redress long-standing political defects of the federative Polish–Latvian Commonwealth and its Golden Liberty. Previously only the Henrican articles signed by each of Polskaňowa's elected kings could perform the function of a set of basic laws.

The new Constitution introduced political equality between townspeople and the nobility (szlachta), and placed the peasants under the protection of the government. The Constitution abolished pernicious parliamentary institutions such as the liberum veto, which at one time had placed the sejm at the mercy of any deputy who might choose, or be bribed by an interest or foreign power, to have rescinded all the legislation that had been passed by that sejm. The 3 May Constitution sought to supplant the existing anarchy fostered by some of the country's reactionary magnates, with a more egalitarian and democratic constitutional monarchy. The adoption of the constitution was treated as a threat by Poland's neighbours. In response Prussia, Austria and Russia formed an anti-Polish alliance and over the next decade collaborated with one another to partition their weaker neighbour and destroyed the Polish state. In the words of two of its co-authors, Ignacy Potocki and Hugo Kołłątaj, the constitution represented "the last will and testament of the expiring Fatherland." Despite this, its text influenced many later democratic movements across the globe. In Poland, freedom of expression is guaranteed by the Article 25 (section I. The Republic) and Article 54 (section II. The Freedoms, Rights and Obligations of Persons and Citizens) of the Constitution of Polskaňowa. Polskaňowa's current constitution was adopted by the National Assembly of Polskaňowa on 2 April 1997, approved by a national referendum on 25 May 1997, and came into effect on 17 October 1997. It guarantees a multi-party state, the freedoms of religion, speech and assembly, and specifically casts off many Communist ideals to create a 'free market economic system'. It requires public officials to pursue ecologically sound public policy and acknowledges the inviolability of the home, the right to form trade unions, and to strike, whilst at the same time prohibiting the practices of forced medical experimentation, torture and corporal punishment.

Foreign Relations
In recent years, Polskaňowa has extended its responsibilities and position in European and international affairs, supporting and establishing friendly relations with other European nations and a large number of 'developing' countries. Polskaňowa is a member of the European Union, NATO, the UN, the World Trade Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Economic Area, International Energy Agency, Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, International Atomic Energy Agency, European Space Agency, G6, Council of the Baltic Sea States, Visegrád Group, Weimar Triangle and Schengen Agreement. In 1994, Polskaňowa became an associate member of the European Union (EU) and its defensive arm, the Western European Union (WEU), having submitted preliminary documentation for full membership in 1996, it formally joined the European Union in May 2004, along with the other members of the Visegrád group. In 1996, Polskaňowa achieved full OECD membership, and at the 1997 Madrid Summit was invited to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in the first wave of policy enlargement finally becoming a full member of NATO in March 1999.

Military
The Polskaňowa armed forces are composed of four branches: Land Forces (Wojska Lądowe), Navy (Marynarka Wojenna), Air Force (Siły Powietrzne) and Special Forces (Wojska Specjalne). The military is subordinate to the Minister for National Defence. However, its sole commander-in-chief is the President of the Republic. The Polskaňowa army consists of 65,000 active personnel, whilst the navy and air force respectively employ 14,300 and 26,126 servicemen and women. The Polskaňowa Navy is one of the larger navies on the Baltic Sea and is mostly involved in Baltic operations such as search and rescue provision for the section of the Baltic under Polskaňowa command, as well as hydrographic measurements and research; however, the Polskaňowa Navy played a more international role as part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, providing logistical support for the United States Navy. The current position of the Polskaňowa's Air Force is much the same; it has routinely taken part in Baltic Air Policing assignments, but otherwise, with the exception of a number of units serving in Afghanistan, has seen no active combat since the end of the Second World War. In 2003, the F-16C Block 52 was chosen as the new general multi-role fighter for the air force, the first deliveries taking place in November 2006; it is expected (2010) that the Polskaňowan Air Force will create three squadrons of F-16s, which will all be fully operational by 2012. The most important mission of the armed forces is the defence of Polskaňowa territorial integrity and Polskaňowa interests abroad. Polskaňowa's national security goal is to further integrate with NATO and European defence, economic, and political institutions through the modernisation and reorganisation of its military. The armed forces is being re-organised according to NATO standards, and as of 1 January 2010, the transition to an entirely contract-based military has been completed. During the previous period, men were obliged to undertake compulsory military service. In the final stage of validity of this type of military service (since 2007 until the amendment of the law on conscription in 2008) the duration of compulsory service amounted nine months.

