Poznań, Capital City of Poznań (German Posen, Latin Posnania, Yiddish
פּױזן Pojzn) - a city with county rights in western Poland, located in
the Wielkopolska Lake District, on the Warta River, at the mouth of the
Cybina River. The historical capital of Wielkopolska, since 1999 the
seat of the authorities of the Wielkopolska voivodship and the Poznań
district.
The fifth most populous city in Poland (546,859
inhabitants in December 2021) and the eighth largest in terms of area
(261.9 km²). Poznań together with the Poznań district and the communes
of Oborniki, Skoki, Szamotuły and Śrem form the Poznań agglomeration,
inhabited by over 1.2 million people. In 2018, the think tank
Globalization and World Cities (GaWC), which studies the mutual
relations between the cities of the world in the context of
globalization, recognized Poznań as a global metropolis (Gamma-). Poznań
is often ranked among the top cities with a very high quality of
education and a very high standard of living. It also ranks high in
terms of safety and quality of healthcare. The city of Poznań has also
won the "Superbrands" award many times for the city's brand of very high
quality.
The city is an important road and railway junction,
there is also the Poznań-Ławica international airport. Poznań is a
center of industry, trade, logistics and tourism. The Poznań
International Fair - the largest and oldest exhibition center in Poland
- operates here. Poznań is an academic, scientific and cultural center.
Over 110,000 students study at 25 universities. people. Opera,
philharmonic, ballet, theaters, cinemas, museums, art galleries,
orchestras and folklore ensembles operate here. The International Violin
Competition named after him takes place in Poznań every five years.
Henryk Wieniawski – the oldest violin competition in the world. Poznań
is also the seat of the Stuligrosz Choir, the Institute for Western
Affairs and the highest tactical command of the US Army in Europe. In
the astrogeodynamic observatory near Poznań, as the only one in Poland,
the European Galileo localization system is co-created.
Poznań
was one of the capital and religious centers of the Piast state in the
10th and 11th centuries, in the past it served as the seat of Polish
rulers, and was also one of the most developed fortresses in Poland at
that time. Poznań was also the capital of Poland in the years 1290–1296.
It is one of the oldest chartered cities in Poland - it was granted city
rights in 1253. The city had the right to actively participate in the
act of electing the king. In the Poznań cathedral there is a symbolic
tomb of the first rulers of Poland - Mieszko I and Bolesław I the Brave.
On the island of Ostrów Tumski, there is the seat of the curia of the
Archdiocese of Poznań - the oldest in Poland, and the second oldest
university in Poland. The capital of Greater Poland was one of the royal
cities of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. The meeting place of the
election assemblies of the Poznań Voivodship from the 16th century to
the first half of the 18th century. Shows of the nobility of the Poznań
Voivodship of the First Republic took place near Poznań. In 2008, the
complex of the oldest districts of the city was declared a monument of
history.
Five Greater Poland uprisings are associated with
Poznań: from 1794, from 1806, from 1846, from 1848 and from the years
1918-1919. Two of them (from 1806 and from 1918–1919) ended with a
complete victory of Poles and are included, along with the Sejny
Uprising of 1919 and two Silesian Uprisings of 1920 and 1921, among the
five victorious national uprisings in the history of Poland. The victory
of 1806 had a direct impact on the creation of the Duchy of Warsaw,
while the period between the victorious Greater Poland uprisings is
described in the series: The Longest War of Modern Europe. By virtue of
the peace signed in the same year in Poznań, Saxony became a kingdom.
The 14th Wielkopolska Infantry Division from Poznań received the
Virtuti Militari order for fighting in the Polish-Bolshevik war. Thanks
to the work of cryptologists from Poznań, the cipher of the German
Enigma encryption machine was worked out. The first and only uprising of
the communist period (Poznań June 1956), which was the main cause of the
Hungarian uprising of 1956, also took place in Poznań.
Poznań is
the only city mentioned in the words of the Polish national anthem. The
patrons of the city of Poznań are the apostles Peter and Paul, saints of
the Catholic Church. The city's festival, as the day of its patrons, is
celebrated on June 29.
Poznań is in fourth place in terms of visits by tourists city in
Poland. In 2012, a total of 621.8 thousand people used the registered
accommodation facilities here. tourists, including from abroad - 175.0
thous. people.
The study of tourist traffic shows that approx.
38% of tourists come to the city for business purposes - these people
participate in fairs, conferences, business meetings and trainings. The
next largest group is made up of tourists visiting Poznań for
sightseeing, rest and recreation - they account for approx. 30-35% of
the tourist traffic.
At the end of July 2012, there were 154
all-year-round accommodation establishments (including 77 hotels) in
Poznań and the Poznań poviat. They had a total of 11.7 thousand. beds
(in hotels - 7.7 thousand places).
There are 6 tourist
information points in Poznań (e.g. at the railway station, airport and
at the fair). In addition, 7 tourist multimedia infokiosks have been
installed in the city.
The following tourist routes run through Poznań: the Royal-Imperial
Route, the Piast Route, the Romanesque Route, the Kórnicka Route and the
Greater Poland Way of St. Jacob. Around the city, the so-called The
Bicycle Ring Around Poznań, connected with the center by seven access
routes.
