MULTINATIONAL CULTURAL HERITAGE OF

Poland is a country with the largest territorial variation in the history of Europe. These changes involved not only the temporary gaining and losing some provinces that were later regained (as was the case for most European countries), but a transition of the country from its natural geographical frames deep into neighbouring ecumenes, while losing its own historical borders in the process. There were also times when the Polish state would disappear from the map of Europe for extended periods. Poland is also a country which for centuries was a place for foreigners where foreigners settled, lead here by various reasons, and left their mark, to a smaller or greater extent in the country's history. They also left numerous places in the Republic that became important not only for Poles. Today, these places belong to both Polish and non-Polish cultures and they become a very significant element of our cultural heritage, a deposit within Polish borders. Up until mid-14th century, Poland was a medium-sized, mostly ethnically homogenous country which faced west both culturally and economically. The eastern border of the country was also the border of Latin Christianity, with the Orthodox Ruthenia and Pagan Lithuania beyond it. In the second half of the 14th century, this situation changed significantly. First, the Red Ruthenia and Podolia were annexed by Poland, and another breakthrough came with the union with Lithuania, which was a Eastern European superpower back then. The new Polish-Lithuanian state – the Commonwealth – has become a European power; in 1300, Poland had an area of about 200,000 km2, in 1370, after annexing Ruthenia and Podolia (but without Silesia and Pomerania) – 240,000 km2, only to become almost four times bigger by 1400. There has been a shift from an ethnically homogenous to a multinational state and a reorientation from the Wes