Old Town

It is the most populated district of Poznań. Almost 30% of the city’s population lives here. In its southern part lies the heart of the city and its oldest part – the Old Market Square, together with the surrounding buildings, was founded on the Magdeburg Law as early as 1253. It’s best to start exploring the city from this place.

Stary Rynek

It is the third largest and one of the most beautiful in Poland. It is the heart of the city, a place where, regardless of the season or day of the week, we can spend time in an interesting and pleasant way. In the middle of the square there is a unique town hall and other interesting buildings, the whole is surrounded by magnificent tenement houses with gothic, baroque, renaissance or classicist architecture, with numerous pubs and restaurants. On the other hand, in each corner of the market square there are fountains, which used to be a source of clean water for the inhabitants, and are nowadays ornaments of the city.

Ratusz

Located in the central part of the market square, it is the only such Renaissance building in the world. The oldest part, which still exists today, is the 14th century cellars, which were the only ones to survive the great fire of 1536, which consumed almost the entire city.

The reconstruction to the appearance we know today was entrusted to John Baptist Quadro of Lugano. At the same time, locksmith Bartholomew Wolf installed a clock on the tower of the town hall.
The legend says that after the clock was finished, the locksmith decided to show his work to the voivode of Poznań and give a feast on this occasion. But the cook, while preparing the meal, inadvertently burned the roe from the roe deer. They want to avoid embarrassment, he stole two billy goats and decided to bake them in exchange for venison, but the billy goats escaped to the town hall tower and started to bang their horns there, seeing that the amused voivode ordered Bartłomiej to attach a clown’s mechanism with the famous goats gushing at 12.00 to the clock.

Pręgierz

It is a pillar that is located in front of the town hall, it was used for flogging and branding, cutting ears, fingers or hand. Previously wooden, and from the 16th century stone, built from punishments imposed on servants who were too rich or provocatively dressed.

Fontanny Starego Rynku

Fontanna Prozerpiny – it is located closest to the town hall, it is said that it was built by a court order as a punishment for the infidelity of a certain inhabitant of Wielkopolska. The baroque fountain depicts the abduction of Proserpina by the Roman god of the underworld, Pluto.

Fontanna Apolla – located in the south-eastern part of the square. Designed by Marian Konieczny, it depicts the god of beauty, light, life and death, Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto.

Fontanna Neptuna – with his son Triton and wife Amphitrite, it stands in the south-eastern part of the market square. The author of the design is Adam Piasek and the sculpture was made by Marcin Sobczak. It was unveiled in 2004.

Fontanna Marsa -is the youngest of Poznań’s fountains. Unveiled in 2005 by Rafał Nowak. Depicting Mars, the god of war resting after the battle.

St. Jan Nepomucen – is the largest monument on the square, erected in 1734. It depicts a Czech priest drowned by King Wenceslaus of Luxembourg for refusing to reveal the secret of his confession. Nepomuk was supposed to protect Poznań, which is often plagued by floods. In the tenement house No. 50 you can see the boards showing the water level during the most tragic flood of 1736.

Domki budnicze

These colorful buildings located in the vicinity of the town hall, once known as herring huts, were built in the 16th century for small journeymen, workers and poorer merchants. Fish, meat, salt and candles were traded in the arcades. They owe their current name to the brotherhood of builders, which was located in the tenement house No. 17.
Next to the houses in tenement house No. 10 there is the Society of Friends of the City of Poznań.

Waga miejska

It is located in the central part of the town hall. It is a characteristic building with a high sloping roof, built in the years 1532 – 1534, and later rebuilt by J. B. Quadro.
Originally, the scale was the seat of a weighing machine that measured the weight of the goods for a small fee.
In 1890, the Prussian authorities dismantled the building that was in danger of collapsing and erected the so-called The New Town Hall, which served as the seat of city authorities. During World War II, it was destroyed and rebuilt just after the original Renaissance style. Currently, it houses the Registry Office and an intimate concert hall.

Pomnik Bamberki

The chisels of the Berliner Joseph Wackerl are located on the sump between the town hall and the town scales. It is to commemorate the German troops who came to Poznań in the 18th century from Bamberg. You can learn about their rich culture at the Poznań Bambery Museum located at ul. Mostowa 7.

Odwach

It comes from the 18th century, built in the classical style according to the design of the Warsaw architect Jan Christian Kamsetzer. Funded by the starost of Greater Poland, Kazimierz Raczyński. It was a building with rooms for law enforcement, police and army. Currently, it houses the Museum of the Greater Poland Uprising 1918-1919.