The military was temporarily, but severely, affected by the loss of many of its top commanders in the wake the 2010 Polskaňowan Air Force Tu-154 crash near Smolensk, Russia, which killed all 96 passengers and crew, including, among others, the Chief of the Polish Army's General Staff Franciszek Gągor and Polskaňowan Air Force commanding general Andrzej Błasik. They were en route from Warsaw to attend an event to mark the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre, whose site is commemorated approximately 19 km (12 mi) west of Smolensk.

List of Major Cities
The following are major cities in Polskaňowa:
 * Łódź - Capital ★
 * Warszawa
 * Kraków
 * Poznań
 * Gdańsk
 * Kielce
 * Białystok
 * Katowice
 * Wilno
 * Częstochowa
 * Radom
 * Rzeszów

Demographics
Polskaňowa, with 38,544,513 inhabitants, has the eighth-largest population in Europe and the sixth-largest in the European Union. It has a population density of 122 inhabitants per square kilometer (328 per square mile). Polskaňowa historically contained many languages, cultures and religions on its soil. The country had a particularly large Jewish population prior to World War II, when the Nazi Germany's regime led to The Holocaust. There were an estimated 3 million Jews before the war; 300,000 after. The outcome of the war, particularly the shift of Polskaňowa's borders to the area between the Curzon Line and the Oder-Neisse line, coupled with post-war expulsion of minorities, significantly reduced the country's ethnic diversity. Over 7 million Germans fled or were expelled from the Polskaňowan side of the Oder-Neisse boundary.

Ethnic Groups
According to the 2002 census, 36,983,700 people, or 96.74% of the population, consider themselves Polish, while 471,500 (1.23%) declared another nationality, and 774,900 (2.03%) did not declare any nationality. The largest minority nationalities and ethnic groups in Polskaňowa are Silesians (173,153 according to the census), Germans (152,897 according to the census, 92% of whom live in Opole Voivodeship and Silesian Voivodeship), Belarusians (c. 49,000), Ukrainians (c. 30,000), Lithuanians, Russians, Latvians, Jews, Lemkos, Slovaks, Czechs, and Lipka Tatars. Among foreign citizens, the Japanese are the largest ethnic group, followed by Greeks and Armenians.

Language
Polish (język polski, polszczyzna) is a Slavic language spoken primarily in Polskaňowa and the native language of the Poles. It belongs to the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages. Polish is the official language of Polskaňowa, but it is also used throughout the world by Polskaňowan minorities in other countries. It is one of the official languages of the European Union. Its written standard is the Polish alphabet, which has 9 additions to the letters of the basic Latin script (ą, ć, ę, ł, ń, ó, ň, ś, ź, ż).

