Polish government-in-exile

The Polish People's Republic (Polish: Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million near the end of its existence, it was the second most-populous communist and Eastern Bloc country in Europe. Having a unitary Marxist–Leninist government, it was also one of the main signatories of the Warsaw Pact alliance. The largest city and official capital since 1947 was Warsaw, followed by the industrial city of Łódź and cultural city of Kraków. The country was bordered by the Baltic Sea to the north, the Soviet Union to the east, Czechoslovakia to the south, and East Germany to the west. Between 1952 and 1989 Poland was ruled by a communist government established after the Red Army's takeover of Polish territory from German occupation in World War II. The state's official name was the "Republic of Poland" (Rzeczpospolita Polska) between 1947 and 1952 in accordance with the transitional Small Constitution of 1947. The name "People's Republic" was introduced and defined by the Constitution of 1952. Like other Eastern Bloc countries (East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania), Poland was regarded as a satellite state, with independence in internal affairs yet subordination to the USSR in international politics. The Polish United Workers' Party became the dominant political party in the Polish People's Republic, officially making it a socialist country. During this period Poland was a de facto one-party state but it had more liberal policies than other states in the Eastern Bloc. Since its inception, the Polish People's Republic was characterized by constant internal struggles for multi-party democracy as opposed to democratic centralism. Throughout its existence, economic hardships and social unrest were common in almost every decade. The nation was split between those who supported the party, those who were opposed to it and those who refused to engage in political activity. Despite this, some groundbreaking achievements were established during the tenure of the Polish People's Republic such as; improved living conditions, rapid industrialization, urbanization, access to universal health care, and higher education. The Polish People's Republic also implemented policies that virtually eliminated homelessness and established a job guarantee. As a result Poland's population almost doubled between 1947 and 1989. Some of the party's most remarkable accomplishments were the complete rebuilding of ruined Warsaw after World War II and creating a fully literate population.Although the Polish People's Republic maintained a standing army, it did host Soviet troops in its territory, as Poland was a Warsaw Pact signatory. The Soviet Union maintained a military presence in all signatories of the Warsaw Pact. The UB and succeeding SB were the chief intelligence agencies that acted as secret police, similar to the East German Stasi and Soviet KGB. The official police organization, which was also responsible for peacekeeping and suppression of protests. This force, called the Citizen's Militia, resulted in communist Poland having one of the lowest crime rates in the world.

As the Dog (Polish: Pies As) is a sandstone sculpture located in Warsaw, Poland within the Royal Baths Park. It depicts a fictional pointing dog As, a main character of 1896 novel As by Adolf Dygasiński. Its a replica of a 1903 sculpture by Czesław Makowski.

The Palace on the Isle (Polish: Pałac Na Wyspie), also known as Baths Palace (Polish: Pałac Łazienkowski), is a classicist palace in Warsaw's Royal Baths Park, the city's largest park, occupying over 76 hectares of the city center. From 1674 the property and the nearby Ujazdów Castle belonged to Count Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski, who commissioned a Baroque bath house called "Łazienka", similarly to a number of other European historic sites, including England's city of Bath. The building, erected on a square plan, was richly decorated with stuccos, statues, and paintings; some of the original decorations and architectural details survive. In 1766 King Stanislaus Augustus purchased the estate and converted the bathing pavilion into a classicist summer residence, with an English garden. During the final stages of World War II, the retreating Germans devastated the interior of the Palace and drilled holes in the structure in preparation for destruction. However, the plan was never carried out.

Agricola Park (Polish: Park Agrykola), also known as Agrykola Park, and the North Baths (Polish: Łazienki Północne) is an urban park in the city of Warsaw, located within the district of Downtown. It is located to the north from the Royal Baths Park.

Ujazdów Castle (Polish: Zamek Ujazdowski) is a castle in the historic Ujazdów district, between Ujazdów Park (Park Ujazdowski) and the Royal Baths Park (Łazienki Królewskie), in Warsaw, Poland. Its beginnings date to the 13th century, and it was rebuilt several times. Like many structures in Warsaw, it sustained much damage in the Warsaw Uprising (1944). Reconstructed 30 years later (1974), it now houses Warsaw's Center for Contemporary Art.

