After the fall of Communism in 1989-1990, Poland has taken back its historical place as an important country in the wider European space, politically and culturally. Chopin grew up in Poland but built his career as a world famous composer in Paris; in 1543 a certain Mikolaj Kopernik published his 'On the Revolution of the Celestial Spheres', changing the world's view on the Universe, and around the same time the ‘Laments’ of Jan Kochanowski elevated Polish poetry to the absolute heights of European Renaissance literature. Poland was in the heart of Europe, not on the fringes of it! Unfortunately, the Second World War did not leave much intact of the cities where people like Chopin, Copernicus and Kochanowski wandered around; but a lot has been done to restore the churches, the castles, the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque houses, mansions and palaces. And thus, even in reconstruction or heavy restoration, we nowadays still get tangible grip on Polish architectural creation, mirroring the grandeur of Poland as a trading nation, … and as a progressive kingdom. A kingdom which goes back to the 10th century, and which in late medieval times was far ahead in thinking, compared to most, if not all West European monarchies. For, where else was the king elected rather than the son of his father, the king? In Poland, there was a system of quite democratically elected kings as from 1572: a Royal Republic! Poland prospered and served as the granary of Europe. And then came the Third and last Partitioning in 1795, putting an abrupt end to Polish independence, as Russia, Prussia and Austria greedily split up the country among themselves, like a cream cake. No cream, though, for the Polish population, as each of the occupying powers went out of its way to undo Polish identity. That is the bad news. The good news is that they did not manage and that Poland rose again to its feet, but it would take time, until after the First World War. And then came Hitler and Stalin who carved up the country among themselves once more, until Hitler was not there anymore and Stalin had it all to himself. For a while, a long while; until the Solidarność movement in Gdańsk caused the first real cracks in the Soviet Communist system. That Pope John Paul II was a Pole offered a welcome coincidence and that the big boys in Moscow had more military medals pinned on their breast pocket than money in their USSR Treasury, was a windfall too, by 1989 propelling Poland into the pilot seat of the downfall of Communism in Eastern Europe... And so, Poland took back its historical place in Europe where it belongs. The circle of my introduction is full... Enjoy your digital visit of Poland, its cities, its palaces, its churches, and its everything else. And be also reminded by the grim border posts near Belarus that Poland is not just a country part of western European civilisation, but also defending it at its geographical limits.