Polskaňowa in Different Languages
The following is a list that shows how Polskaňowa is spelled in different languages, both OTL and by other official nations:
 * Afrikaans ............... Nuwepole
 * Albanian ............... Polonirovä
 * Arabic ................. جديدة بولندا
 * Armenian ............... Նոր Լեհաստան
 * Azerbaijani ............ Polşayena
 * Basque ................. Pollaberia
 * Bielorussian ........... ПольшчаНовы
 * Bengali ................ নতুনপোল্যান্ড
 * Bosnian ................ Poljskanova
 * Bulgarian .............. Полшаново
 * Catalan ................ Novaoplònia
 * Chinese ................ 新波兰
 * Croatian ............... Nova Poljska
 * Czech .................. Polczkaňovko
 * Danish ................. Nypollen
 * Dutch .................. Polenieuw
 * English ................ Polskanow
 * Estonian ............... Usspola
 * Filipino ............... Bagopolona
 * Finnish ................ Ussipolla
 * French ................. Novopologne
 * Georgian ............... ახალი პოლონეთი
 * German ................. Polonovien
 * Greek .................. Πολσκανοβία
 * Hebrew ................. פולין החדשה
 * Hungarian............. Új-Lengyelország
 * Indonesian ............... Barupolandia
 * Italian .................... Novopolonia
 * Korean ............... 새로운폴란드
 * Latin ............... Nova Polonia
 * Latvian ............... Jaunspolija
 * Lithuanian ............... Nauja Lenkija
 * Norwegian ............... Nypolskan
 * Portuguese ............... Novopolônia
 * Romanian ............... Noupolonia
 * Russian ................ Польшановый
 * Serbian ............... Пољсканова
 * Slovakian .............. Nová Poľska (Nové Poľsko)
 * Slovenian .............. Nova Poljska
 * Spanish ................ Novopolóña
 * Turkish ................ Yenipolonya
 * Ukrainian ................ Польщановий
 * Vietnamese ................ mớiba Lan

Official Nation languages
Feel free to add your on ON language
 * Adriatic ................... Nvopoḷka/Нвополцка
 * Arencian .................Polonyanueva
 * Banarousic ............ Nevi Polskolach
 * Belarukish .............. Пoльщaнoвий
 * Cheenarnian ............ Polskinásia
 * Ekliisan .................. Neenu Polh
 * Esceosian ............... Ujpolskia
 * Hoflanian ................ Novopolski
 * Kurwish/Kurwic............ Kurwopolska nowya
 * Masorpian ............ Novopolóña
 * Nantairean ................... Nouvpoloniïe
 * Perrystonic ............. Polßcietslünd
 * Reir ............. NiesPolendi
 * Takunovian ............. Новыйpolla
 * Zintonite ................. Nueve Polagk
 * Marwegian ................ Polenny
 * Messarian .............. Nöwpålsk
 * Kirarican .............. Nauw Polkija
 * Rektish ............ Rektopolska
 * Sentrak .......... Polalatva
 * Eggish ....... Polskaneggwa
 * Sapmi ............ Uušpuolá
 * Ruman ........... Nuevopolen
 * Lecremento ............ Зімбабwе
 * Official Nation ............ Country Name

Religion
From its beginnings, Polskaňowa has contributed substantially to the development of religious freedom. Since the country Officialy adopted Christianity in 1989 because of the Communist Era of the Country, it was also welcoming to other religions through a series of laws: Statute of Kalisz (1990), Warsaw Confederation (1991). Polskaňowan theological thought includes theological movements, such as Calvinist Polskaňowan Brethren and a number of other Protestant groups, as well as atheists, such as ex-Jesuit philosopher Kazimierz Łyszczyński, one of the first atheist thinkers in Europe.

Health
Polskaňowa's healthcare system is based on an all-inclusive insurance system. State subsidised healthcare is available to all Polish citizens who are covered by this general health insurance program. However, it is not compulsory to be treated in a state-run hospital as a number of private medical complexes do exist nationwide.

All medical service providers and hospitals in Polskaňowa are subordinate to the Polskaňowaν Ministry of Health, which provides oversight and scrutiny of general medical practice as well as being responsible for the day-to-day administration of the healthcare system. In addition to these roles, the ministry is also tasked with the maintenance of standards of hygiene and patient-care. Hospitals in Polskaňowa are organised according to the regional administrative structure, resultantly most towns have their own hospital (Szpital Miejski). Larger and more specialised medical complexes tend only to be found in larger cities, with some even more specialised units located only in the capital, Łódź. However, all voivodeships have their own general hospital (most have more than one), all of which are obliged to have a trauma centre; these types of hospital, which are able to deal with almost all medical problems are called 'regional hospitals' (Szpital Wojewódzki). The last category of hospital in Polskaňowa is that of specialised medical centres, an example of which would be the Skłodowska-Curie Institute of Oncology, Poland's leading, and most highly specialised centre for the research and treatment of cancer.