Pałac Górków

Currently, it houses the Archaeological Museum with the richest collections of ancient Egypt in Poland. In the courtyard of the palace, you can admire the amazing obelisk of Ramses II with a golden pyramidon at the top. Among the permanent exhibitions there is also an exhibition about the prehistory of Greater Poland.

Muzeum Instrumentów Muzycznych

It is the only such place in Poland, located at the intersection with Woźna Street. Among the exhibits, we can find many unique instruments from Europe and the world, including the piano on which Fryderyk Chopin himself played.

Pałac Mielżyńskich

It is the first building in Poznań that fully meets the features of classicism. During the Greater Poland Uprising in 1806, Jan Henryk Dąbrowski and Józef Wybicki had their headquarters here.
It occupies property number 91 at the Old Market Square. Currently, it is the seat of the PTTK board.

Pałac Działyńskich

Built in the years 1773-1776 for the Lithuanian court marshal Władysław Gurowski. A beautiful, unique tenement house referring to classicism in the 19th century passed into the hands of Jan Działyński, who in difficult times organized there patriotic meetings, lectures, concerts and even performances of Polish amateur theaters. The next owner was Jan Zamoyski, who, after regaining independence, handed over the tenement houses to the Polish nation.

Muzeum Literackie Henryka Sienkiewicza

It is located in the gothic tenement house No. 84 that once belonged to Jan Baptiste Quadro, and later to Cyryl Ratajski, one of the most outstanding residents of Poznań. In the museum, we will see souvenirs related to the writer, manuscripts, letters, photos donated by Ignacy Moś, until recently the honorary custodian of the museum.

Nowa Synagoga

Established in 1907, it is the only surviving synagogue in Poznań. It belonged to the Poznań Jewish community, the largest in Poland at one time. Gaspar da Gama, a traveler, a polyglot who served Portugal in the golden age of geographical discoveries, contributed to the discovery of Brazil and a new road to India from this commune. Most likely, he was baptized and surname from his friend and godfather Vasco da Gama. Another well-known person from the Poznań community was Jehuda Löw ben Bekalel, for some time the chief rabbi of Greater Poland, who, according to Jewish and Czech legends, was considered the creator of the legendary Golem.
The last prayers took place in the synagogue on September 9, 1939, during the occupation it was converted into a swimming pool for soldiers of the Wehrmacht. To this day, there is a swimming pool here, and the fact that there was a synagogue here is only reminiscent of a memorial plaque. The owner of the building is the Union of Jewish Religious Communities in the Republic of Poland, which plans to rebuild the synagogue and open a Center for Judaism and Tolerance here.

Fara Poznańska

That is, the Collegiate Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Mary Magdalene is a church built at Kolegiacki Square (later named because of the collegiate church that stood here, and which, after its destruction, was moved to the parish church) by the Jesuits. Brought to Poznań in the 16th century at the behest of Bishop Adam Konarski. The church was built on the site of the temple of St. Stanisław Biskupa, its construction began in 1651, although it was not fully completed, it was consecrated in 1705. It was destroyed at the end of the 18th century, in which century it was taken over by the parish parish. In the years 1913-1915 and 1948-1950 the church was thoroughly renovated.

The Poznań Fara Church is famous for its beautiful, richly ornamented baroque architecture and its 19th-century organs. Built by the then Europe’s best organ builder, Friedrich Ladegast. Every Saturday at 12:15 and in the summer season, every day at this time, you can listen to organ concerts.

Strona internetowa Poznańskiej Fary

Kolegium jezuickie

It is located on Kolegiacki Square. Apart from the Lubrański Academy, it was the second university in Poznań. The first rector was the Jesuit Jakub Wujek, the author of the translation of the Bible into Polish, used until 1965. In 1806, Napoleon Bonaparte stayed here for several weeks, making Poznań the capital of Europe at that time. From 1815, the college was the seat of the governor of the Grand Duchy of Poznań – Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł. He was a guest at the college, among others Frederic Chopin and the slayer of the above-mentioned Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo by Prince Wellington by Arthur Wallesley. The City Hall is located in the building.

Plac Wolności

It is a bustling place with numerous exhibitions and expositions. In summer, we will see beer gardens and beach volleyball courts.

During the Prussian partition, it was called Wilhelmowski Square, in honor of the Emperor Frederick William III. After regaining independence in 1919, the name was changed to Plac Wolności and German monuments were removed.
It was here that Ignacy Jan Paderewski, a Polish pianist and independence activist, spoke to the inhabitants of Wielkopolska from the window of the Bazar hotel. His visit was one of the causes (catalysts) of the outbreak of the Greater Poland Uprising on December 27, 1918.

