Things to do in Wielkopolska
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Parish Church
The Parish Church was originally built for the Jesuits by architects from Italy. After more than 80 years of work (1651–1732), an impressive baroque church was created, with an ornamented façade and a lofty interior supported on massive columns and crammed with monumental altars.
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Church of St John of Jerusalem
One of the oldest brick churches in the country, this late-12th-century building was extended in the Gothic period and later acquired a baroque chapel. The interior contains beautiful Gothic star vaults, and the Romanesque doorway in the main western entrance is magnificent.
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Weigh House
The Weigh House is a postwar replica of the 16th-century building designed by Quadro, which was dismantled in the 19th century. South of it are two discordant postwar structures on the site of the old arsenal and cloth hall.
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Palace & National Museum
The tiny village of Rogalin, 12km west of Kórnik, was the seat of yet another Polish aristocratic clan, the Raczyński family, who built a palace here in the closing decades of the 18th century, and lived in it until WWII. Plundered but not damaged during WWII, the palace was taken over by the state.
In 1991, Count Edward Raczyński, who had been Polish ambassador to Britain at the outbreak of WWII and a leading figure in the Polish government in exile, reaffirmed the use of the palace as a branch of Poznań's National Museum. Less visited than Kórnik's castle and much more Germanic in its appearance, the Rogalin palace consists of a massive, two-storey, baroque central st…
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Town Hall
Poznań's Renaissance Town Hall, topped with a 61m-high tower, instantly captures your attention. Its graceful form replaced the 13th-century Gothic town hall, which was consumed by fire in the early 16th century, along with much of the town. It was designed by Italian architect Giovanni Battista Quadro and constructed from 1550 to 1560; only the tower is a later addition, built in the 1780s after its predecessor collapsed.
The crowned eagle on top of the spire, with an impressive wingspan of 2m, adds some Polish symbolism.The main eastern façade is embellished with a three-storey arcade. Above it is a painted frieze depicting kings of the Jagiellonian dynasty, and a cloc…
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Church of the Holy Trinity
Built a decade or two after the St Procopius' Church, the larger Church of the Holy Trinity acquired a Gothic vault in the 14th century and a baroque façade four centuries later. The interior is a remarkably harmonious composition of baroque furnishings, Gothic vaulting and four original Romanesque columns. These columns, revealed only during postwar restoration, are the most precious treasure of the church, particularly the two with elaborate figurative designs. There are 18 figures carved in each column; those on the left-hand column personify vices, while those on the right are virtues.
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St Adalbert's Church
Its 16th-century, freestanding wooden belfry is the only substantial historic wooden building in Poznań. Inside the church, the Gothic vaulting is decorated with striking Art Nouveau wall paintings. The crypt beneath, open to visitors, has become a mausoleum for the most eminent Poles from Wielkopolska, among them Józef Wybicki, who wrote the lyrics of the national anthem.
During the Christmas period, the mechanised szopka (Nativity scene) is open in the church. It includes several dozen movable figures that depict the history of the region, from Mieszko I to the present day.
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Cathedral
Gniezno’s history and character are inextricably intertwined with its cathedral, an imposing, double-towered, brick Gothic structure. The present church, which you may recognise from a common 2zł postage stamp, was constructed after the 1331 destruction of the previous Romanesque cathedral by the Teutonic Knights. It changed a lot in later periods: chapels sprouted all around it, and the interior was redecorated in successive styles. After considerable damage in WWII, it was rebuilt according to the original Gothic structure.
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Citadel Park
The large Citadel Park is laid out on what was once a massive Prussian fortress known as the Citadel (Cytadela). It was involved in one major battle, when the Germans defended themselves for four weeks in 1945, and was completely destroyed apart from a few fragments. Today the park incorporates two museums: the Museum of Weapons and the Museum of the Poznań Army. There are also cemeteries for Polish, Soviet, British and Commonwealth soldiers, all on the southern slopes of the hill.
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Zoological Gardens
Poznań’s original zoo, and one of the oldest in Poland. Animal lovers can breathe reasonably easily: the oldest enclosures are no longer occupied, with most larger animals having been relocated to the New Zoo. Those that remain include giraffes and zebras in a sizable open space. The remaining faded, but decorative, 19th-century facilities are populated by birds, otters, lemurs, alpacas, reptiles and amphibians, including some vividly coloured poisonous frogs.
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Museum of Musical Instruments
It houses hundreds of instruments, from whistles to concert pianos, but it’s less interesting than it should be. One room on the ground floor is filled with intriguing musical devices including a typewriter for musician notation, and a polyphon, the precursor of the record player. Upstairs, however, it’s like an antiques clearance sale – rooms of pianos, rooms of violins, and so on, with little creative attempt to give them a context.