A new product of cultural tourism is being implemented in
the city - the Royal-Imperial Route - leading through places associated
with rulers (kings and emperors). The route was designed to show changes
in the architecture and development of Poznań over the centuries. The
route is marked along its entire length - both for pedestrians and those
traveling by tram (tram line No. 17 has been adapted to serve tourist
traffic on this route).
The main promenade leading to the Old
Town is Półwiejska Street. The Stary Browar shopping and art center is
located there, recognized in 2008 by the International Council of
Shopping Centers (ICSC) as "the best shopping center in the world".
In the Old Market Square you can find a model example of Renaissance
architecture - the town hall with two goats butting each other on its
tower. From the town hall tower, daily at At 12.00 the bugle call of
Poznań is played on the trumpet.
Other interesting buildings on
the market include: building houses, the city scales, or the guardhouse.
Another valuable monument is the Baroque parish church and the former
Jesuit college complex adjacent to it. On the hill above the Old Market
Square there is the Royal Castle with a fragment of defensive walls.
Since 2011, the reconstruction of the historic complex has been
underway. The building will be open to visitors in the summer of 2015.
On the top of the castle tower there will be two viewing terraces
(covered lower and open upper), from which you will be able to see the
panorama of the Old Town.
The oldest part of Poznań is Ostrów
Tumski, which used to be one of the centers of power of the Polish
state. There is the oldest cathedral in the country, which is the burial
place of the first Polish rulers and the alleged baptismal place of
Poland. On the island, archaeologists discovered the remains of a ducal
palas from the 10th century and the Dąbrówka chapel. In 2012, the
"Genius Loci" Archaeological Reserve was opened there, where you can see
e.g. the only surviving fragment of the 10th-century defensive rampart
in the world (the rampart of Mieszko I's stronghold).
In 2014,
the construction of the ICHOT "Brama Poznania" center was completed,
which was built in Poznań's Śródka, on the banks of the Warta River. It
is a multimedia museum presenting the virtually created past of the city
on Ostrów Tumski and over a thousand years of history of the Polish
state.
In the city, you can see numerous historic churches, Art
Nouveau tenement houses, monuments, as well as monumental buildings of
the former Imperial District erected around the Wieniawski Park - e.g.
The Imperial Castle, Aula and Collegium Minus UAM and the opera. Two
zoological gardens (Old and New Zoo), a botanical garden, Wilson Park
with a palm house and other historic parks open their doors to those who
want to commune with nature.
To this day, 15 forts erected by the
Germans in the 19th century have survived in Poznań. They are a remnant
of the fortification system of the former Poznań Fortress. Currently,
tourists can visit three facilities - Fort Va at ul. Lechicka, Fort III
in the New Zoo in Malta and Fort VII, where the Museum of Martyrdom of
Wielkopolska Citizens functions. Historical reenactments commemorating
the liberation of Poznań are held every year on the site of the former
Fort Winiary. This outdoor spectacle is organized with the participation
of dozens of reconstruction groups from all over the country.
In
the spring of 2013, the presidential anti-nuclear shelter from the 1960s
was made available to visitors. This facility, belonging to the
Wielkopolska Museum of Independence Struggles, is located in Krzyżowniki
in Poznań.
In the northern part of Poznań, you can visit the
nature reserve Meteoryt Morasko. There are 7 craters formed as a result
of the fall of meteorites (the largest of them has a diameter of 85-95
m). It is also home to rare varieties of plants and animals.
The
showpiece of the city are the recreational areas around Lake Maltańskie.
In addition to numerous bicycle and walking routes around the regatta
course, there are, among others, the year-round Malta Ski ski slope
built on the Wolności Mound, the mini-golf course, Bula Park, 2 rope
parks (Pyrland Park and Explorer Park), the year-round Adrenaline roller
coaster, zoo (New Zoo), Termy Maltańskie water park (aqua park, sports
pools, sauna complex and Spa centre), Galeria Malta shopping center as
well as playgrounds and food outlets. In the summer season, an
illuminated fountain gushing to a height of 60 m floats on the
reservoir, the narrow-gauge train Maltanka runs along the northern shore
of the lake, and there is a summer toboggan run, a summer cinema and a
swimming pool at the ski slope. In winter, on the side of ul. John Paul
II, there is an indoor ice rink.
In Poznań, there are also
monuments of industrial architecture (e.g. Stary Browar, Stara Gazownia
or Stara Rzeźnia) and modern sports facilities (e.g. the Municipal
Football Stadium, the Malta regatta track, a complex of sports swimming
pools in Termy Maltańskie, and the racing track Poznań). You can also
visit the oldest and at the same time the largest exhibition center in
Poland - the Poznań International Fair.
In the summer season,
historic vehicles run around the city - the Konstal N tourist tram on
line No. 0 and the Jelcz 043 (so-called "cucumber") tourist buses, Jelcz
PR110, Ikarus 280, Ikarus 260 and DAF MB200 on line No. 100. Those
interested can also use from sightseeing flights over Poznań in the An-2
plane. The popular "Antek" takes off from the airport of the Poznań
Aeroclub in Kobylnica.