Łazienki Park or Royal Baths Park (Polish: Park Łazienkowski, Łazienki Królewskie) is the largest park in Warsaw, Poland, occupying 76 hectares of the city center. The park-and-palace complex lies in Warsaw's central district (Śródmieście) on Ujazdów Avenue, which is part of the Royal Route linking the Royal Castle with Wilanów Palace to the south. North of Łazienki Park, on the other side of Agrykola Street, stands Ujazdów Castle. Originally designed in the 17th century as a baths park for nobleman Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski, in the 18th century Łazienki was transformed by Poland's last monarch, Stanislaus II Augustus, into a setting for palaces, villas, classicist follies, and monuments. In 1918 it was officially designated a public park. Łazienki is visited by tourists from all over Poland and the world, and serves as a venue for music, the arts, and culture. The park is also home to peacocks and a large number of squirrels.

The bust of Piotr Wysocki, also known as the Piotr Wysocki Monument, is a monument in Warsaw, Poland, located in the Royal Baths Park, within the Downtown district. The sculpture consists of a bronze bust depicting Piotr Wysocki, a 19th-century military officer, a colonel in the Army of Congress Poland, and one of the organisers and commanders of the November Uprising. It was made in 1926 by Aleksander Żurakowski, and unvailed in 1930 in town of Ostrów Mazowiecka where it remained until the outbreak of the Second World War during which it disappeared. It was rediscovered in 1978, and placed in the Na Książęcem Park. It was relocated to its current location in 1980.

Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski Monument (Polish: Pomnik Bolesława Wieniawy-Długoszowskiego) is a sculpture in Warsaw, Poland, within the neighbourhood of Ujazdów, within the Downtown district. It has a form of a bronze bust of Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski, a 20th-century military officer and diplomat, who was a division general in the Polish Armed Forces. It is placed in the Royal Baths Park, in front of the building of the Warsaw Officer Candidate School, and near the Myślewice Palace. The sculpture was designed by Paweł Pietrasiński, and unveiled on 8 December 2019.

The Myślewicki Palace (Polish: Pałac Myślewicki) is a rococo-neoclassical palace in Warsaw's Royal Baths Park. It was created for King Stanisław August Poniatowski as one of the first buildings in the Royal Baths. Its name derives from that of the nearby now nonexistent village of Myślewice.

Muzeum Zamku i Szpitala Wojskowego na Ujazdowie is a museum in Warsaw, Poland which opened in 1994. It is located in the Ujazdów Castle, in one of the rooms belonging to the Centre for the Contemporary Art, in the north-west tower of the castle. The exhibition includes objects and photographs related to the history of the Ujazdów Castle and the Ujazdów military hospital including portraits of the castle owners and a cornerstone from 1624.

Ujazdów (pronounced OO-yaz-doof) is a prominent neighbourhood situated in central Warsaw, the capital of Poland. It is the southernmost part of the Downtown (Śródmieście) district, next to Solec and historical Frascati. The main thoroughfare passing through the neighbourhood is Ujazdów Avenue; the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland, the Foreign Ministry and the Belweder Palace are located on or in the vicinity of the street. Ujazdów is an affluent neighbourhood, with villas, palaces and parks comprising most of its area. The most notable landmarks are the Łazienki Park and Palace on the Isle, the 18th century summer residence of Poland's last monarch Stanisław II Augustus.

Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski Monument (Polish: Pomnik Eugeniusza Kwiatkowskiego) is a sculpture in Warsaw, Poland, located in the Royal Baths Park, within the neighbourhood of Ujazdów in the Downtown district. The monument has a form a bronze bust of Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski, a 20th-century politician, chemist, and economist, who was a minister of industry and trade, minister of treasury, and the deputy prime minister of Poland. The sculpture is placed outside the Myślewice Palace. It was designed by Andrzej Renes, and unveiled on 24 June 2002.