Poznań
City county
Part of Old Town with Old Market Square Cathedral Town Hall New Bałtyk Grand Theatre Stary Browar Partial skyline of Poznań city centre
Flag Coat of arms Wordmark
Show Poznań Show Greater Poland Voivodeship Show Poland Show Europe
Coordinates: 52°24′30″N 16°56′01″E / 52.40833°N 16.93361°E / 52.40833; 16.93361
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Greater Poland
County	City county
Established	10th century
City rights	1253
City Hall	Poznań Town Hall
Districts	42 osiedles
Government
• Body	Poznań City Council
• City mayor	Jacek Jaśkowiak (KO)
• Sejm of Poland	Poznań
Area
• City county	261.85 km2 (101.10 sq mi)
• Metro	2,162 km2 (835 sq mi)
Highest elevation	154 m (505 ft)
Lowest elevation	60 m (200 ft)
Population  (30 June 2023)
• City county	540,146 (5th)[1]
• Density	2,063/km2 (5,340/sq mi)
• Metro	1,029,021[2]
GDP [3][4]
• City county	€14.965 billion (2020)
• Metro	€25.999 billion (2020)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	60-001 to 61–890
Area code	+48 61
Vehicle registration	PO, PY
Website	www.poznan.pl

Poznań (Polish: [ˈpɔznaɲ] ^ⓘ)^{[lower-alpha 1]} is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's Fair (Jarmark Świętojański), traditional Saint Martin's croissants and a local dialect. Among its most important heritage sites are the Renaissance Old Town, Town Hall and Gothic Cathedral.

Poznań is the fifth-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. As of 2023, the city's population is 540,146, while the Poznań metropolitan area (Metropolia Poznań) comprising Poznań County and several other communities is inhabited by over 1.029 million people.^[2] It is one of four historical capitals of medieval Poland and the ancient capital of the Greater Poland region, currently the administrative capital of the province called Greater Poland Voivodeship.

Poznań is a centre of trade, sport, education, technology and tourism. It is an important academic site, with about 130,000 students and Adam Mickiewicz University, the third largest Polish university. The city serves as the seat of the oldest Polish diocese, now being one of the most populous Catholic archdioceses in the country. The city also hosts the Poznań International Fair, the biggest industrial fair in Poland and one of the largest fairs in Europe. The city's other renowned landmarks include the National Museum, Grand Theatre, Fara Church and the Imperial Castle.

Poznań is classified as a Gamma−global city by Globalization and World Cities Research Network.^[6] According to several rankings it is one of the most business-friendly cities in Poland.^[7] It also ranks highly in safety and healthcare quality.^[8] The city of Poznań has also, many times, won the prize awarded by "Superbrands" for a very high quality city brand. In 2012, the Poznań's Art and Business Centre "Stary Browar" won a competition organised by National Geographic Traveler and was given the first prize as one of the seven "New Polish Wonders". Companies headquartered in the city include energy provider Enea and e-commerce company Allegro.

The official patron saints of Poznań are Saint Peter and Paul of Tarsus, the patrons of the cathedral. Martin of Tours – the patron of the main street Święty Marcin – is also regarded as one of the patron saints of the city.

Names

The name Poznań probably comes from a personal name Poznan, which was in turn derived from the Polish participle poznan(y) – "one who is known/recognized", and would mean "Poznan's town". It is also possible that the name comes directly from the verb poznać, which means "to get to know" or "to recognize", so it may simply mean "known town".

14th-century seal showing Poznań's coat of arms.

The earliest surviving references to the city are found in the chronicles of Thietmar of Merseburg written between 1012 and 1018: episcopus Posnaniensis ("bishop of Poznań", in an entry for 970) and ab urbe Posnani ("from the city of Poznań", for 1005). The city's name appears in documents in the Latin nominative case as Posnania in 1236 and Poznania in 1247. The phrase in Poznan appears in 1146 and 1244.

The city's full official name is Stołeczne Miasto Poznań (The Capital City of Poznań), in reference to its role as a centre of political power in the early Polish state under the Piast dynasty. Poznań is known as Posen in German, and was officially called Haupt- und Residenzstadt Posen (Capital and Residence City of Poznań) between 20 August 1910 and 28 November 1918. The Latin names of the city are Posnania and Civitas Posnaniensis. Its Yiddish name is פּױזן, or Poyzn.

In Polish, the city's name has masculine grammatical gender.

History

Monument of Mieszko I and Bolesław I the Brave in Golden Chapel at Archcathedral Basilica.

Early Middle Ages

For centuries before the Christianization of Poland (an event that essentially is credited as the creation of the very first Polish state, the Duchy of Poland), Poznań was an important cultural and political centre of the Western Polans. It consisted of a fortified stronghold between the Warta and Cybina rivers on what is now Ostrów Tumski. Mieszko I, the first historically recorded ruler of the West Polans and of the early Polish state which they dominated, built one of his main stable headquarters in Poznań. Mieszko's baptism in AD 966, seen as a defining moment in the Christianization of the Polish state, may have taken place in Poznań.^[9]

Cathedral, then in the Neo-Classical style, and Church of Holy Virgin Mary to its left, standing on the site of original ducal residence. A lithograph from 1842.