Every year, numerous festivals and fairs
are held in Poznań, attended by crowds of residents and tourists. The
events that are permanently included in the calendar include: Kaziuk
(March), Ułana Days (April), St. (September), Franciscan Fair
(September), Bread Festival (September), Name Day of Święty Marcin
Street (November) and Poznań Bethlehem (December).
Numerous
attractions await tourists in the communes near Poznań. These include,
among others: Cascader Park rope park in Kobylnica, Moto-Armia base in
Golęczewo (rides with armored military equipment around the training
ground), open-air museum of miniatures of the Piast Route and a
reconstructed wooden fortress from the early Middle Ages in Pobiedziska,
a palace complex in Rogalin ( a palace, a coach house, a painting
gallery, a park with the famous "Rogalin oaks"), a castle complex in
Kórnik (castle, outbuildings, a coach house, the largest arboretum in
Poland), Wielkopolska Ethnographic Park in Dziekanowice, Zielonka Forest
Landscape Park with a lookout tower on Dziewicza Góra, The Spatial
Orientation Park in Owińska, the Wielkopolski National Park, the
National Museum of Agriculture and Agricultural and Food Industry in
Szreniawa with its branches - the Museum of Nature and Hunting in
Uzarzewo and the Open Air Museum and Beekeeping Museum in Swarzędz, as
well as historic churches, including wooden buildings (built between
thirteenth and nineteenth centuries).
Poznań is located in central-western Poland, in the central part of
the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The city is located in the area of three
physiographic mesoregions: the western part in the Poznań Lake District,
the eastern part in the Wrzesińska Plain, and the oldest part of the
city is located at the bottom of the Poznań Warta Gorge, oriented along
the north-south axis. These three areas are parts of the Pojezierze
Wielkopolskie macroregion.
Poznań is located in the valley of the
Warta River, as well as in the valleys of smaller watercourses:
Bogdanka, Cybina and Główna.
According to data from January 1,
2012, the area of the city is 261.91 km². The extent of Poznań's
administrative borders on the north-south axis is approx. 22 km, and on
the east-west axis approx. 21 km.
Poznań is the central part of
the Poznań agglomeration. The city borders 11 communes of the Poznań
district, including two cities - Luboń and Swarzędz.
Over 56% of the area of Poznań is located in upland areas, located
above 80 m above sea level. – about 36% of the area on higher river
terraces and within glacial channels, and about 8% on the floodplain of
the Warta valley. The highest point in the city is Góra Moraska (154 m
above sea level), which is located in its northern part. The lowest
situated area is the Warta valley (50 m above sea level). The area of
Poznań and its vicinity is characterized by a relief of summer,
petrified origin.
Most of the city's area is covered with layers
of glacial formations of the ablative and bottom moraine of the Poznań
Stadial of the Baltic Glaciation. They are mostly sandy loams or glacial
sands, which is why sandy and clay-sandy soils predominate in the Poznań
region. Tertiary clays of the Poznań facies (the so-called Poznań clays)
occur on the surface only on the lower terraces of the Warta valley.
Poznań is located in the catchment area of the Warta River and its
tributaries: Bogdanka, Cybina, Główna, Głuszynka-Kopla, Strumień
Junikowski and Różany Potok.
The city has several larger lakes
and several dozen smaller water reservoirs, both of natural origin and
created artificially in recreational areas. Natural glacial lakes are
Kierskie and Strzeszyńskie, while the largest artificial reservoirs are:
Rusalka in the Bogdanka valley;
Maltańskie Lake on the Cybina River;
Olszak pond;
Browarny Pond;
Mill Pond (Antoninek)
Antoninek
pond;
Kajka pond in the catchment area of the Główna river
Baczkowski Pond;
Pond Spilled;
Old Baba;
Pond Kachlarski;
and Głęboki Dół in the valley of the Junikowski Stream.
Several
smaller reservoirs also exist in the catchments of the Czapnica and
Różany Potok streams, as well as in Dębina. A large number of ponds are
also located in park areas (e.g. in Park Sołacki or in the New Zoo).
In the area of Poznań, the hydrographic network was strongly
changed. Not only was the number of Warta branches reduced, but also
small watercourses were filled in, and some, such as the lower course of
the Bogdanka, Seganka or Wierzbak, were introduced into the municipal
sewage system. Despite this, the bottoms of the valleys of these
tributaries are still wedges of greenery.
There are rich
resources of groundwater in the Tertiary and Quaternary layers in
Poznań. These include the Wielkopolska Kopalna Valley, which is a
strategic reservoir of drinking water. Thermal artesian waters with a
temperature of 45-51 °C were also found at depths of 1100-1300 m, and
mineral-rich thermal waters with a temperature of 150 °C at a depth of
4000 m.
Poznań is dominated by the influence of polar sea air masses coming from the Atlantic Ocean. Polar-continental and tropical air masses are much less important. In the area of Poznań, westerly winds with speeds from 2 to 10 m/s are the most common. The Poznań region is one of the areas with the lowest precipitation in Poland. On the basis of data from the years 1971–2000, it was calculated that the average annual amount of precipitation is 634 mm, with the highest average monthly precipitation in July (76 mm). The lowest average monthly air temperature in Poznań is −1.0 °C for January. The highest average monthly air temperature is 18.2 ° C for July.
