Poland : Poznań

Poznań is the cultural, economic and transport hub of Wielkopolska. It's strongly associated with the early formation of the Polish kingdom at the turn of the first millennium, and Poland's first ruler, Mieszko I, is buried at Poznań Cathedral.

After the partitions of the late-18th century, Poznań fell under Prussian domination and until the re-establishment of independent Poland at the end of WWI was the German city of Posen. Much of Poznań, including the main square (Stary Rynek), was destroyed in fighting in WWII and painstakingly rebuilt in the decades after.

These days, Poznań is a vibrant university city. There's a beautiful Old Town, with a number of interesting museums and a range of lively bars, clubs and restaurants.

Town HallHISTORIC BUILDING

Poznań’s Renaissance Town Hall, topped with a 61m-high tower, instantly captures attention. Its graceful form replaced a 13th-century Gothic structure, which burned down in the early-16th century. Every day at noon two metal goats appear through a pair of small doors above the clock and butt their horns together 12 times, in deference to an old legend. These days, the Town Hall is home to the Historical Museum of Poznań.

Historical Museum of PoznańMUSEUM

This museum inside the town hall displays an interesting and well-presented exhibition on the town’s history, and the building’s original interiors are worth the entry price on their own. The Gothic vaulted cellarsare the only remains of the first town hall. They were initially used for trade but later became a jail.

The island of Ostrów Tumski, east of the main square and across the Warta River, is the place where Poznań was founded, and with it the Polish state.

Poznań CathedralCHURCH

Ostrów Tumski is dominated by this monumental, double-towered cathedral. Basically Gothic with additions from later periods, most notably the baroque tops of the towers, the cathedral was damaged in 1945 and took 11 years to rebuild. The aisles and the ambulatory are ringed by a dozen chapels containing numerous tombstones. The most famous is the Golden Chapel behind the high altar, which houses the remains of the first two Polish rulers: Mieszko I and Bolesław Chrobry.

Porta Posnania Interactive Heritage CentreMUSEUM

This cutting-edge multimedia museum opened in 2014 to tell the tale of the island’s eventful history and the birth of the Polish nation via interactive displays and other technological gadgetry. It’s located on the island’s eastern shore and is linked to the cathedral area by footbridge. The exhibitions are multilingual, but opt for an audioguide to help put everything together.

BUS

The bus station (Dworzec PKS; www.pks.poznan.pl; ul Dworcowa 1) is located near the train station and part of the Poznań City Centre transport and shopping complex. It's 1.5km southwest of the Old Town and can be reached on foot in 15 minutes, or by tram to stop 'Most Dworcowy'.

Polski Bus (www.polskibus.com) runs services to Warsaw (four hours, five daily) and Wrocław (three hours, five daily). Polski Bus coaches arrive and depart at one of two stations: the main bus station or a smaller station, Dworzec Górczyn, 3km southwest of the main station. Check the website to use the right station. Buy tickets online.

TRAIN

Busy Poznań Main Train Station ( ul Dworcowa 1) is 1.5km southwest of the Old Town and can be reached on foot in 15 minutes, or by tram to stop 'Most Dworcowy'.

Useful domestic train connections include to Gdańsk (60zł, 3½ hours, three daily), Kraków (80zł, eight hours, three daily), Toruń (30zł, two hours, two daily), Wrocław (60zł, 2¾ hours, five daily) and Warsaw (80zł, three hours, six daily). Poznań is a natural jumping-off spot for Berlin (150zł, three hours, six daily).