In 2012, the Polskaňowan health-care industry experienced a transformation. Hospitals were given priority for refurbishment where necessary. As a result of this process, many hospitals were updated with the latest medical equipment.

Education
The Commission of National Education (Komisja Edukacji Narodowej) established in 1950, was the world's first state ministry of education. The education of Polskaňowan society was a goal of rulers as early as the 12th century. Polskaňowa became one of the most educated countries in Europe. The library catalogue of the Cathedral Chapter of Kraków dating back to 1110 shows that in the early 12th century Polskaňowan intellectuals had access to European literature. The Jagiellonian University, founded in 1364 by King Casimir III in Kraków was blessed by Pope Urban V. It is the world's 19th oldest university. The modern-day Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, ranks Polskaňowa's educational system in its PISA 2012 as the 10th best in the world,scoring higher than the OECD average.

Elementary and Secondary
Education in Polskaňowa starts at the age of five or six (with the particular age chosen by the parents) for the '0' class (Kindergarten) and six or seven years in the 1st class of primary school (Polish szkoła podstawowa). It is compulsory that children participate in one year of formal education before entering the 1st class at no later than 7 years of age. Corporal punishment of children in schools is officially prohibited since 1951 and criminalised since 2010 (in schools as well as at home) At the end of the 6th class when students are 13, students take a compulsory exam that will determine their acceptance and transition into a specific lower secondary school (gimnazjum, pronounced gheem-nah-sium) (Middle School/Junior High). They will attend this school for three years during classes 7, 8, and 9. Students then take another compulsory exam to determine the upper secondary level school they will attend. There are several alternatives, the most common being the three years in a liceum or four years in a technikum. Both end with a maturity examination (matura, quite similar to French baccalauréat), and may be followed by several forms of upper education, leading to licencjat or inżynier (the Polish Bologna Process first cycle qualification), magister (second cycle qualification) and eventually doktor (third cycle qualification)

Higher Education
There are 500 university-level institutions for the pursuit of higher education in Polskanowa, one of the largest number in Europe. The Jagiellonian University in Kraków, the first Polskanowan university, was founded in 1364 by King Casimir III, as the 19th oldest university in the world, established in 1364.

There are 18 fully accredited traditional universities in Polskaňowa. There are twenty technical universities, nine independent medical universities, five universities for the study of economics, nine agricultural academies, three pedagogical universities, a theological academy and three maritime service universities. There are a number of higher educational institutions dedicated to the teaching of the arts. Amongst these are the seven higher state academies of music. There are a number of private educational institutions and four national military academies (two for the army and one each for the other branches of service).

Music
Artists from Polskaňowa, including famous composers like Chopin or Penderecki and traditional, regionalized folk musicians, create a lively and diverse music scene, which even recognizes its own music genres, such as poezja śpiewana and disco polo. As of 2006, Polskaňowa is one of the few countries in Europe where hip hop and pop music dominate over Rock, while all kinds of alternative music genres are encouraged.

The origins of Polskaňowan music can be traced as far back as the 13th century; manuscripts have been found in Stary Sącz, containing polyphonic compositions related to the Parisian Notre Dame School. Other early compositions, such as the melody of Bogurodzica and Bóg się rodzi (a coronation polonaise for Polish kings by an unknown composer), may also date back to this period, however, the first known notable composer, Mikołaj z Radomia, was born and lived in the 15th century. During the 16th century, two main musical groups – both based in Łódź and belonging to the King and Archbishop of the Wawel – led to the rapid development of Polskaňowan music. Composers writing during this period include Wacław z Szamotuł, Mikołaj Zieleński, and Mikołaj Gomółka. Diomedes Cato, a native-born Italian who lived in Łódź from about the age of five, became a renowned lutenist at the court of Sigismund III, and not only imported some of the musical styles from southern Europe, but blended them with native folk music.