The natural system of the city is based on a ring-radial arrangement
of green areas in the form of wedges, extending from the center towards
the periphery. There are five wedges of green:
the eastern one in the
Cybina Valley, starting with a recreational complex on Maltańskie Lake;
the western one in the Bogdanka Valley, starting with Park Sołacki and
Wodziczki;
northern in the Warta Valley, starting near Szeląg;
southern in the Warta Valley, starting with sports and recreation areas
south of ul. Queen Jadwiga;
south-west, which includes a forest
complex on the outskirts of the city with Lasek Marceliński, allotment
gardens and greenery at the Junikowski Cemetery, as well as greenery
located along the streams of Stream Junikowski and Górczynka, as well as
on the so-called Shafts.
The system of wedges is supplemented by
a ring system of green areas, which consists of park complexes in the
belt of so-called plantations (Ring Stübben) and greenery located in the
ring of forts. The keystone of the city's wedge-shaped system is the
Citadel Park, near which three of them start (eastern, western and
northern).
Meadows and pastures cover an area of 645 hectares,
while parks and green areas cover an area of 552 hectares. Green areas
cover a total of over 70 km², which is 27% of the city's area.
In 2013, there were 4,121 ha of forest areas in Poznań (15.8% of the city's area), of which 2,467 ha were municipal forests. Forest resources are co-created by e.g. 23 wilderness areas, 4 viewpoints and 84 km of recreational roads and paths.
In order to protect the most valuable natural sites, two nature
reserves have been established in the city: Morasko Meteorite and
Żurawiniec, three nature and landscape complexes: "Morasko",
"Michałówka" and "Głuszyna", and the Cybiny Valley protected landscape
area. In addition, the local government created ecological grounds: Fort
V, Wilczy Młyn, Główna, Olszak I, Traszki Ratajskie, ecological grounds
"Bogdanka I" and "Bogdanka II" and Strzeszyn. Due to the occurrence of
bat habitats, the historic fortifications of the Poznań Fortress have
been protected under the Natura 2000 Network. Within the administrative
borders of the city there are also fragments of larger areas covered by
the Natura 2000 Network - Biedrusko and Dolina Samicy.
There is
also a national park and three landscape parks in the vicinity of
Poznań: Puszcza Zielonka, Promno and Rogaliński Landscape Park.
Poznan is an important transport hub in western Poland.
By
plane
Poznan-Ławica Airport (IATA: POZ) “Henryk Wieniawski” is
located about 7km west of the city center. It can be reached daily with
Lufthansa from Munich and Frankfurt am Main. The Polish Lot offers
several daily connections with Warsaw, SAS flies daily from/to
Copenhagen. Otherwise, the low-cost airlines Ryanair and Wizzair are
mainly represented. fly to/from London (Luton or Stansted) and seasonal
charters to holiday destinations around the Mediterranean.
The
public transport direct bus line L runs about every 45 minutes from the
airport to the main station and back. In addition, bus lines 45 and 59
also run from the airport to the city.
By train
From Berlin
there is a direct Eurocity connection to Poznań five times a day. The
journey from Berlin takes 2:45 hours, from Frankfurt (Oder) 1:40 hours.
Coming from the rest of Germany, Switzerland or western Austria, the
journey usually goes via Berlin. Coming from Vienna, on the other hand,
you can get to Poznań by changing trains in Katowice. From the
south-west of Germany, the Euronight (Paris–Moscow line) is also an
option, you can board in Karlsruhe or Frankfurt a.M. (South), but it
only runs once a week (Thursday there, Wednesday back).
Within
Poland, you can reach Poznań six times a day with IC/EC/EIC from Warsaw
(a good 3½ hours) and four times with the slightly slower TLK (3:50
hours). From Szczecin you can get to Poznań about every hour with IC or
TLK in 2:15 to 2½ hours. There are also IC or TLK connections from
Wroclaw almost every hour (around 2½ hours). An EC, IC or TLK runs ten
times a day from Gdansk directly to Poznań (3-3½ hours), the route leads
via Bydgoszcz (about 1½ hours). From Katowice there are daily new IC or
TLK connections (4 to over 5 hours). An IC runs six times a day from
Kraków to Poznań (6–6½ hours), four of which also stop in Lodz (around
3½ hours). There is also a night train connection from south-eastern
Poland (Przemyśl, Rzeszów, Tarnów, Kraków). TLK runs four times a day
from Olsztyn (3 hours 45 minutes) via Toruń (1 hour 40 minutes) to
Poznań. (Status: November 2018)
The main train station Poznań
Główny is located just outside the city center, about 2km southwest of
the Old Market. Numerous tram and bus lines stop in front of the station
and behind it, allowing you to quickly get to the old town or other
parts of the city.
Regional trains stop z. T. also at other
stations in the city, for example at Poznań Garbary station, which is
closer to the old town than the main train station (1 km north of the
Old Market).