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Museum of the Origins of the Polish State
The Museum of the Origins of the Polish State, on the far side of Lake Jelonek, illustrates Gniezno’s pivotal role in Polish history. The permanent collection contains archaeological finds and works of art related to the development of the Polish nation from pre-Slavic times to the end of the Piast dynasty. The museum also runs an audiovisual presentation about Poland under the Piasts (English soundtrack available).
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Monument to the Victims of June 1956
The Monument to the Victims of June 1956 is one of Poznań's most significant memorials. It commemorates the ill-fated workers' protest. The monument, consisting of two 20m-tall crosses bound together, was unveiled on 28 June 1981, the 25th anniversary of the strike, at a ceremony attended by more than 100,000 people. It's a huge, evocative landmark, similar to the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers in Gdańsk.
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Museum of Poznań June 1956
The Museum of Poznań June 1956, next door to the Monument to the Victims of June 1956, is housed within the neo-Romanesque Kaiserhaus ( M0158), which was built from 1904 to 1910 for Emperor Wilhelm II.
In addition to the Kaiserhaus, there are copious examples of Prussian architecture in this area. Notable specimens include the Teatr Wielki, the Collegium Maius ( M0159) and the Collegium Minus ( M015A).
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Archaeological Museum
Inside the 16th-century Górka Palace (Pałac Górków) is the Archaeological Museum. Before going in, stop and have a look at the fine Renaissance doorway on the building’s eastern façade. The museum itself presents the prehistory of the region, from the Stone Age to the early medieval period, as well as an extensive Egyptian collection.
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Museum of the Wielkopolska Uprising
The Museum of the Wielkopolska Uprising details the battles waged by Polish fighters seeking independence from Germany after the end of WWI. It’s an interesting if compact institution with displays of military uniforms, weaponry, photographs and documents created for the newborn Polish state that the Uprising hoped to help create. There’s a brochure in English.
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Hunting Palace
Prince Antoni Radziwiłł gave his name to Antonin, having put it on the map by building his Hunting Palace here from 1822 to 1824. This handsome wooden structure is still the town’s showpiece; it was designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, one of the outstanding German architects of the period, who was also responsible for numerous monumental buildings in Berlin and Prussia.
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Mezzoforte
Funky restaurant with a mosaic-tiled bar and bright orange walls decorated with giant poppy designs. The menu contains an array of pizzas and pastas, alongside photos of two customers enjoying their meal together just a little too much. From 9pm you can trek downstairs to enjoy Poznań’s smallest nightclub – good luck finding enough space to dance!
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Walking Routes
If you're challenged for time in Poznań, a good way to get a feel for the city's history is to follow one or more of the 10 self-guided walking routes, outlined in free brochures available from the tourist office. Each walk takes two hours, and leads you past selected historic and scenic locations, with the brochure explaining their significance in English.
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Atmosfera
If you’re on the run from the Foreign Legion, or just trying to escape the hordes in the Stary Rynek, you could do worse than head for this hidden-away café in tiny ul Mokra. The décor is a faded blue showcase of floral wreaths and abstract art, just worn enough to give it character. To become even more unfindable, head to the upstairs room.
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St Nicholas’ Church
The St Nicholas’ Church dates from the 13th century and was originally Gothic, but has been modernised several times. The painting of the Descent from the Cross over the high altar is a copy. The original, painted in Rubens’ workshop in about 1617 and donated to the church, was burnt or stolen during a mysterious fire in 1973.
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Tapas Bar
This atmospheric place dishes up authentic tapas and Spanish wine in a room lined with intriguing bric-a-brac, including jars of stuffed olives, Mediterranean-themed artwork and bright red candles. Most tapas dishes are 17zł to 19zł, so forget the mains and share with friends. There’s a nightclub downstairs for post-prandial dancing.
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Restauracja W-Z
Short for Wielkopolska Zagroda (Wielkopolskan Farm), the W-Z takes its rustic theme to the limit – the building contains a re-creation of a country cabin, complete with timber roof, allowing diners to feast on excellent Polish cooking either inside or round the edge. The attached W-Z Café is a good place to grab a quick coffee.
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National Museum
The National Museum has an extensive collection of Polish and European art displayed in countless rooms. The building’s architecture isn’t much to look at, but the art is displayed to best advantage in the spacious and light-filled interior and, unusually for Polish museums, it has disabled access throughout.
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Archaeological Reserve
The Iron Age town is situated within the Archaeological Reserve. You can just wander through the grounds, but it’s also possible to hire an electronic audio tour for 15zł, or organise an English-speaking guide in advance for 80zł. The ticket office also sells some publications about the site in English.
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