Apart from the earlier Greater Poland Uprising in 1806, it was the only victorious uprising in the history of Poland. On the corner of the square (in front of the Arkadia building) is the site of the fatal shooting of one of the first victims of the uprising, Franciszek Ratajczak. The place is marked with a commemorative plaque, and the adjacent street is named after him.
At the beginning of 1919, the solemn oath of soldiers and their commander, General Jozef Dowbor – Muśnicki, took place in the square.

Arkadia

It is located in the western part of Wolności Square at the aforementioned ul. Ratajczak. It is a beautiful building erected in the years 1802-1804, originally serving as the City Theater. In later years, there were shops, cafes, restaurants and a casino in the interior, and before the Second World War there was a Polish Radio station. Currently, the building houses the City Information Center, the Empik salon and the Theater of the Eighth Day. Centrum Informacji Miejskiej, salon Empik  Teatr Ósmego Dnia

Drukarnia i Księgarnia Św. Wojciecha

It is the oldest Catholic publishing house in Poland, it has been operating continuously since 1985, publishing, among others, Catholic Guide.

Hotel Bazar

It was built in 1842 by the joint stock company “Bazar”. One of the shareholders was Karol Marcinkowski, an outstanding physician and philanthropist from Wielkopolska. The company’s goal was to support the Polish population in the difficult times of the Prussian partition, thanks to which many patriots from all social classes gathered around the Bazaar. One of the company’s principles was to give up the income generated by Bazar and to rent rooms only to Polish citizens. Here, Hipolit Cegielski opened his first hardware store.

Muzeum Narodowe

It is a direct neighbor of the Bazar hotel. The current building was built in 1903 as the museum of Emperor Frederick III. It did not pass into Polish hands until independence was regained. The exhibitions initially consisted of collections from the Mielżyński, which included the collections of King Stanisław August Poniatowski and Edward Raczyński. It was granted the “National” status only in 1950. Currently, the museum is famous for its rich collections amounting to approx. 300 thousand. objects and the organization of exhibitions of the world’s greatest artists.

Biblioteka Raczyńskich

It is located in front of the National Museum. It was entirely funded by Count Edward Raczyński. It is one of the oldest libraries in Poland, it was opened in 1829. The front facade of the library is modeled on the French Louvre. In front of the library, we can see the statue of the goddess of health Hygea, with the features of Konstancja Raczyńska. The monument is a decorative well, with a medal embedded in it in honor of the pioneer of hydrotherapy, Vincent Priessnitz – who cured Edward Raczyński’s only son – Roger. It is from the name of “self-taught doctor” that the word shower is derived.

Count E.R. he was a great philanthropist and founder of many buildings in Poznań. One of the most interesting, unfortunately not existing today, was “Dom dla Zaimawych”, a place that could be used by the inhabitants of Poznań who were afraid, like the founder, of being buried alive. In that house, it was possible to “place” for free a dead person who was buried in a catafalque with a bell connected by a thread to a finger. There was a caretaker on the spot to see if the bells would ring.

Zamek Królewski

It is located on Przemysł Hill, which, according to legend, was thrown down by satanic devils angry at the baptism by Mieszko I in order to stop the Warta River and flood the city. As it happens in legends, the plan failed and the mountain, instead of landing in Warta, hit its left bank. The castle located there is the oldest surviving royal residence in Poland. It was built in the thirteenth century and since then it has been rebuilt and destroyed many times, among others. by the Swedish Deluge, Northern Wars. Over the centuries, he witnessed many events, it was here that the wedding of Casimir the Great with Princess Adelajda took place, it was here that King Jan Olbracht received his homage from the Teutonic Master Jan von Tieffen, and the war council of King Jan II Kazimierz with military commanders, among others, was held here. with Stefan Czarnecki, recorded in the Polish anthem.

Currently, the castle houses the Museum of Applied Arts. On the initiative of Włodzimierz Łęcki, the Committee for the Reconstruction of the Royal Castle was established, which plans to restore the Renaissance shape.