11th to 16th centuries

Following the baptism, construction began of Poznań's cathedral, the first in Poland. Poznań was probably the main seat of the first missionary bishop sent to Poland, Bishop Jordan. The Congress of Gniezno in 1000 led to the country's first permanent archbishopric being established in Gniezno (which is generally regarded as Poland's capital in that period), although Poznań continued to have independent bishops of its own. Poznań's cathedral was the place of burial of the early Piast monarchs, among them Mieszko I, Bolesław I the Brave, Mieszko II Lambert, Casimir I, and later of Przemysł I and Przemysł II.^[10]

The pagan reaction that followed Mieszko II's death (probably in Poznań) in 1034 left the region weak, and in 1038, Duke Bretislaus I of Bohemia sacked and destroyed both Poznań and Gniezno. Poland was reunited under Casimir I the Restorer in 1039, but the capital was moved to Kraków, which had been relatively unaffected by the troubles. In 1138, by the testament of Boleslaus III, Poland was divided into separate duchies under the late king's sons, and Poznań and its surroundings became the domain of Mieszko III the Old, the first of the Dukes of Greater Poland. This period of fragmentation lasted until 1320. Duchies frequently changed hands; control of Poznań, Gniezno and Kalisz sometimes lay with a single duke, but at other times these constituted separate duchies.

In about 1249, Duke Przemysł I began constructing what would become the Royal Castle on a hill on the left bank of the Warta. Then in 1253, Przemysł issued a charter to Thomas of Gubin for the founding of a town under Magdeburg law, between the castle and the river. Thomas brought a large number of German settlers to aid in the building and settlement of the city – this is an example of the German eastern migration (Ostsiedlung) characteristic of that period.^[11][12] The city, which covered the area of today's Old Town neighbourhood, was surrounded by a defensive wall, integrated with the castle.^[13] The royal chancery and the university ensured a first flourishing of Polish literary culture in the city.

In reunited Poland, and later in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Poznań was the seat of a voivodeship. The city's importance began to grow in the Jagiellonian period, due to its position on trading routes from Lithuania and Ruthenia to western Europe. It would become a major center for the fur trade by the late 16th century. Suburban settlements developed around the city walls, on the river islands, and on the right bank, with some (Ostrów Tumski, Śródka, Chwaliszewo, Ostrówek) obtaining their own town charters. However, the city's development was hampered by regular major fires and floods. On 2 May 1536 a fire destroyed 175 buildings, including the castle, the town hall, the monastery, and the suburban settlement called St. Martin.^[14] In 1519, the Lubrański Academy had been established in Poznań as an institution of higher education, but without the right to award degrees, which was reserved to Kraków's Jagiellonian University. However, the Jesuits' college, founded in the city in 1571 during the Counter-Reformation, had the right to award degrees from 1611 until 1773, when it was combined with the academy.

Poznań, c. 1617, view from the north.
The gothic Collegiate church of St Mary Magdalene (late 13th century) did not survive fires caused by wars and lightning strike in 1773.

17th and 18th centuries

Interior details in Collegiate Basilica known as Fara built in 1651–1705; one of the finest examples of baroque architecture in Poland.

In the second half of the 17th century and most of the 18th, Poznań was severely affected by a series of wars, attendant military occupations, lootings and destruction – the Second and Third Northern Wars, the War of the Polish Succession, the Seven Years' War and the Bar Confederation. During the Deluge, Poznań’s Jewish community was accused of collaborating with the invading Swedish enemy, and as a result suffered pogroms carried out by both the city's non-Jewish residents and units of the Polish Crown Army.^[15]

It was also hit by frequent outbreaks of plague, and by floods, particularly that of 1736, which destroyed most of the suburban buildings. The population of the conurbation declined from 20,000 around 1600 to 6,000 around 1730, and Bambergian and Dutch settlers (Bambers and Olęders) were brought in to rebuild the devastated suburbs. In 1778, a "Committee of Good Order" (Komisja Dobrego Porządku) was established in the city, which oversaw rebuilding efforts and reorganized the city's administration. However, in 1793, in the Second Partition of Poland, Poznań came under the control of the Kingdom of Prussia, becoming part of (and initially the seat of) the province of South Prussia.

19th century to World War I

The Prussian authorities expanded the city boundaries, making the walled city and its closest suburbs into a single administrative unit. Left-bank suburbs were incorporated in 1797, and Ostrów Tumski, Chwaliszewo, Śródka, Ostrówek and Łacina (St. Roch) in 1800. The old city walls were taken down in the early 19th century, and major development took place to the west of the old city, with many of the main streets of today's city center being laid out.

A lithograph from 1833. In the centre background the former Jesuits' college and Górków Palace on the right.

Raczyński Library (1828) on the left seen across the Wilhelmstrasse, now Marcinkowskiego boulevard. Postcard from 1904.

As Poznań grew in the 19th century, Berlin Gate (c. 1890, b. 1849), main west gate of the Prussian inner fortification ring, almost immediately began to impede city's development and was torn down in 1901.

Polish Theatre (1875, pictured before 1907) had become a national stage in the Greater Poland region, then partly under Prussian / German rule.

In the Greater Poland uprising of 1806, Polish soldiers and civilian volunteers assisted the efforts of Napoleon by driving out Prussian forces from the region. The city became a part of the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807, and was the seat of Poznań Department – a unit of administrative division and local government. However, in 1815, following the Congress of Vienna, the region was returned to Prussia, and Poznań became the capital of the semi-autonomous Grand Duchy of Posen. Around 1820, Poznań had over 20,000 inhabitants, 70% of whom were Poles, 20% Jews, and 10% Germans.

The city continued to expand, and various projects were funded by Polish philanthropists, such as the Raczyński Library and the Bazar hotel. The city's first railway, running north-west to Stargard, opened in 1848. Due to its strategic location, the Prussian authorities intended to make Poznań into a fortress city, building a ring of defensive fortifications around it. Work began on the citadel with Fort Winiary in 1828, and in subsequent years the entire set of defenses called Festung Posen was completed.