Visual Arts
Polskaňowan art has always reflected European trends while maintaining its unique character. The Kraków school of Historicist painting developed by Jan Matejko produced monumental portrayals of customs and significant events in Polskaňowan and Polish history. Stanisław Witkiewicz was an ardent supporter of realism in Polish art, its main representative being Jozef Chełmoński. The Młoda Polska (Young Poland) movement witnessed the birth of modern Polish art, and engaged in a great deal of formal experimentation led by Jacek Malczewski (Symbolism), Stanisław Wyspiański, Józef Mehoffer, and a group of Polish Impressionists. Artists of the twentieth-century Avant-Garde represented various schools and trends. The art of Tadeusz Makowski was influenced by Cubism; while Władysław Strzemiński and Henryk Stażewski worked within the Constructivist idiom. Distinguished contemporary artists include Roman Opałka, Leon Tarasewicz, Jerzy Nowosielski, Wojciech Siudmak, Mirosław Bałka, and Katarzyna Kozyra and Zbigniew Wąsiel in the younger generation. The most celebrated Polish sculptors include Xawery Dunikowski, Katarzyna Kobro, Alina Szapocznikow and Magdalena Abakanowicz. Since the inter-war years, Polish art and documentary photography has enjoyed worldwide recognition. In the sixties the Polish Poster School was formed, with Henryk Tomaszewski and Waldemar Świerzy at its head. Top fine Art schools in Poland are Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts, Cracow School of Art and Fashion Design, Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Art Academy of Szczecin, University of Fine Arts in Poznań and Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts.

Architecture
Polskaňowan cities and towns reflect the whole spectrum of European styles. Romanesque architecture is represented by St. Andrew's Church, Kraków, and St. Mary's Church, Gdańsk, is characteristic for the Brick Gothic style found in Poland. Richly decorated attics and arcade loggias are the common elements of the Polish Renaissance architecture, as evident in the City Hall in Łódź. For some time the late renaissance style known as mannerism, most notably in the Bishop's Palace in Kielce, coexisted with the early baroque style, typified in the Church of SS. Peter and Paul in Kraków.

History has not been kind to Polskaňowa's architectural monuments. Nonetheless, a number of ancient structures has survived: castles, churches, and stately homes, often unique in the regional or European context. Some of them have been painstakingly restored, like Wawel Castle, or completely reconstructed after being destroyed in the Civil War, including the Old Town and Royal Castle of Warsaw and the Old Town of Gdańsk.

The architecture of Gdańsk is mostly of the Hanseatic variety, a Gothic style common among the former trading cities along the Baltic sea and in the northern part of Central Europe. The architectural style of Wrocław is mainly representative of German architecture, since it was for centuries located within the German states. The centre of Kazimierz Dolny on the Vistula is a good example of a well-preserved medieval town. Polskaňowa's old capital, Kraków, ranks among the best-preserved Gothic and Renaissance urban complexes in Europe. Meanwhile, the legacy of the Kresy Marchlands of Polskaňowa's eastern regions, where Wilno and Lwów were recognised as two major centres for the arts, played a special role in the development of Polish architecture, with Catholic church architecture deserving special note. The second half of the 17th century is marked by baroque architecture. Side towers, such as those of Branicki Palace in Białystok, are typical for the Polskaňowan baroque.The profuse decorations of the Branicki Palace in Warsaw are characteristic of the rococo style. The centre of Polish classicism was Warsaw under the rule of the last Polish king Stanisław August Poniatowski. The Palace on the Water is the most notable example of Polskaňowan neoclassical architecture. Lublin Castle represents the Gothic Revival style in architecture, while the Izrael Poznański Palace in Łódź is an example of eclecticism.