By bus
Long-distance buses can be used to travel
from Berlin, Prague and numerous Polish cities such as Warsaw, Gdansk
and Wroclaw. Flixbus also offers the Berlin-Posen connection. The bus
station is directly east of the main train station.
In the street
The German Autobahn A12 (Berlin–Frankfurt (Oder)) continues on the
Polish side as the Autostrada A2 (European route E30) to Poznań. For the
270 km from Berlin, with undisturbed traffic, a little more than three
hours can be expected. Ride-sharing opportunities (e.g. via Blablacar)
are often offered on this route. Coming from northern Germany, there is
the alternative option of driving on the A20 and A11 to Stettin. From
there, the expressway S3 (E65), which is similar to a motorway, leads to
Jordanowo, where there is a connection to the A2 to Poznań.
To
the east, the A2 motorway connects Poznań with Lodz and Warsaw.
Well-developed trunk roads also connect Poznań with Wroclaw, Bydgoszcz,
Gdansk (5), Katowice and Koszalin (11).
By boat
The Warthe is
a navigable waterway.
By bicycle
The European long-distance
cycle routes EuroVelo 2 ("Capital Route", Berlin-Poznan-Warsaw,
continuation of the European Cycle Route R1) and EuroVelo 9
("Baltic-Adriatic Route", Gdansk-Poznan-Wroclaw-Brno-Vienna, route in
expansion) lead through Poznań ).
On foot
Poznan is on the E11
European long-distance path (Berlin-Frankfurt
(Oder)-Poznan-Olsztyn-Masuria) and on a Polish branch of the Way of St.
James that connects with Görlitz (via Głogów and Bolesławiec).
There are 19 tram lines in Poznań, plus one night line. There are
also numerous bus and night bus routes. Buses and trams are operated by
the company ZTM.
Fares: There are three types of single tickets,
valid for 15, 45 and 90 minutes, respectively, and costing 4, 6 and 8
PLN. There is also a 24-hour card (PLN 15) and a 7-day card (PLN 50).
Seniors over the age of 70 can use public transport in Poznan free of
charge.
Especially for tourists there is the Poznań City Card,
which not only allows you to use public transport, but also gives you
free entry to most museums. Depending on the period of validity, it
costs PLN 30 (one day), PLN 40 (two days) or PLN 45 (3 days). Validity
ends at midnight.
The historic old town center (within the former
city wall), in which many sights are concentrated, has a diameter of
only 700 meters - everything is within walking distance here. The
Cathedral Island (1 km north-east of the old town) and the 19th-century
district around Plac Wolności (formerly Wilhelmsplatz) immediately west
of the old town can still be easily reached on foot.
The town has a medieval record and has been recorded since the 10th
century. As a center of political life, Poznań is one of the first
Polish cities recorded in history. Since at that time Latin was the
language used by the educated part of society, these records are in
Latinized form. The first known record is in the chronicle of Thietmar
under the year 970 in the form of episcopus Posnaniensis (bishop of
Poznań). In the same chronicle under the year 1005 we find the term ab
urbe Posnani (from the city of Poznań). The city in the form of Poznań
is recorded by Gallus Anonim in his Polish Chronicle written in the
years 1112–1116.
Currently, linguists agree that the name Poznań
derives from the Old Polish male name Poznan or Poznamir and originally
meant the city of Pozan or Poznamir. It was created by adding the
possessive suffix *-jь to the name of Poznan, which in pre-literate
times merged with the preceding letter n, softening it to the modern ń.
While the explanation of the name is not a problem for scientists,
the name Poznan itself is not entirely clear. Historical sources do not
provide information about the person after whom the town on the Warta
River was named. It is also not certain whether this Slavic name derived
from the verb "to know" belongs to the so-called group of participle
names, such as Miłowan and Biegan, or it was created as a shortening of
a two-part name, e.g. Poznamir.
In order to preserve tradition,
the name Stołeczne Miasto Poznań is used on ceremonial occasions.
As nominative Poznań appears in 1236 as Posnania and 1247 as Poznań.
In addition, there are records from 1146 and 1244 in the form in Poznań,
which allow us to conclude that the name Poznań has not changed over the
centuries.
The city of Poznań has been associated with national liberation
uprisings since 1794. They took place in the years: 1794, 1806, as well
as 1846, 1848 and 1918–1919.
Two of them (from 1806 and from
1918–1919) ended with a complete victory of Poles and are included,
along with the Sejny Uprising of 1919 and two Silesian Uprisings of 1920
and 1921, among the five victorious national uprisings in the history of
Poland.
The victory of 1806 had a direct impact on the creation
of the Duchy of Warsaw, while the period between the victorious Greater
Poland uprisings is described in the series: The Longest War of Modern
Europe. By virtue of the peace signed in the same year in Poznań, Saxony
became a kingdom.
Poznań became the site of the only uprising in
the People's Republic of Poland. Poznań June 1956 was the main cause of
the Hungarian uprising of 1956.