A Greater Poland Uprising during the Revolutions of 1848 was ultimately unsuccessful, and the Grand Duchy lost its remaining autonomy, Poznań becoming simply the capital of the Prussian Province of Posen. It would become part of the German Empire with the unification of German states in 1871. Polish patriots continued to form societies such as the Central Economic Society for the Grand Duchy of Poznań, and Polish Theatre opened in 1875. It became a national stage for the inhabitants of the Province of Posen, and even in whole Greater Poland region, acting as a mainstay of polish tradition and culture, and as a sign of resistance against the restrictive policies of the Prussian partition authorities. However, the authorities made efforts to Germanize the region, particularly through the Prussian Settlement Commission founded in 1886. Germans accounted for 38% of the city's population in 1867, though this percentage would later decline somewhat, particularly after the region returned to Poland.

Another expansion of Festung Posen was planned, with an outer ring of more widely spaced forts around the perimeter of the city. Building of the first nine forts began in 1876, and nine intermediate forts were built from 1887. The inner ring of fortifications was now considered obsolete and came to be mostly taken down by the early 20th century, although the citadel remained in use. This made space for further civilian construction, particularly the Prussian Royal Residence Palace (Zamek) which was completed in 1910, and other grand buildings around it, including today's central university buildings and the opera house. The city's boundaries were also significantly extended to take in former suburban villages: Piotrowo and Berdychowo in 1896, Łazarz, Górczyn, Jeżyce and Wilda in 1900, and Sołacz in 1907.

In 1910, Poznań had 156,696 inhabitants, of which nearly 60% were Poles (over 91,000 Polish inhabitants of the city), and around 40% were Germans (over 65,000 German inhabitants of the city). Other nationalities accounted for 1-2% of the population (mainly Jews).

Interbellum

Successful Greater Poland uprising broke out on 27 December 1918 after a patriotic speech by Ignacy Paderewski at Hotel Bazar, pictured in that period.

Poznań International Fair (1921/25, pictured in 1927) ranked in the 1930s as Europe's fourth largest organiser of international trade shows.

In 1929, General National Exhibition (PeWuKa) took place in Poznań. Upper Silesian Tower was a post-German "souvenir".

The spire built on the Tower skeleton after war, in turn a Russian style "souvenir".

Old Market Square in 1934. The Odwach guardhouse and the 1893 New Town Hall, which was not rebuilt after World War II, are visible.

At the end of World War I, the final Greater Poland Uprising in 1918–1919 brought Poznań and most of the region back to newly reborn Poland, which was confirmed by the Treaty of Versailles. The local German populace had to acquire Polish citizenship or leave the country. This led to a wide emigration of the ethnic Germans of the town's population – the town's German population decreased from 65,321 in 1910 to 5,980 in 1926 and further to 4,387 in 1934.^[16]

In the interwar Second Polish Republic, the city again became the capital of Poznań Voivodeship. Poznań's university, today called Adam Mickiewicz University, was founded in 1919, and in 1924 the Poznań International Fair began. In 1929, the fair site was the venue for a major National Exhibition (Powszechna Wystawa Krajowa, popularly PeWuKa) marking the tenth anniversary of independence; organized on a space of 650,000 square metres it attracted around 4.5 million visitors. In the 1930s, the fair ranked as European fourth largest organiser of international trade events.^[17] The city's boundaries were again expanded in 1925 to include Główna, Komandoria, Rataje, Starołęka, Dębiec, Szeląg and Winogrady, and in 1933: Golęcin and Podolany.

1945–present

Due to the expulsion and flight of German population Poznań's post-war population became almost uniformly Polish. The city again became a voivodeship capital. In 1950, the size of Poznań Voivodeship was reduced, and the city itself was given separate voivodeship status. This status was lost in the 1975 reforms, which also significantly reduced the size of Poznań Voivodeship.

From left: Poznań protests of 1956 – the first of several massive protests against the communist government – the sign reads "We demand bread!"; Poznań Crosses – Monument to the Victims of June 1956 (built and pictured in 1981).

The Poznań 1956 protests are seen as an early instance of discontent with communist rule. In June 1956, a protest by workers at the city's Cegielski locomotive factory developed into a series of strikes and popular protests against the policies of the government. After a protest march on 28 June was fired on, crowds attacked the communist party and secret police headquarters, where they were repulsed by gunfire. Riots continued for two days until being quelled by the army; 67 people were killed according to official figures. A monument to the victims was erected in 1981 at Plac Mickiewicza.^[27]

The post-war years had seen much reconstruction work on buildings damaged in the fighting. From the 1960s onwards intensive housing development took place, consisting mainly of pre-fabricated concrete blocks of flats, especially in Rataje and Winogrady, and later Piątkowo, following its incorporation into the city in 1974. Another infrastructural change, which was completed in 1968, was the rerouting of the river Warta to follow two straight branches either side of Ostrów Tumski.

On the right remnants of the medieval town walls with two small towers.

The most recent expansion of the city's boundaries took place in 1987, with the addition of new areas mainly to the north, including Morasko, Radojewo and Kiekrz. The first free local elections following the fall of communism took place in 1990. With the Polish local government reforms of 1999, Poznań again became the capital of a larger province entitled Greater Poland Voivodeship. It also became the seat of a powiat Poznań County, with the city itself gaining separate powiat status.

Post-communism infrastructural developments include the opening of the Pestka Fast Tram route in 1997, and Poznań's first motorway connections in 2003 as Poland's east–west A2 highway runs south of the city centre, serving also as a bypass. In 2006 country's first F-16 Fighting Falcons came to be stationed at the 31st Air Base in Krzesiny in the south-east of the city.

Poznań continues to host regular trade fairs and international events, including the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2008. It was one of the host cities for UEFA Euro 2012.

Geography

Location and topography

Further information: Geography of Poland

Greater Poland National Park is located just south-west of Poznań, while Puszcza Zielonka Landscape Park north-east of the city.

Satellite image of Poznań.

