#poznan

Imperial Castle in Poznan

Let's start with the most eye-catching building - the Imperial Castle. Few people know that this is a castle built for the last Prussian emperor, Wilhelm II. The castle is the last imperial residence in Europe. It was built as an element of the Imperial District in place of the demolished fortifications of the 19th century Poznań Fortress, which was to defend access to Berlin from the east in the event of a war with Russia. The architecture of the buildings built then was to resemble German cities, and the castle, built in the Neo-Romanesque style, was to give the impression that the Germans had ruled the area for a thousand years. All this was not accidental - in fact, the new area was marked diagonally from Ostrów Tumski - associated with the cradle of Polish statehood. The Emperor came to Poznań only three times, once to personally collect the keys to the castle (1910), and the last time in 1915. Shortly thereafter, the empire ended... Today, the castle is mainly the seat of the Zamek Cultural Center, but if you ever manage to take a tour, be sure to walk around its most interesting nooks and crannies and pay attention to the decorations - they reminded us a bit of socialist realist atmosphere. Since we have a castle, we must also have castle gardens - we gladly hid in their shade when the sun warmed up a bit. In the inner courtyard of the castle you will also find the famous "abakans", i.e. sculptures by an artist from Poznań, Magdalena Abakanowicz. #poland #poznan #castle

Poznań city walls

The walls surrounding the medieval city were built around 1280, in place of the wooden and earth fortifications erected immediately after the location. The perimeter of the fortifications had a shape similar to a circle. The length of the walls was approximately 1,700 m, and the area surrounded by them was approximately 21 ha. The wall was built of ceramic bricks with lime mortar in the Wendish arrangement and placed on a stone foundation. Its thickness was 1-1.2 m. It was topped with a battlement, under which - from the inside - there was a wooden porch for the defenders. The height of the wall was up to 11 m. The wall was reinforced with approximately 35 towers, spaced every 35-45 m around the perimeter. Their number and spacing placed 14th-century Poznań among the most strongly fortified Polish cities. The rectangular towers were one storey higher than the wall and open to the interior of the city. However, already in the first half In the 15th century, they began to be rebuilt, closing them from the inside. The towers had their own names. those of them that were assigned to the care of individual craft guilds bore their names (e.g. Tailor's, Butcher's, etc.). There were also names from other users (e.g. the tower of the Dominican fathers). Four gates led to the city: Wroniecka - from the north, Wielka and Wodna - from the east and Wrocław - from the south. Next to the gates, there were several pedestrian gates, carved into the walls, mostly in the 15th and 16th centuries. #poland #poznan #walls

Poznan Palm House

The Poznań Palm House is located nearby - the largest in Poland and the fifth in Europe, which turned out to be a nice proposition during one of our winter visits to Poznań. The warmth and tropical climate as well as hundreds of beautiful plants definitely improved our mood. We recommend this place to true lovers of the most exotic plant species and as a green escape on rainy days. The Poznań Palm House has been located in Wilson Park in the center of Poznań for over 110 years. It is the largest facility of this type in Poland and one of the largest in Europe. The Palm House's collection includes approximately 17,000 plants of seven hundred species and varieties from countries with a Mediterranean, subtropical and tropical climate, as well as those from savannah and desert. The facility also houses the first public aquarium in Poland. Currently, the aquarium displays 37 tanks with capacities ranging from 1,000 to 14,000 liters, where you can see 170 species of fish from different parts of the world and about 40 species of aquatic plants. #poland #poznan #palms

Freedom Fountain in Poznan

The Freedom Fountain is a fountain located on Freedom Square in Poznań. The authors of the project are architect Agnieszka Stochaj and sculptor Rafał Nowak. Opened in June 2012, the fountain consists of two 10-meter wings - sails, on which the flowing water allows you to cool down inside the fountain. The whole thing is located in a shallow, reinforced concrete slab with a footbridge over it. The height of the fountain is approximately 9 meters, the size of the wall is 21 meters. There are LED lamps in the building that emit colorful light at night. The entire structure weighs 700 tons. The total cost of the fountain is PLN 3.72 million. In 1927, the Ground Construction Department of the Poznań City Hall announced a competition for the Freedom Monument to be erected in this place. The first prize went to the team: Władysław Marcinkowski and Marian Andrzejewski, the second to Zygmunt Otto, and the third to Marcin Rożek. However, the construction of the monument was abandoned due to the lack of an appropriate background and the impossibility of achieving an urban dominant. #poland #poznan #fountain