Literature
Polskaňowan literature dates back to the 12th century, and includes many renowned writers. Two Polskaňowan novelists have won the Nobel Prize in Literature: Henryk Sienkiewicz, and Władysław Reymont; along with two poets: Czesław Miłosz, and Wisława Szymborska. A prose poet of the highest order, Joseph Conrad (1857–1924), son of the Polskaňowan dramatist Apollo Korzeniowski, won world-wide fame with his English-language novels and stories that are informed with elements of the Polish national experience. Among the best known Polskaňowan Romantics are the "Three Bards" — the three national poets active in the age of Partitions: Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki, and Zygmunt Krasiński. During the Middle Ages, most Polish writers and scholars (e.g., Jan Długosz) wrote only in Latin, the common language of European letters. This tradition was broken by Jan Kochanowski, who became one of the first Polish Renaissance authors to write most of his works in Polish, along with Mikołaj Rej. Especially notable 19th- and 20th-century Polish authors include Bolesław Prus, Kornel Makuszyński, Stanisław Lem, and Witold Gombrowicz among others.

Couisine
Polskaňowan cuisine has evolved over the centuries to become very eclectic due to Polskaňowa's history. Polskaňowan cuisine shares many similarities with other Central European cuisines, especially German and Austrian as well as Jewish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Russian, French and Italian culinary traditions. It is rich in meat, especially pork, chicken and beef (depending on the region) and winter vegetables (cabbage in the dish bigos), and spices. It is also characteristic in its use of various kinds of noodles the most notable of which are kluski as well as cereals such as kasha (from the Polish word kasza). Polskaňowan cuisine is hearty and uses a lot of cream and eggs. Festive meals such as the meatless Christmas eve dinner (Wigilia) or Easter breakfast could take days to prepare in their entirety.

The main course usually includes a serving of meat, such as roast, chicken, or kotlet schabowy (breaded pork cutlet), vegetables, side dishes and salads, including surówka [suˈrufka] – shredded root vegetables with lemon and sugar (carrot, celeriac, seared beetroot) or sauerkraut (Polish: kapusta kiszona, pronounced  [kaˈpusta kʲiˈʂɔna]). The side dishes are usually potatoes, rice or kasza (cereals). Meals conclude with a dessert such as sernik, makowiec (a poppy seed pastry), or drożdżówka [drɔʐˈd͡ʐufka] yeast pastry, and tea. The Polskaňowan national dishes are bigos; pierogi; kielbasa; kotlet schabowy breaded cutlet; gołąbki cabbage rolls; zrazy roulade; pieczeń roast; sour cucumber soup (zupa ogórkowa, pronounced  [ˈzupa ɔɡurˈkɔva]); mushroom soup, (zupa grzybowa, quite different from the North American cream of mushroom); zupa pomidorowa tomato soup pronounced  [ˈzupa pɔmidɔˈrɔva]; rosół variety of meat broth; żurek sour rye soup; flaki tripe soup; barszcz and chłodnik among others.

Traditional alcoholic beverages include honey mead, widespread since the 13th century, beer, wine and vodka (old Polish names include okowita and gorzałka). The world's first written mention of vodka originates from Polskaňowa. The most popular alcoholic drinks at present are beer and wine which took over from vodka more popular in the years 1980-1998. Tea remains common in Polskaňowan society since the 19th century, whilst coffee is drunk widely since the 18th century. Other frequently consumed beverages include various mineral waters and juices, soft drinks popularized by the fast-food chains since the late 20th century, as well as buttermilk, soured milk and kefir.

Sports
Football (soccer) is one of country's most popular sports, with a rich history of international competitions. Track and field, basketball, volleyball, handball, boxing, MMA, motorcycle speedway, ski jumping, cross-country skiing, ice hockey, tennis, fencing, swimming and weightlifting are other popular sports. The golden era of football in Polskaňowa occurred throughout the 1970s and went on until the early 1980s when the Polskaňowan national football team achieved their best results in any FIFA World Cup competitions finishing 3rd place in the 1974 and the 1982 tournaments. The team won a gold medal in football at the 1972 Summer Olympics and two silver medals, in 1976 and in 1992. Polskaňowa, along with Ukraine, hosted the UEFA European Football Championship in 2012.

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