Poznań covers an area of 261.3 km² (100.9 sq mi), and has coordinates in the range 5°17'34''–52°30'27''N, 16°44'08''–17°04'28''E. Its highest point, with an altitude of 157 m (515 ft), is the summit of Morasko hill within the Morasko meteorite nature reserve in the north of the city. The lowest altitude is 60 m (197 ft), in the Warta valley.

Poznań's main river is the Warta, which flows through the city from south to north. As it approaches the city centre it divides into two branches, flowing west and east of Ostrów Tumski Cathedral island, and meeting again further north. The smaller Cybina river flows through eastern Poznań to meet the east branch of the Warta, which is also called Cybina – its northern section was originally a continuation of that river, while its southern section has been artificially widened to form a main stream of the Warta. Other tributaries of the Warta within Poznań are the Junikowo Stream (Strumień Junikowski), which flows through southern Poznań from the west, meeting the Warta just outside the city boundary in Luboń; the Bogdanka and Wierzbak, formerly two separate tributaries flowing from the north-west and along the north side of the city centre, now with their lower sections diverted underground; the Główna, flowing through the neighbourhood of the same name in north-east Poznań; and the Rose Stream (Strumień Różany) flowing east from Morasko in the north of the city. The course of the Warta in central Poznań was formerly quite different from today: the main stream ran between Grobla and Chwaliszewo, which were originally both islands. The branch west of Grobla (the Zgniła Warta – "rotten Warta") was filled in late in the 19th century, and the former main stream west of Chwaliszewo was diverted and filled in during the 1960s. This was done partly to prevent floods, which did serious damage to Poznań frequently throughout history.

The largest of city's's four major lakes, Great Kierskie Lake, is a centre of sailing and iceboating.

Poznań's largest lake is Kiekrz in the north-west end of the city. Other large lakes include Malta, an artificial lake formed in 1952 on the lower Cybina river, Strzeszyn on the Bogdanka, and Rusałka, an artificial lake formed in 1943 further down the Bogdanka river. The latter two are popular bathing places. Kiekrz lake is much used for sailing, while Malta is a competitive rowing and canoeing venue.

A very small part of Park Cytadela which lies on the site of huge 19th-century Winiary Fortress.

The city centre – including the Old Town, the former islands of Grobla and Chwaliszewo, the main street Święty Marcin and many other important buildings and districts – lies on the west side of the Warta. Opposite it between the two branches of the Warta is Ostrów Tumski, containing Cathedral and other ecclesiastical buildings, as well as housing and industrial facilities. Facing the cathedral on the east bank of the river is the historic district of Śródka. Large areas of apartment blocks, built from the 1960s onwards, include Rataje in the east, and Winogrady and Piątkowo north of the centre. Older residential and commercial districts include those of Wilda, Łazarz and Górczyn to the south, and Jeżyce to the west. There are also significant areas of forest within the city boundaries, particularly in the east adjoining Swarzędz, and around the lakes in the north-west.

For more details on Poznań's geography, see the articles on its five main districts: Stare Miasto, Nowe Miasto, Jeżyce, Grunwald, and Wilda.

Climate

Poznań
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     33     2 −4     27     3 −3     38     8 0     31     14 4     50     20 8     57     22 11     76     25 13     61     24 13     42     19 9     34     13 5     35     7 1     40     3 −2 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source: World Meteorological Organisation
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.3     35 26     1.1     38 26     1.5     46 32     1.2     58 38     1.9     67 47     2.2     72 52     3     76 56     2.4     76 55     1.6     66 49     1.3     56 41     1.4     44 34     1.6     37 28 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

The climate of Poznań is within the transition zone between a humid continental and oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb to Dfb although it just fits in the second in the 0 °C isotherm) and with relatively cold winters and warm summers. Snow is common in winter, when night-time temperatures are typically below zero. In summer temperatures may often reach 30 °C (86 °F). Annual rainfall is more than 500 mm (20 in), among the lowest in Poland. The rainiest month is July, mainly due to short but intense cloudbursts and thunderstorms. The number of hours of sunshine are among the highest in the country. Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "humid continental climate).^[28] The warmest temperature was recorded on 11 July 1959 at 38.7 °C (101.7 °F)