Zamek Cesarski

It is the youngest castle built in Europe, built in the years 1905 – 1910 at the request of Emperor Wilhelm II. It was created according to a design by Franz Schwechten, in which many elements were added at the personal request of the emperor. The castle was to symbolize the inseparable affiliation of Greater Poland to the Reich. In 1939, the reconstruction of the castle began to become the seat of Adolf Hitler and Arthur Greiser, governor of the Warta Country. In the place of the former chapel, a Führer’s office was built, which was arranged in the same way as his counterpart in Berlin. There is also a new entrance from ul. St. Martin and an air raid shelter for about 400 people was built. As an interesting fact, it can be added that the governor who was in the castle after the war met the “honorable” fate of being the last person in Poland to be publicly executed.

Currently, this neo-Romanesque building houses the “Zamek” Cultural Center, which organizes dozens of exhibitions, performances, concerts and film screenings every year. In the basement of the castle there is a pub, restaurant and the legendary Blue Note music club.

Plac Adama Mickiewicza

It is located next to the imperial castle. We can see two monuments on it. The first is the Adam Mickiewicz Monument, unveiled in 1960. The monument depicting a 4-meter long bard with a book in his hand stands on a two-meter pedestal carved with scenes from Konrad Wallenrod and Grażyna. The second one is the Monument to the Victims of June 1956, it was placed on the site of the Heart of Jesus Monument demolished by the Nazis (commemorating Poland’s independence). It depicts: “two walking crosses tied together with one arm, ties on it, and at the side of the crosses a guarding their eagle.” It commemorates the first general strike of workers in the Polish People’s Republic, which broke out on June 28-30, 1956, bloodily suppressed by the army and militias As a result of which 58 people were killed and later protests against the government of the Polish People’s Republic in 1968, 1970, 1976, 1980, 1981. It was built mostly in the Hipolit Cegielski Metal Industry Plant, where the strike started in June 1956. His The unveiling took place on June 28, 1981, on the 25th anniversary of the “June events.” The creation of the monument would not have been possible had it not been for the events of August 1980 and Solidarity.

Aula Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza

It is located in the western part of Mickiewicz Square, it is a neo-Renaissance building built for the Prussian Royal Academy. After regaining independence, it was used by Wszechnica Piastowska, renamed the University of Poznań after a year and now called the Adam Mickiewicz University.

Thanks to its amazing acoustics (considered the best in Poland), various music concerts take place in the auditorium, the most important one is the International Violin Competition, which takes place every 5 years. Henryk Wieniawski

Filharmonia Poznańska im. Tadeusza Szeligowskiego

It was established in 1947 on the initiative of the current patron of the philharmonic orchestra, the outstanding conductor and composer Tadeusz Szeligowski. Since 1951, the Poznań Nightingales choir has been operating at the Philharmonic Hall, founded and led by the conductor and composer Stefan Stuligrosz. The main concert hall of the philharmonic hall is the aforementioned University Hall.

Teatr Wielki im. Stanisława Moniuszki

Called “Opera” by Poznań residents, it is located at 9 Fredry Street. On the west side, a large square adjoins it, a popular meeting place for residents, commonly known as Teatralka. And from the front, on the other side of the street, there is a park with a fountain, separated from the city bustle by tall plane trees.

The building was built in 1910 for the then astronomical sum of 2 million marks. Until independence was regained, it served only as the City Theater for the German population.

The inaugural performance was “The Magic Flute” by W.A. Mozart. The characteristic façade is decorated with ancient motifs: monumental stairs and columns, and sculptures depicting a woman on a lion and a man walking next to a panther.

Teatr Polski

Built from 1873 to 1875 during the years of the strongest oppression and Germanization of the then invader. It was created thanks to donations from the Polish society as evidenced by the inscription on the facade “Nation to Sobie”. It was located in the backyard of a tenement house at ul. December 27, which was destroyed during World War II. This specific location was forced by the Prussian authorities, which for many years made it difficult to build the theater with their actions. During the partition period, the theater was the only official place promoting Polish art and language. Aleksander Fredro’s Revenge was played at the ceremonial inauguration of the stage.

Dom Towarowy „Okrąglak”

It is one of the most characteristic buildings in Poznań, located in the immediate vicinity of the Polish Theater. Built according to the design of Marek Leykam (co-designer of the 10th Anniversary Stadium and the Office Building of the Government Presidium in Warsaw) in the years 1949-1952.

Currently, it is being modernized and it is being reallocated from a department store to modern office space.

