Lublin has always been one of Poland’s most important cities. Due to its geographical location and history, it has often played the role of a bridge between East and West.

 

Interestingly, it also often took the lead at crucial historical moments when Poland’s fate hung in balance. In 1569 the so-called Lublin Union was signed here, uniting Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania into a single political entity, thus creating the largest European state of the time. In the final days of World War I, Poland’s first independent government (which soon ceded power to Józef Piłsudski) was founded in Lublin. It was here again that the provisional communist government was installed by the Soviets in July 1944, during the last stages of World War II. Lublin is also considered by some to be the cradle of Solidarity; the avalanche of strikes that spread throughout Poland in 1980 and eventually led to the Gdansk agreements began in Lublin.

 

Today Lublin is the largest and most important industrial, commercial and educational centre in eastern Poland. It is no exaggeration to call Lublin a city of universities. At present, Lublin has 4 universities and a few colleges with the total of over 65,500 students, while the population of Lublin is approximately 340,000. If one adds the rich and thriving cultural life that imparts a unique artistic flavour to the atmosphere of Lublin, our city appears to be an ideal place in which to spend the part of the colourful student life.