Climate data for Poznań (Poznań Airport), elevation: 83 m or 272 ft, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	15.8 (60.4)	18.1 (64.6)	24.0 (75.2)	30.5 (86.9)	31.8 (89.2)	38.0 (100.4)	38.2 (100.8)	37.1 (98.8)	34.6 (94.3)	27.9 (82.2)	19.9 (67.8)	15.6 (60.1)	38.2 (100.8)
Mean maximum °C (°F)	9.3 (48.7)	11.1 (52.0)	17.3 (63.1)	24.2 (75.6)	27.7 (81.9)	31.5 (88.7)	32.6 (90.7)	32.3 (90.1)	26.9 (80.4)	21.3 (70.3)	14.0 (57.2)	10.1 (50.2)	34.3 (93.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	2.1 (35.8)	3.7 (38.7)	8.1 (46.6)	15.0 (59.0)	19.8 (67.6)	23.1 (73.6)	25.2 (77.4)	24.9 (76.8)	19.5 (67.1)	13.3 (55.9)	7.1 (44.8)	3.2 (37.8)	13.8 (56.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−0.4 (31.3)	0.5 (32.9)	3.8 (38.8)	9.5 (49.1)	14.1 (57.4)	17.5 (63.5)	19.5 (67.1)	19.1 (66.4)	14.3 (57.7)	9.1 (48.4)	4.4 (39.9)	0.9 (33.6)	9.4 (48.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−2.9 (26.8)	−2.4 (27.7)	0.0 (32.0)	4.0 (39.2)	8.4 (47.1)	11.9 (53.4)	14.1 (57.4)	13.7 (56.7)	9.6 (49.3)	5.4 (41.7)	1.8 (35.2)	−1.4 (29.5)	5.2 (41.4)
Mean minimum °C (°F)	−13.5 (7.7)	−11.6 (11.1)	−7.8 (18.0)	−3.4 (25.9)	0.9 (33.6)	5.8 (42.4)	8.6 (47.5)	7.2 (45.0)	2.6 (36.7)	−2.8 (27.0)	−5.6 (21.9)	−10.1 (13.8)	−16.1 (3.0)
Record low °C (°F)	−28.5 (−19.3)	−28.0 (−18.4)	−21.4 (−6.5)	−8.6 (16.5)	−3.9 (25.0)	0.5 (32.9)	3.8 (38.8)	3.2 (37.8)	−1.7 (28.9)	−8.3 (17.1)	−15.2 (4.6)	−24.9 (−12.8)	−28.5 (−19.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	37.7 (1.48)	30.7 (1.21)	39.9 (1.57)	38.6 (1.52)	53.8 (2.12)	57.5 (2.26)	84.4 (3.32)	55.9 (2.20)	41.2 (1.62)	35.4 (1.39)	33.6 (1.32)	40.1 (1.58)	538.9 (21.22)
Average extreme snow depth cm (inches)	3.9 (1.5)	4.2 (1.7)	2.5 (1.0)	0.6 (0.2)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.1 (0.0)	1.3 (0.5)	3.2 (1.3)	4.2 (1.7)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	16.47	13.10	13.40	10.20	12.17	12.43	13.60	12.23	10.67	12.93	13.37	16.50	157.06
Average snowy days (≥ 0 cm)	12.7	10.0	4.0	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	1.7	6.8	35.7
Average relative humidity (%)	86.9	83.2	76.5	66.8	67.4	68.0	68.6	69.6	76.6	82.7	88.3	88.5	76.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours	50.8	71.8	123.1	211.1	255.4	257.3	268.5	252.7	165.2	112.7	53.9	36.6	1,859
Source 1: Institute of Meteorology and Water Management[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]
Source 2: Meteomodel.pl (records, relative humidity 1991–2020)[37][38][39]

Climate data for Poznań (Poznań Airport), elevation: 83 m or 272 ft, 1961–1990 normals and extremes
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	13.2 (55.8)	17.6 (63.7)	24.0 (75.2)	29.9 (85.8)	31.5 (88.7)	33.7 (92.7)	36.4 (97.5)	36.1 (97.0)	34.6 (94.3)	27.9 (82.2)	19.9 (67.8)	15.0 (59.0)	36.4 (97.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	0.5 (32.9)	2.2 (36.0)	6.8 (44.2)	13.0 (55.4)	18.8 (65.8)	22.1 (71.8)	23.5 (74.3)	23.1 (73.6)	18.7 (65.7)	13.1 (55.6)	6.4 (43.5)	2.2 (36.0)	12.5 (54.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−2.0 (28.4)	−1.0 (30.2)	2.7 (36.9)	7.6 (45.7)	13.3 (55.9)	16.7 (62.1)	18.0 (64.4)	17.4 (63.3)	13.4 (56.1)	8.8 (47.8)	3.8 (38.8)	−0.1 (31.8)	8.2 (46.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−4.8 (23.4)	−3.9 (25.0)	−0.8 (30.6)	2.8 (37.0)	7.7 (45.9)	11.2 (52.2)	12.5 (54.5)	12.2 (54.0)	9.0 (48.2)	5.3 (41.5)	1.2 (34.2)	−2.6 (27.3)	4.1 (39.5)
Record low °C (°F)	−28.5 (−19.3)	−26.7 (−16.1)	−21.4 (−6.5)	−8.6 (16.5)	−3.0 (26.6)	0.5 (32.9)	4.7 (40.5)	3.2 (37.8)	−1.7 (28.9)	−8.3 (17.1)	−15.2 (4.6)	−24.9 (−12.8)	−28.5 (−19.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	30 (1.2)	24 (0.9)	27 (1.1)	36 (1.4)	53 (2.1)	60 (2.4)	69 (2.7)	57 (2.2)	43 (1.7)	39 (1.5)	39 (1.5)	38 (1.5)	515 (20.2)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	8.1	6.7	6.9	7.3	8.4	8.7	9.2	9.0	7.2	7.1	8.8	9.5	96.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours	40.0	61.0	109.0	152.0	219.0	215.0	218.0	206.0	138.0	102.0	40.0	32.0	1,532
Source: NOAA[40]

Administrative division

Administrative division into 42 osiedla auxiliary units since 2011.

The pre-1990 city division into main districts dzielnica, which are still retained for some administrative purposes and whose names are traditionally very popular and in constant use by residents.

Poznań is divided into 42 neighbourhoods called osiedle, each of which has its own elected council with certain decision-making and spending powers. The first uniform elections for these councils covering the whole area of the city were held on 20 March 2011.

For certain administrative purposes, the old division into five districts called dzielnica is used – although they ceased to be governmental units in 1990. These are:

• Stare Miasto (Old Town), population 161,200, area 47.1 km² (18.2 sq mi), covering the central and northern parts of the city
• Nowe Miasto (New Town), population 141,424, area 105.1 km² (40.6 sq mi), including all parts of the city on the east bank of the Warta
• Grunwald, population 125,500, area 36.2 km² (14.0 sq mi), covering the south-western parts of the city
• Jeżyce, population 81,300, area 57.9 km² (22.4 sq mi), covering the north-western parts of the city
• Wilda, population 62,290, area 15.0 km² (5.8 sq mi), in the southern part of the city

Many citizens of Poznań thanks to the strong economy of the city and high salaries started moving to suburbs of the Poznań County (powiat) in the 1990s. Although the number of inhabitants in Poznań itself was decreasing for the past two decades, the suburbs gained almost twice as many inhabitants. The Poznań metropolitan area Metropolia Poznań comprising Poznań County and several other communities is home to over 1 million inhabitants.^[2] The complex infrastructure, population density, number of companies and gross product per capita of Poznań suburbs may be only compared to Warsaw suburbs. Many parts of closer suburbs such as Tarnowo Podgorne, Komorniki, Suchy Las, and Dopiewo produce more in terms of GDP per capita than the city itself.

