Poland, about the size of New Mexico, has been one of the fastest
countries to rebound from the many years of Soviet domination during
the Cold War. Visitors are speechless when they step into Krakow’s
vibrant main square or Warsaw’s colorful Old Town. Poland has some
breathtaking medieval towns that show off its warm and welcoming
people, dynamic history, and striding-into-the-future optimism.
Poland is known for producing some of the world’s great intellectuals, humanists, and musicians. These include Karol Wojtyla (the late and great Pope John Paul II), Mikolaj Kopernik (Nicolas Copernicus), Teodor Józef Korzeniowski (the author Joseph Conrad), composers Fryderyk Chopin,
Krzysztof Penderecki, and Henryk Górecki, and the scientist Marie Curie (nee Sklodowska), to name a few.
Poland is historically pro-American. Of course, their big neighbors (Russia and Germany) have been their historic enemies. In 1989, when Poland finally won its freedom, many Poles only half-joked that they should apply to become the 51st state of the United States!
Imagine your choir singing in St. Mary’s Cathedral on Krakow’s main square or perhaps in the cathedral in Wawel Castle. In Wroclaw (formerly the German city of Breslau) or in Poznan, many churches, cathedrals and concert halls await visiting ensembles.
