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Poznan - Culture  

As POZNAN is a city with a tradition longer than 1,000 years, the environs are a veritable paradise for tourists. Their heritage includes monuments from all historical epochs in Europe. The city has numerous castles, palaces, mansions, old tenement houses, churches, heritage parks. Make sure you do not miss the pearl of northern Europen architecture and POZNAN's most characteristics edifice: the Renaissance Town Hall with its magnificent tower in the Old Market Square. Every June the Market place as well as the wonderful recreational area around artificial Malta Lake, turns into a huge open-air stage for performances of the "Malta" International Theater Festival. POZNAN is worldwide famous for its Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competitions, boys' and men's choirs (Poznan Nightingales - S.Stuligrosz, Polish Nightingales - J.Kurczewski), the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra (A.Duczmal), the International Jazz Festival "Jazz Fair", the Folk Blues Fair, the Polish Dance Theatre (E.Wycichowska), Europe's only Museum of Musical Instruments, and many, many more.

No matter who you are or where you come from, you can always count on our hospitality and professional, friendly service.

The coat-of-arms has blue background, white city wall with battlements, a gate and three towers. Above the central tower (the tallest) is a red shield with a white eagle and golden stripe on its wings. Two standing figures, Saint Paul with a golden sword and Saint Peter with a golden key, on the other two towers. In the gate, two golden keys and a cross above them. Next to the figures of the Saints, golden stars and half-moons. The coat-of-arms, known from seals since the fourteenth century, was approved in 1936.

With nine theatres (including the opera house), a symphony orchestra and 28 choirs Poznan is the cultural centre of central and western Poland. Stefan Stuligrosz's Poznan Nightingales, a men's and boys' choir and Wojciech Krolopp's Poznan Boys' Choir, are known all over the world.

Several festivals and music competitions are organized in the city.

There are 17 museums and many exhibition salons, several private art galleries and salons of antiques, etc.

...it is said that the citizens of Poznan are thrifty, stubborn and well-organised. Our ancestors must been so because, it was here that the first Polish state was created a thousand years ago.
Poznan and Gniezno (50 km away) were the first Polish capitals. Both cities are connected by the tourist trail known as the Piast Route, along which we can bear witness to the distant past of the region, e.g. Lake Lednica with the remains of a settlement dating from the 9th and 10th centuries, where, according to the legend, the first Polish King to be crowned, Boleslaw The Brave, was born...

The tombs of Boleslaw The Brave and his father, Duke Mieszko, are situated in the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in Poznan. The first cathedral was romanesque in style but nowadays this imposing building's outline and walls are gothic.

Apart from the cathedral, the most precious building in Poznan is the 16th century renaissance Town Hall in the Old Square. It is surrounded by old merchant houses which were carefully restored after World War II. From there, you are a stone's throw away from Golebia Street and Poznan's parish church, one of the most splendid examples of baroque churches in Poland.

The first school of higher education in Poznan, the Lubranski Academy, was founded in 1518... There are now over 10 schools of higher education. In a city of 600,000 inhabitants there are over 50,000 students.

The main sources of wealth for Poznan's citizens were craft and trade. For ages, Poznan has been famous for its trade fairs and markets. The largest one was St. John's Market (24th June) during which people traded primarily in wool and cereals.

The St. John's Market of today is a place where art collectors, master craftsmen, and those whose hobby is art and collecting flock to during Poznan's biggest trade fair, the Poznan International Fair in June.

Poznan is the capital of the so-called "bread-basket" of the Polish state. It is the home of the only Agricultural Horticultural Exchange of this kind in Poland, a joint Poznan-Swiss initiative. The Swiss maintain that flowers, fruit and vegetables are traded "just as in Zurich".

On the other hand, the Poznan Exchange, which matches western standards, specialises in cereals, meat and fertilisers.

The presence of over 30 banks in Poznan, including a few foreign ones, all help promote business.

It can be said, without any false modesty, that Poznan, in many respects, is very special city. For instance the richness of musical life: Poznan is home to the world-famous boys' and men's male voice choirs conducted by Stefan Stuligrosz and Wojciech Krolopp, and the Polish Theatre of Dance - Poznan Ballet, the only one of its kind in Poland. Music lovers regularly come to Poznan for the Contemporary Music Festivals and for Henryk Wieniawski violin nad violin making competitions, held every five years here in Poznan...

The Philharmonic Orchestra, the Opera, the Theatres... a great number of museums, among which is the Museum of Musical Instruments, which has one of the richest collections in Europe.

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