Originally, the city was located on the banks of the Cybina River and the right bank of the Warta River. At that time, a pagan temple and a duke's castle stood there on a nearby hill. Poznań is also associated with the beginnings of Polish statehood. It is one of the hypothetical places where Mieszko I was baptized in 966. In 968, Jordan, the first bishop of Poland, placed his seat here, in the first Polish cathedral, where the graves of the first Polish rulers are located. During the reign of Bolesław I the Brave, it was also a stronghold of very important military importance. Gallus Anonymous in his Chronicle of Poland written in the years 1112–1116, in a fragment describing Polish combat forces deployed in individual strongholds, notes that Bolesław had "1,300 armored men and 4,000 shield bearers" in Poznań. The city functioned as the capital city until 1039, when it was burnt down by Brzetysław I along with other cities of Greater Poland and Silesia. Although Poznań lost its political importance, it still remained a thriving economic center. The next period of prosperity falls on the time of the division of districts, when the stronghold on Ostrów Tumski became the capital of the Greater Poland line of the Piast dynasty. In 1231, Władysław Odonic located the right-bank market settlement of Śródka under German law. It was the first city location in Wielkopolska (Gniezno in 1239, Powidz in 1243, Lądek in 1250). Odonic's sons, princes Przemysł I and Bolesław the Pious, having far-reaching plans for the restitution of the kingdom, in 1253 made the second city location on the left bank of the Warta river under Magdeburg law. The work initiated by his grandfather and father was continued by Przemysł II, who was the first ruler in 200 years to be crowned king of Poland in Gniezno (1295), and he chose the new left-bank city of Poznań as his seat. His father's ducal castle on Przemysł Hill became his residence. After the tragic death of the king (1296), the development of the city stagnated for almost a century. Remains of the city walls can still be found today.
Another successful period in the history of Poznań came after the
accession to the throne of Władysław II Jagiełło (1386). The opening of
the route connecting Lithuania with Europe and the closure of Gdańsk for
Polish goods meant that Poznań became a junction where trade routes
intersected. Poznań obtained the right of warehouse in 1394. Over time,
a network of competing towns developed around the city, belonging mainly
to the clergy and the nobility, creating a thriving conurbation together
with Poznań.
The city was located in 1580 in the Poznań district
of the Poznań Voivodship.
The favorable conditions for the
development of the town, lasting several hundred years, were interrupted
in 1655 by the Swedish Deluge. In the short period of peace that
followed, Poznań tried to recover, but subsequent military conflicts,
such as the Great Northern War, the War of the Polish Succession, the
Seven Years' War and the Bar Confederation, left the city ravaged by
various armies. Hope for peace was brought only by the election of
Stanisław August Poniatowski, but also at the beginning of his reign,
Barzans fought for the city with Prussian and then Russian troops, which
left the city only in 1775.
The next few years are another period
of prosperity, related to the activities of the commission of good order
and the reforms of the Four-Year Sejm. However, they were thwarted by
the Targowica Confederation and the Second Partition of Poland, as a
result of which Poznań came under Prussian rule.
In the first period of the Prussian rule, the new authorities
integrated the conurbation into one urban organism and created the basis
for the expansion of Poznań towards the west. The defeat of Prussia and
the victorious uprising in 1806 made Poznań one of the main cities of
the Duchy of Warsaw. However, the ongoing Napoleonic wars were not
conducive to the development of the city. After Napoleon's defeat, as a
result of the decisions of the Congress of Vienna, Poznań found itself
under Prussian rule again in 1815, this time as the capital of the
autonomous Grand Duchy of Poznań. In the same year, the city becomes the
capital of the Poznań Regierungs in the Province of Poznań, and three
years later, the city poviat (Stadtkreis). In the new post-congress
order, Poznań became a front city for Prussia. In 1828, the authorities
established a fortress in the city to protect Prussia against an attack
from the east. The decision to fortify Poznań directed its development
until the end of the 19th century. The fortifications built around the
city did not allow for spatial development, and numerous areas inside
the walls were reserved for military purposes (barracks, maneuvering
areas, artillery depots). Despite the formal autonomy of the region,
Prussian policy led to the displacement of the Polish population of
Poznań and Wielkopolska from social and economic life. An expression of
the dissatisfaction of the Polish community was the support of the
November Uprising in 1830 and the armed uprisings of 1846 and 1848. As a
result, the Prussian authorities first drastically limited the autonomy
and then in 1848 completely abolished it. Poznań became the capital of
the province.
The inability to fight the invader by force led to
the emergence of a new type of resistance: organic work. In order to
counteract their exclusion from social life, Poles began to organize
themselves. Organizations were established to cultivate Polishness or to
develop science. Modern public institutions were created from a private
or social foundation, which the Prussian authorities could not provide
or deliberately limited Poles' access to. In the years 1822–1828, the
first public library in the territories of the Prussian partition was
founded by Count Edward Raczyński. Then, in the years 1838–1842, the
Bazar Joint Stock Company, established by Poles, built a hotel that was
the center of Polish social and cultural life in Poznań. In the absence
of higher education in the city, in 1857 the Polish elite established
the Poznań Society of Friends of Science, conducting scientific
research, among others, on the history of Poland. Due to restrictions on
staging Polish plays at the Municipal Theater in 1875, after many years
of efforts, the Polish Theater was built with contributions.
