Poland has a long and storied history spanning over 1000 years. Some key points in Poland's history include being ruled by kings from the Piast dynasty for over 1000 years, forming the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth union in 1569 which made it one of the largest states in Europe, and experiencing partitions in the late 18th century by neighboring powers that eliminated Poland from the map for over a century. Poland regained independence after World War I but was occupied again during World War II by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. After the war, Poland became part of the Eastern Bloc and Communist rule until democratic reforms in 1989 marked the transition to a Third Republic. Today, Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland located along the V