Old Market Square in Poznan

If the beginnings of Poznań began on Ostrów Tumski, where did the Old Market Square come from? The mystery is solved by the figures of Przemysł I and Bolesław the Pious, who decided to move the town to the other side of the river to provide its inhabitants with more space. In 1253, the market square and the streets leading from it were marked out, today so popular among both visitors and locals. And this is probably what we are most interested in in the Old Town - in many cities, the markets become a beautiful but empty tourist shell with highly inflated prices, and in Poznań it seems that this place is still alive also among the residents. #poland #poznan #center #market

ICHOT Poznań Gate

At the end of Posadzego Street, where the Genius Loci Archaeological Reserve is located, you will find an intriguing brick building - the Cathedral Lock, which is a remnant of the Prussian Poznań Fortress, and at its end - the passage to the ICHOT Poznań Gate, one of the most interesting museums (or more precisely: the heritage interpretation center ) in Poznan. We leave it to you to decide whether you will start or finish your adventure with Ostrów and the cradle of Polish statehood here, but you definitely have to visit it. The exhibition, in a truly accessible and modern version, presents the history of the first Piast dynasty and their estates in Poznań, as well as the later history of the city. The Poznań ICHOT Gate corresponds to the surrounding monuments There are a lot of videos, multimedia, but also traditionally served information. You can go through the exhibition "roughly", stopping only at the films or animations, but you can also deepen your knowledge by reading the information-dense screens. Importantly, the audio guides offered have an option for adults and a family option. We liked the first rooms the most because they actually connect to the place where the museum was built. ICHOT and Ostrów Tumski are in close dialogue with each other, and from the ICHOT terrace you can clearly see the panorama of the Poznań island. With every step you discover something new… During our last visit, we noticed that the Cybina River had also come back to life. So far, not much has happened on it, now recreational paths have been run along its banks, which, combined with a system of city bikes and scooters, gives a lot of scope for activities. Oh, in the ICHOT building itself there is a very nice cafe and a shop with "poznanials" - various publications about the region and history. If, like us, you are passionate about bringing more guides and books from your travels, then absolutely do not go there!! #poland #museum #poznan #wow

Poznan Cathedral (Katedra Poznańska)

Of course, one building undoubtedly dominates Ostrów Tumski - the soaring Poznań Cathedral. What is impressive about this building dating back to the 10th century is its volume - although the interior is modest, compared to cathedrals of similar importance, it is good to take a look at the Poznań walls and vaults. The most frequently visited place in the cathedral is the Golden Chapel - with the graves of 3 kings and 5 Piast princes. Has their burial place remained unchanged for almost 1,000 years? It's not entirely true - yes, the Poznań cathedral is the first royal necropolis in Poland, but the ashes of the rulers were not always displayed in this chapel. The idea of creating such an exposed and decorative place dates back to the 19th century, when Bishop Wolicki and Count Raczyński (the one responsible for the library) wanted to recall the beginnings of the Polish state. Building a chapel in the Byzantine style required a lot of energy and funds, but the originators did their best, and the effect of the work is also impressive today. Although you can't enter the chapel, you can see it quite well from behind the bars - don't forget some change to turn on the lights in the chapel. #poland #cathedral #poznan

Genius Loci Archaeological Reserve

The Genius Loci Archaeological Reserve is a very inconspicuous exhibition that shouldn't take too much time to explore, but the memory of your visit should stay with you forever. Here you will see surprisingly well-preserved castle fortifications dating back to the very beginnings of Polish statehood. How has the wooden structure survived to this day...? You'll find out on the spot! Interestingly, according to scientists, 28,000 oak trees were used to build the embankment around Poznań - that is, about 350 truckloads of wood. Of course, cut and transported by the power of human and animal muscles… #poland #reserve #poznan

Very unique building in Poznan City Poland. However I have no idea what it is but it’s very interesting building and I think it is the most interesting building in Poznan city. 😊#poznan #mytripvlog