During World War II, Poznań was incorporated into the Third Reich
within the borders of the so-called Greater Poland. Wartheland. Most of
the Poles were displaced from the city to the General Government, and in
return Germans were brought in as part of the Heim ins Reich
colonization action.
Politically inconvenient Poles were tortured
and murdered in the Gestapo torture chambers at ul. Młyńska (death
sentences were carried out by guillotining and hanging there) and the
"Soldier's House" (in 1944, the personal secretary of the Reich Governor
Greiser, who was arrested after he stated that Germany would lose the
war, and several Italian generals and American prisoners of war also
stayed there) at . Ritterstrasse 21. There were also several German
labor camps for Jews from Poland and Germany around Poznań, e.g. in
Krzesiny (approx. 10,000 prisoners), Smochowice (approx. 2,000 people,
then transported to the camp in Krzesiny-Piotrow), Dębiec (approx. 2,000
people transported to Auschwitz). In the period 1940-1945, there were
also about 7,000 prisoners of war in the POW camp in Poznań's Junikowo.
French, British and Soviet soldiers. During the German occupation,
Polish underground organizations were also active in Poznań and
Wielkopolska, conducting sabotage, intelligence and sabotage activities,
e.g. ZWZ-AK, Peasant Battalions and GL/AL.
In the years
1940–1942, the surrounding villages such as Antoninek, Kobylepole,
Chartowo, Żegrze, Szczepankowo, Spławie, Głuszyna, Marlewo, Minikowo,
Fabianowo, Kotowo, Junikowo, Ławica, Smochowice, Krzyżowniki, Psarskie,
Strzeszyn, Podolany and Naramowice were incorporated into Poznań. It was
the largest expansion of the city in its entire history. A total of
15,278.99 ha were connected, which doubled the area of Poznań.
In
January and February 1945, heavy fighting took place over Poznań
(especially for the Poznań Citadel) between the Red Army and German
forces. The defense of the city transformed into a fortress was
commanded by General Ernst Gonell. The Russians attacking the city
(detachments of the 8th Guards Army commanded by General Vasily Chuikov)
were helped by the inhabitants of Poznań, the so-called Citadel men, who
delivered ammunition, helped in the construction of crossings over the
moat in Fort Winiary. The city was captured on February 23, 1945. War
damage reached 55%. The old part of the city and most of the historic
buildings, equipment of water and sewage plants, gasworks, power plants
and industrial networks were almost completely destroyed. All bridges
(with the exception of the Dworcowy Bridge) were torn down, and public
and railway transport facilities were seriously damaged. Other historic
residential districts, such as: Jeżyce, Łazarz, Wilda, Sołacz, were not
damaged.
The natural conditions of the catchment areas of the Warta and Cybina
rivers were the main factor shaping the functional and spatial
structure. In the Middle Ages, the fortified princely city of Poznań was
located in Ostrów Tumski. In 1253, Poznań was located in a different
place, on the western bank of the Warta River, where currently about 60%
of the potential of the modern city, the medieval Old Town and the
19th-century downtown are located. The eastern part of Poznań was
incorporated into the city limits after 1900.
In 2008, Poznań -
the historic complex of the city - was recognized as a monument of
history. It covers the Old Town and the area north of Królowej Jadwigi
Street and Towarowa Street, south of Północna Street, between the
railway line and the Warta River, as well as the southern part of Ostrów
Tumski, Zagórze and Fort Winiary (Park Cytadela).
The area of the
city is separated by the valley of the Warta River. In Poznań, 7 road
bridges and 3 railway bridges were built over the Warta River, and 2
road and 2 railway bridges over the Cybina River.
The tallest
skyscraper in the city is Collegium Altum with 22 floors and a total
height including the mast of 103.35 m. The building serves as an
educational center for the University of Economics.
In Poznań,
there is a system of fortifications built in the 19th and early 20th
centuries, called the Poznań Fortress, which is the third largest system
of this type in Europe. 15 out of 18 forts and a number of supporting
structures, located in a ring with a diameter of 9.5 km and a
circumference of 30 km, have been preserved. There are also several
relics of a polygonal fortress from the beginning of the 19th century in
the city. nineteenth century, which left a permanent mark in the form of
the layout of streets and city parks.
Poznań is one of the largest economic centers in the country. It is an important center of industry, trade, logistics and business tourism.
In 2011, the value of the gross domestic product (GDP) generated in
Poznań amounted to PLN 42.1 billion, which was the fifth result in the
country, after Warsaw (204.1 billion), Kraków (45.6 billion), the
Katowice subregion (42.8 billion ) and Tricity (42.5 billion). This
value is greater than the value of GDP, e.g. Wrocław (38.1 billion),
Łódź (35.4 billion) or Szczecin (19.6 billion). In 2011, Poznań
generated 2.8% of Poland's GDP, which at the same time accounted for
29.5% of GDP generated in the Wielkopolskie Voivodship. In 2017, the
value of GDP generated in Poznań amounted to PLN 55.8 billion, which
accounted for 2.8% of Poland's GDP.