Culture and heritage

The Renaissance Town Hall (1560, originally built in the late 13th century) now houses a museum.

Poznań possesses many historic buildings and heritage sites, mostly concentrated around the Old Town and other parts of the city centre. Many of these lie on the tourist Royal-Imperial Route – a walk leading through the most important parts of the city showing its history, culture and identity. Parts of the city centre are listed as one of Poland's official national historic monuments, as designated 28 November 2008, along with other portions of the city's historic core. Its listing is maintained by the National Heritage Board of Poland.^[41]

Apart from traditional theatres with a long history such as Teatr Wielki, Teatr Polski, Teatr Nowy, and others like Teatr Animacji, Teatr Muzyczny and Polish Dance Theatre, Poznań is also home to a growing number of different kind of alternative theatre groups. It is believed that even up to 30 more or less known groups may work in the city, and thus, the city has recently become a new Polish off-theatre performance centre.^[42]

Classical music events include the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition which is held every 5 years, and classical music concerts by the Poznań Philharmonic orchestra held each month in the Hall of the Adam Mickiewicz University, considered to be one of the best in terms of acoustics in Poland. Especially popular are concerts by the Poznań Nightingales.

St. Martin's croissant.

Grand Theatre (1909) behind Adama Mickiewicza Park.

Every year on 11 November, city residents celebrate the Day of St. Martin. A procession of horses, with Saint Martin at its head, parades along Saint Martin Street (ulica Święty Marcin), in front of the Imperial Castle. The renowned St. Martin's Croissant, a regional product of Poznań, are widely sold during the festivities.^[43]

An important cultural event in Poznań is the annual Malta Festival, which takes place at many city venues, usually in late June and early July. It hosts mainly modern experimental off-theatre performances often taking place on squares and other public spaces. It also includes cinema, visual, music and dancing events. Poznań also stages the Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival in December, and Off Cinema festival of independent films. Other festivals: Animator (animated film festival), Ethno Port festival of traditional world's ethnic music, Maski Theater Festival, Dance International Workshops by Polish Dance Theater, Made in Chicago (jazz festival), Festival of Ice Sculpture, Science and Art Festival, Tzadik (Jewish music festival), and Meditations Biennale (modern art).

Poznań has several museums as well as cinemas, including multiplexes and art-house institutions. The Rozbrat social centre, a squatted former factory in Jeżyce, serves as a home for independent and open-minded culture. It hosts frequent gigs, an anarchist library, vernissages, exhibitions, annual birthday festival in October, poetry evenings and graffiti festivals. The city centre has many clubs, pubs and coffee houses.

A popular venue is Malta, a park with an artificial lake situated in its centre. On one south bank of the lake there are ski and sleigh slopes of Malta Ski centre, and on the opposite bank a large complex of Termy Maltańskie swimming pools.

Poznań Zoological Garden has two facilities. The Old Zoo is one of the oldest in Poland, established in 1874 just west of the city centre.^[44] The large 116-hectare (290-acre) New Zoo was opened to the public in 1974, becoming second largest in Poland in terms of area. It is located on a hilly forest area with six large ponds at the eastern city's wedge of greenery, beyond the Malta lake. There is a dedicated and adored by children Maltanka mini-railway, that starts the route near the Śródka roundabout.

• Places of interest
• 
  Śródka's Porta Posnania with steel-glass footbridge over small right branch of Warta.
• 
  Rear view of the Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul.
• 
  Cathedral and Church of Holy Virgin Mary on the left.
• 
  South side of the Old Market Square.
• 
  Old Market Square – Poznań Goats.
• 
  Old Market Square – merchant houses, originally 16th century's herring stalls.
• 
  Fara is only partially visible here.
• 
  Freedom Square (Plac Wolności, behind its fountain) is important for the region's residents.
• 
  Zamek Culture Centre, former Prussian Royal Residence Palace.
• 
  Part of the southern facade of Stary Browar, the centre of commerce and art.
• 
  Poznań has many parks, large botanical garden and palm house. Scene at Sołacki Park.
• 
  Lake Malta – popular, 2.2 km long artificial lake with many attractions on its shores.
• 
  Rogalin's Raczyński Palace within Rogalin Landscape Park (famous, old Rogalin oaks), some 10 mi south of Poznań. Rear view.
• 
  Castle in Kórnik (Arboretum) in winter, about 11 mi east of Poznań.

Economy

A view of Stary Browar, Poznań Financial Centre, and Andersia Tower from Collegium Altum of University of Economics.

Poznań has been an important trade centre since the Middle Ages. Starting in the 19th century, local heavy industry began to grow. Several major factories were built, including the Hipolit Cegielski's steel mill and railway factory, popularly called Ceglorz.

Nowadays, Poznań is one of the major trade centres in Poland. It is regarded as the second most prosperous city in Poland after its capital Warsaw.^[45] The city of Poznań produced PLN 31.8 billion of Poland's gross domestic product in 2006.

Solaris buses, in many different versions, can be seen in many European cities. Its trolleybus near Stuttgart.

Many Western European companies have established their Polish headquarters in Poznań or in nearby towns such as Tarnowo Podgórne and Swarzędz. Most foreign investors are German (36%) and Dutch companies (14%).^[2] The best known examples of corporation who have their headquarters in Poznań and the surrounding areas are that of Volkswagen,^[46] GlaxoSmithKline, Amazon, Bridgestone, Beiersdorf, Raben Group (near Kórnik) and Kuehne + Nagel (near Gądki). There are also several shared services centers, and IT branch offices. Investors are mostly from the food processing, furniture, automotive and transport and logistics industries. Foreign companies are primarily attracted by relatively low labour costs, good road and railway network, good vocational skills of workers, and relatively liberal employment laws.

