The People
Poland has a very homogeneous population, with 98 per cent of the people being ethnic Polish. There are small groups of Jews, Germans, Ukrainians, and Belarusians. Polish is the primary language.
Nearly all Poles are Roman Catholics, and the Catholic church is a powerful institution exerting a strong influence on Polish life. There are small Russian Orthodox, Protestant, and Jewish minorities.
Education is free, and attendance compulsory, for students from age 7 to 14. Four additional years of secondary education are also free, as is attendance at the state universities. In addition to primary and secondary schools, there are special schools for adult education and for the disabled.
Poland has an extensive state-operated system of higher learning. Institutions include general and technical universities, teacher-training schools, and colleges of medicine, economics, agriculture, and the arts. The oldest is the Jagiellonian University, founded in 1364 in Kraków. There is also a Catholic university in Lublin. The Polish Academy of Sciences was established in Warsaw in 1951.
Of numerous libraries, the most important are the National Library in Warsaw and the Jagiellonian University Library in Kraków. The National Museum in Warsaw is the nation's largest art gallery. The National Museum in Kraków is noted for its Far Eastern art, and the National Museum in Poznań for its collection of musical instruments. Most of the largest cities have at least one symphony orchestra, and there are several opera houses. The Frédéric Chopin International Piano Competition is a renowned contest held every five years in Warsaw.
Poland's cultural heritage is especially notable in music and literature. The musical forms known as the mazurka and the polonaise originated here. Among the many acclaimed Polish musicians and composers are Frédéric Chopin, Theodor Leschetizky, Moritz Moszkowski, Ignace Jan Paderewski, and Henri Wieniawski. Several Polish writers have also achieved international fame, including the Nobel laureates Czeslaw Milosz, Wladislaw Reymont, Henryk Sienkiewicz, and Wislawa Szymborska.
