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Poznań is the focal point of early Polish history and is located midway between Berlin and Warsaw. The early Polanian tribes built a wooden fort on an island in the 9th century. Poznań then served as the de facto capital of Poland from 968 to 1038. By the 15th century Poznań was a major trading center, already famous for its fairs. The tradition of the fairs was reinstituted in 1925 and continues to today, attracting hordes of tourists and business people.
Lucky for us, are no fairs in August so when we arrived in August 2003 it was fairly quiet. We arrived late in the day and by early evening the old main square was full of locals, enjoying a beer or ice cream in the warm evening.
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The square is dominated by the ornately decorated town hall (above, right). First built in the 14th century, it was rebuilt after the devastating fire of 1536 with a Renaissance loggia and classical tower. The great draw is the Great Entrance Hall with its elaborately decorated vault supported by 2 huge pillars. Outside, crowds gather as the clock strikes the hour and the two goats come out butting heads at each strike (above, left).
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The one thing we noticed as we strolled around before enjoying our beer is that most of the people we saw were of the younger generation. Just walking around with friends or enjoying a beer at a sidewalk cafe, the young are the vibrant life of Poznań in the evening.
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As you can see in the photo below, the entire town square is surrounded by houses in baroque and renaissance houses. Most of these were unfortunately destroyed during the war, but subsequently rebuilt.
Our favorite were the skinny little houses next to the town hall (above, left). Most were only one room wide and almost looked like tall doll houses.
Wandering through the narrow streets you could find period detail such as the window above, right.
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A few blocks off the town square sits the large pink baroque parish church (right) that towers over the neighboring buildings. It is richly ornate and the interior contains monumental altars befitting an edifice of these proportions.
We didn’t have the time to go to the island, but a short tram ride can take you to the island where the town originally began. Today you will find the 14th century cathedral that sits on the site of the original church from 968.
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