Fort Winiary (Cytadela)

It was established in 1842 on a hill with royal vineyards in the Middle Ages. The immediate reasons for the construction of the fort were the Napoleonic wars and the need to protect the borders of the Prussian state directly adjacent to the Russian Empire. This is how the Poznań Fortress was created, i.e. a collection of 18 forts connected by a wall with a circumference of 30 kilometers and a polygonal fortress to which Fort Winiary belonged. Only forts and several meters of defensive walls have survived to this day. Most of them were dismantled after the First and Second World Wars and the recovered brick was used for the reconstruction of Poznań and Warsaw. The citadel was the largest artillery fort in Europe. Despite being built in the mid-nineteenth century, it was not used for its military purpose until 1945. It was then that for a month it was the last point of resistance of the German army against the Red Army.

In the Citadel, in unassembled fort buildings, there is the Poznań Army Museum and the Armaments Museum. There are also Cemeteries: Garrison, Polish Heroes, Soviet soldiers, British soldiers.

Currently, the Citadel is the largest 100 ha park in the city with numerous sculptures, among others. installation of 112 sculptures by Magdalena Abakanowicz entitled “Unrecognized” Numerous events and concerts are organized here, he performed here, among others. Radiohead band.

Rezerwat przyrody Meteoryt Morasko

It is a natural and astronomical reserve established in 1974. In its area we can find numerous traces of the Morasko meteorite which fell here about 5 thousand years ago. The most interesting are the numerous craters, the largest of which is 60 meters in diameter and 11 meters deep. In the reserve, we can find pieces of a meteorite, the largest one discovered weighs 178 kilograms, its estimated value is 800,000. dollars.

Kościół Najświętszego Zbawiciela

The temple was erected in the years 1866-1869 on the initiative of the Prussian king Frederick William IV for the then Evangelical – Augsburg parish. The church is considered to be one of the most important 19th-century monuments of neo-Gothic architecture in Poland. Particularly noteworthy is the 70-meter high tower with a cross, towering over its surroundings. The interior of the temple was decorated with the ascetic simplicity typical of Lutherans.
Next to the church, there is a stone commemorating the murder of Piotr Majchrzak by the future ZOMO during a demonstration under martial law. The inscription on the stone: “If people keep silence, the stones sound citizens.”

Collegium Maius

Neo-baroque building erected in the years 1908 – 1910 at ul. Fredro in the so-called Castle District in the vicinity of the Church of the Holy Savior. It was built for the needs of the Colonization Commission established by the Iron Chancellor Bismarck, which was engaged in buying land from Poles and handing it over to German citizens who wanted to settle in Greater Poland. During the outbreak of the Greater Poland Uprising, the building was the seat of the Supreme People’s Council, and later there was the Settlement Office, liquidating all the provisions of the Colonization Commission. During the German occupation, it was the seat of the police presidium, and from the end of the war to the present day it is the seat of the University of Adam Mickiewicz and the Medical University of Karol Marcinkowski.

Ulica Podgórna

It is unique not only because of its characteristic shape like streets in San Francisco, but above all because of its former inhabitants. Karol Marcinkowski, one of the greatest doctors in Wielkopolska and an international authority in the fight against cholera, lived in the smallest one-story tenement house. He was also a great philanthropist and social activist, he did not charge money for treating the poor, and even bought them medicines himself. Thanks to his efforts, the Bazar hotel was established, promoting the pro-independence position in the Prussian partition.

The same address, a year after the death of Karol Marcinkowski, was the birthplace of Paul von Hindenburg, the German field marshal and president of the German Reich (in 1932 he defeated A. Hitler in the elections), who in 1933 appointed Adolf Hitler as chancellor of the Reich. After Hindenburg’s death in 1934, the German community applied for a commemorative plaque in the tenement house, which was refused by the Polish authorities. The plaque was only hung during the German occupation and was hung there until the end of the war.

Another famous figure of Podgórna Street was the outstanding writer Ignacy Kraszewski, who had his printing house in the outbuilding of the tenement house at number 4. The sister of general Jan Henryk Dąbrowski lived in the tenement house itself.

Stary Marych

It is a monument to the Poznań lair commemorating the fictional character of Old Marych played by the actor Marian Pogosz in the very popular radio tales entitled “Blubry Stary Marych” by Juliusz Kubl. It is a very popular place among tourists and Poznanians who organize a gathering point here before “going out into the city”.

Parcela Dariusza Bąkowskiego

It is located on pl. Spring of Nations and it is a place of the modern history of the city. The plot owes its fame to the owner’s struggle with the “Poznan Merchant”, who planned to build a part of the gallery on this site. Thanks to the stubbornness of Dariusz Bąkowski, we can observe the “unfinished” building of the merchant and a chicken box integrated into the left corner of the building, owned by Mr. Dariusz.