Some of the best-known major corporations founded and still based in Poznań and the city's metropolitan area include Allegro – owner of the Poland's biggest e-commerce site, H. Cegielski-Poznań SA – a historic manufacturer, Solaris Bus & Coach – a modern bus and coach maker based in Bolechowo, and Enea S.A. – one of the country's biggest energy firms. Kompania Piwowarska based in Poznań produces some of Poland's best known beers, and includes not only the local Lech Brewery's products but also Tyskie from Tychy and Dojlidy Brewery from Białystok among many others.

In 2008, three Poznań students founded Netguru, a software development and digital consultancy company. It grew fast to employ about 600 people in 2019.

Stary Browar, the center of commerce and art opened in 2003, won several awards for its architecture.^[47][48] Other notable shopping centers include Posnania, the biggest commerce facility in Greater Poland, Galeria Malta, and the shops at the Hotel Bazar – a historical hotel and commercial center in the Old Town.^[49]

Population

Poznań population pyramid in 2021

In 1600, approximately 20,000 inhabitants resided in the whole Poznań conurbation. By 1732 the population had dropped to 4,000 due to wars, floods and plague. Historically, its growth rate was high throughout the 19th and 20th centuries; in the year 1900 approximately 110,000 people were registered as residents and by 1939 there was already 274,155 people. The population of Poznań has declined steadily since 1990, when it reached a maximum of 590,101. This phenomenon, which also affected other European cities, is caused in part by the growth of satellite suburbs at the expense of the downtown region within the city proper. In 2020, Poznań had 532,048 registered inhabitants being the fifth most populous town in Poland, while the metropolitan area had a population of more than 1,200,000 people. The city's population density was 5,300 people per square mile (2,000 people/km²).

Contemporary Poznań has one of the highest concentration of foreigners in Poland alongside Warsaw and Wrocław; a significant majority are migrant workers from Ukraine; others came from Italy, Spain, Belarus, Russia and Serbia. No exact statistic exists on the number of temporary residents from abroad. Many are students studying at Poznań's schools and institutions of higher learning.

Education and science

Collegium Minus (R) of Adam Mickiewicz University. On the left main University hall, commonly known as Aula and used for ceremonies and classical music concerts.

Nearby Academy of Music with its Aula Nova on the left.

University of Technology – Faculty of Chemical Technologies.

Collegium Heliodori Święcicki simultaneously serves the UAM University and University of Medical Sciences.

Medical University – Collegium Stomatologicum.

Poznań is one of the four largest academic centres in Poland. The number of students in the city is about 140,000, which ranks it the third or fourth after Warsaw and Kraków and about equal to Wrocław in student population. Every one in four inhabitants of Poznań is a student. Since Poznań is smaller than Warsaw or Kraków still having a very large number of students it makes the city even more vibrant and dense academic hub than both former and current capital of Poland – Kraków and Warsaw respectively. Poznań with its almost 30 universities and colleges has the second richest educational offering in the country after Warsaw.

Sports

Municipal Stadium.

There are several multi-sport clubs in Poznań. Warta Poznań was one of the most successful clubs in pre-World War II history, and Lech Poznań football team frequently plays in European cups. Lech plays at the Municipal Stadium, which hosted the 2012 European Championship group stages as well as the opening game and the final of the 2006 under-19 Euro Championship. Warta usually plays at the small Dębińska Road Stadium, a former training ground for Edmund Szyc Stadium, however, since the latter fell into disrepair in 1998 and was sold in 2001, it became the team's main ground. The club was planning to rebuild Szyc Stadium with historical 60,000-seat capacity.^[56] In recent seasons Warta played their matches at the Dyskobolia Stadium in Grodzisk Wielkopolski, as their current did not fulfill the footballing authority's requirements.^[57]

The city's third professional football team of multi-sport Olimpia Poznań club ceased activity in 2004, and the club focused on other sports, achieving good results in judo and tennis. Olimpia is hosting the annual tennis Poznań Open tournament at its Olimpia Tennis Park. The club owns a large sports complex near Rusałka lake, and apart from the tennis facilities boasts a large city recreation areas: mountain biking facilities with a four-cross track, an athletics stadium with 3,000 capacity, and a football-speedway stadium with 20,000 capacity. The latter had fallen into vast disrepair until it was acquired by the City Council from the Police in 2013 and was renovated. The football-speedway stadium hosts speedway club PSŻ Poznań, rugby union side NKR Chaos, American football team the Armia Poznań,^[58] and football team Poznaniak Poznań.

Malta Lake – a view of the start line during the 2015 European Rowing Championships.

Spectator stands in the southeastern part of Lake Malta.

The artificial Malta lake, which was formed in 1952 and is about 2.2 km (1.4 mi) long, hosted the 2009 World Rowing Championships and some regattas of the World Rowing Cup. It also held the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in 1990, 2001, and 2010.

Termy Maltańskie, big water sports and recreation complex featuring Olympic-size swimming pool, is located at the north bank of the lake. A 50-metre pool can be divided into two 25-metre pools. The other pool with a diving tower also fulfils all requirements necessary for organizing sports competitions. Termy Maltańskie consists of as many as 18 sports and recreational swimming pools with a total water surface area of 5,000 m² (54,000 sq ft) as well as many other attractions such as different kind of saunas and spa, among others. The complex uses natural geothermal waters drawn nearby from a depth of 1,306 metres (4,285 ft) and saturated with beneficial minerals and elements, for some of the swimming pools.

