One bad ass Pole. John III Sobieski

Back during the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1559-1795), there was was kick ass Polish man by the name of John III Sobieski. In a nutshell, this man was the King of Poland from 1674-1696. At the beginning of his reign, Poland was pretty much broke and in ruins from 50 some years of various conflicts. Sobieski was an awesome military strategist and made various diplomacy changes early in his reign so he could focus on make Poland not suck so much. He first strengthened Polands southern boarder by reclaiming land that had been taken by the Turks. Around 1676 the tatars decided they wanted to expand into Poland. Well, they failed because Sobieski forced them into a draw at the Battle of Zurano. The next significant military move by Sobieski was at the Battle of Vienna. Poland, being loyal to the pope, helped break the siege of Vienna and drive the Ottoman Empire back.

In summary. Sobieski saved Poland from sucking and was a huge factor in preserving Christendom in Europe. Legend also ties the origin of bagels to John III Sobieski. How awesome is that?

Sobieski at the Battle of Vienna.

Miss Poland!

Check out Miss Poland of 2009, and currently Miss Universe 2010. Her real name is Maria Nowakowska. She is from the city of Legnica, which is located in Lower Silesian which is in the SW portion of Poland.

Polish Currency, (yes, Chopin is on the 5000!)

Poland uses the złoty, which have been in circulation since the 14th and 15th centuries. The złoty will not be around for too much longer since Poland will eventually adopt the euro.

Out of all of the bills, the 5000 zł note is my favorite. Why you ask? Because Chopin is on it! How OG is that? He is also on a commemorative 2010 20zł note.

The most recent series (1994) of the Złoty bill include the denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 (rare)

For anyone who cares, here are some current exchange rates.
1 euro = 3.93 złotys
1 USD = 3.02 złotys
1 złoty = 494,300 old turkish liras
1 złoty = 27.53 JPN yen

The Polish National Anthem (with english subs)

Lyrics in English

Poland has not perished yet
So long as we still live
That which alien force has seized
We at sabrepoint shall retrieve

March, march, Dąbrowski
From Italy to Poland
Under thy command
Let us now rejoin the nation

Cross the Vistula and Warta
And Poles we shall be
We've been shown by Bonaparte
Ways to victory

March, march...

Like Czarniecki Poznań regains
Fighting with the Swede,
To free our fatherland from chains
We shall return by sea

March, march...

Father, in tears
Says to his Basia
Just listen, it seems that our people
Are beating the drums

March, march...


*************
Lyrics were written in 1797 by Jozef Wybicki and was adopted in 1926.

Check out the Chojnik (Chojnasty) Castle!

Let's face it, castles are awesome. So are badass stories revolving around them.

The ruins of Chojnik are tied to the myth of Kunigunde, a castle lord's daughter desired by many knights. As she had no intention to enter into marriage she promised to espouse the bold man who would complete a circuit along the castle's walls on a horseback, knowing that on the steep slopes horse and rider must fall into the chasm. Many tried and perished until a proud nobleman came along, who appealed to Kunigunde's eyes. Though she declared to abandon the precondition and to marry him right away, the knight insisted to take the risk and he succeeded. Instead of accepting her proposal he scolded her for her cruelty and departed. Kunigunde however, deeply humiliated, lunged into the abyss herself.

Bahaha. ^_^

Guess who is from Poland? Frédéric Chopin!

Seriously, this composer was nuts. Check out some of his piano work.

Poland.

I fucking love POLAND!