At the south bank of the lake, Malta-Ski year-round skiing complex is situated, and is hosting minor sport competitions, equipped with a toboggan run and a minigolf course. There is also a roller rink with a roller skating club nearby.

Since 2000, the city has been the host of the Poznań Marathon, one of the largest such races in the country.

Hala Arena, Poznań's multi-purpose indoor arena, before planned modernization.

Poznań's multi-purpose sports and entertainment indoor arena is simply called Arena. Located west of city centre and built in 1974, it originally seated about 5,500 people and is used for many different sports and cultural events such as volleyball and concerts, among others. The facility has since been modernized, including lowering the level of the ground floor to increase arena capacity to about 9,200. Poznań has experience as a host for international sporting events such as the 2009 EuroBasket.^[59]

The city has the largest motorsport race track in Poland, Tor Poznań, located at the west city's suburbs in Przeźmierowo.

Poznań is also considered to be the hotbed of Polish field hockey, with several top teams of Warta Poznań, Grunwald Poznań – multi-sport club which also has shooting, wrestling, handball and tennis sections, Pocztowiec Poznań, and AZS AWF Poznań – an academic club which also fields professional teams in women's volleyball and basketball. Other clubs include: Posnania Poznań – one of the best rugby union teams in the country, Polonia Poznań – formerly a multi-sport club achieving many successes in rugby with only a football section remaining, KKS Wiara Lecha – football club formed by the supporters of Lech Poznań, and Odlew Poznań – arguably the most famous amateur club in the country due to their extensive media coverage and humorous exploits. There are also numerous rhythmic gymnastics and synchronised swimming clubs, as well as numerous less notable amateur football teams.

The E11 European long distance path for hikers passes through Poznań.

Poznań bid for the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics but lost to Nanjing, with the Chinese city receiving 47 votes over Poznań's 42.

Transport

Horse-drawn tram used in Poznań between 1880 and 1898.

Poznań railway node Poznań railway node as of 2012.

The main Poznań railway station is called Poznań Główny, and is located just southwest of the city centre. There are also the smaller East Poznań and Poznań Garbary stations northeast of the centre, and a number of other stations on the outskirts of the city. The main east–west A2 motorway runs south of the city centre connecting it with Berlin in the west and Łódż and Warsaw in the east, serving also as a centre bypass. Other main roads run in the direction of Warsaw, Bydgoszcz, Wągrowiec, Oborniki, Katowice, Wrocław, Buk and Berlin.

Poznań has one of the biggest airports in the west of Poland called Ławica Airport. In 2016 it handled approximately 1.71 million passengers.^[60]

City's tram network   Pestka Fast Tram   Pestka extension   Standard network, partially underground in the eastern part

Since the end of the communist era in 1989, city investments into transportation have been mostly into public transport. While the number of cars since 1989 has at least doubled, municipal policy concentrated on improving public transport, which mostly consists of trams and both urban and suburban buses. New tram lines are planned and built, including Pestka Fast Tram sections, and the rolling stock is being replaced for modern low-floor vehicles such as trams Solaris Tramino / Combino and Moderus Gamma, and buses such as Solaris Urbino.

Paid parking zones in the city centre were established, and Park & Ride car parks have been built to encourage commuters to leave their car on the outskirts of the city and continue their journey by public transport, as well as to allow safe and legal parking outside the city centre. Limiting car access to the strict centre actually increased the level of ridership.

• 
  New and controversial main railway station Poznań Główny.
• 
  Greater Poland Railways train at Poznań Główny.
• 
  A2 motorway before the three-lane expansion done in 2019.
• 
  Moderus Gamma tram, which is produced near Poznań, in city's underground eastern section.
• 
  City Bike's station.
• 
  A short model of Solaris buses which are also produced near Poznań.
• 
  Helicopter ambulance Lifeguard 9 (R) waiting for an emergency dispatch at Ławica Airport.

International relations

Notable people

See also

• Tourism in Poland
• History of Poland
• Royal coronations in Poland including in Poznań cathedral
• Poznań Fortress
• The Poznań
• 15th Poznań Uhlans Regiment

Notes

References

Bibliography

• Frieder Monzer: Posen, Thorn, Bromberg (mit Großpolen, Kujawien und Südostpommern), Trescher Reiseführer, Berlin 2011
• Gotthold Rhode: Geschichte der Stadt Posen, Neuendettelsau 1953
• Collective work, Poznań. Dzieje, ludzie kultura, Poznań 1953
• Robert Alvis, Religion and the Rise of Nationalism: A Profile of an East-Central European City, Syracuse University Press, Syracuse 2005
• K. Malinowski (red.), Dziesięć wieków Poznania (in three volumes), Poznań 1956
• Collective work, Poznań, Poznań 1958
• Collective work, Poznań. Zarys historii, Poznań 1963
• Cz. Łuczak, Życie społeczno-gospodarcze w Poznaniu 1815–1918, Poznań 1965
• J. Topolski (red.), Poznań. Zarys dziejów, Poznań 1973
• Zygmunt Boras, Książęta Piastowscy Wielkopolski, Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, Poznań 1983
• Jerzy Topolski (red.), Dzieje Poznania, Wydawnictwo PWN, Warszawa, Poznań 1988
• Alfred Kaniecki, Dzieje miasta wodą pisane, Wydawnictwo Aquarius, Poznań 1993
• Witold Maisel (red.), Przywileje miasta Poznania XIII-XVIII wieku. Privilegia civitatis Posnaniensis saeculorum XIII-XVIII. Władze Miasta Poznania, Poznańskie Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk, Wydawnictwa Żródłowe Komisji Historycznej, Tom XXIV, Wydawnictwo PTPN, Poznań 1994
• Wojciech Stankowski, Wielkopolska, Wydawnictwo WSiP, Warszawa 1999

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Poznań.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Poznań.

Look up Poznań in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Official website of the City