The unemployment rate in
Poznań is the lowest in the country. At the end of April 2022, the
unemployment rate in the city was 1.4% (4,800 unemployed people); the
same ratio was recorded in the Poznań poviat - 1.4% (2.9 thousand
unemployed people). A similarly low level of unemployment was found only
in Sopot (1.7%) and Wrocław (also 1.7%).
In 2005, the city was
among the most attractive places to invest in Poland. According to
information provided by investors, it is estimated that the value of
accumulated direct foreign investments in Poznań in the years 1990–2010
amounted to USD 6.6 billion.
The city's budget in 2013 closed
with revenues of approximately PLN 2.66 billion (2,664 million) and
expenses of approximately PLN 2.69 billion (2,693 million). The budget
deficit amounted to PLN 29 million. The city's debt at the end of the
year amounted to approx. PLN 1.85 billion (PLN 1,849 million), which
accounted for 69.41% of the city's income.
According to external
assessments carried out by the rating agency Moody's Investors Service,
in terms of credibility for investors, Poznań is slightly inferior to
the much larger Warsaw. In March 2013, the city once again received an
A3 rating with a stable forecast. It means that Poznań has a very high
ability to meet its financial obligations, and this credibility should
not change in the near future. In November 2013, Poznań received an A-
rating from Fitch Ratings with a stable outlook corresponding to
Poland's rating. This rating corresponds to the previously assigned
Moody's A3 rating. The city's rating has remained unchanged since 2006.
At the end of 2012, there were 102,513 business entities registered
in Poznań. 3,099 of them are commercial companies with foreign capital.
Another 50,810 companies operated in the Poznań poviat, of which 947
were foreign entities[78]. According to the rankings, the largest
enterprises include[79]:
Bridgestone - 2000 employees,
Poznań
University of Technology - 2000 employees,
Municipal Transport
Company - 2,500 employees,
University of Adam Mickiewicz - 5,000
employees,
Volkswagen - 11,000 employees,
Pekabex - 2000
employees,
Aluplast - 550 employees,
H. Cegielski – 500 employees,
Lisner - 1000 employees,
Allegro - 3,000 employees.
Poznań is the oldest exhibition center in Poland. The Poznań Fair was
established in 1921 on the model of the Leipzig fair. Eight years later,
the largest exhibition of the interwar period in Poland - the General
National Exhibition - took place there. It presented the achievements of
the first decade of the country reborn after the partitions.
Currently, the Poznań International Fair is the largest fair center in
the country and one of the largest in Europe. They have over 110,000 m²
of exhibition space located in 16 pavilions and nearly 35 thousand. m²
of exhibition space in the open area. Located in the very center of the
city, the Fair has 23 hectares of exhibition area. According to the
international ranking conducted by the German association of exhibition
companies, MTP is ranked 42nd in the world and 30th in Europe (according
to exhibition space in January 2012).
In 2014, 69 trade fair
events were held on the premises of Międzynarodowe Targi Poznańskie,
attended by 11.3 thousand people. exhibitors from 67 countries around
the world. These events were visited by a total of 651,000 people.
people.
Poznańskie Centrum Kongresowe (Poznań Congress Center) is
located at Targi Poznańskie. The main building of the center is the
three-level Pavilion 15 with an area of 13,000 sq. m. m². The largest of
the rooms - the representative Earth Hall - can host 2,000 people at a
time. people. PCC is adapted to organize congresses and events for over
11,000 people. participants. In 2014, 199 events were organized,
attended by over half a million people from all over the world.
There are 5 national roads (including a motorway) and 7 provincial
roads converge in Poznań. The Poznań Railway Junction, through which 8
railway lines run, is one of the largest and busiest in the country. The
airport located in the city served nearly 2.5 million passengers in
2018.
Within the city, 44% of trips are made by public transport,
39% - by car, and 4% by bicycle (the highest rate in Poland).
Five roads of national importance converge in the Poznań road
junction: the S5 expressway, the S11 expressway, the A2 motorway with
the national road 92 parallel to it, and the national road 32 ending its
course in Stęszew near Poznań. The A2 motorway has the status of the E30
European route, while the S5 motorway has the status of the E261 route.
Seven voivodeship roads also terminate in or near Poznań: No. 184 from
Wronki, No. 194 from Gniezno (a fragment of the former road No. 5), No.
196 from Wągrowiec, No. 307 from Bukowiec, No. 311 from Czempiń and No.
430 from Mosins. In addition, the provincial road No. 433 runs through
the city (former urban section of road No. 11 after the construction of
the S11 expressway). Since December 1, 2011, Poznań has had a direct
motorway connection with the countries of Western Europe, and since June
6, 2012 also with the capital of the country.
On June 4, 2012,
the Eastern Bypass of Poznań was opened along the S5 expressway (from
the "Poznań Wschód" junction to the "Gniezno Południe" junction). Since
December 19, 2014, the Western Bypass of Poznań runs continuously (from
the "Poznań Zachód" junction to the "Poznań Północ" junction). It is
part of the S11 expressway.
The city's road system is based on a
radial-ring system of streets. It consists of road rings called frames
and radial exit streets from the center. In the process of shaping the
urban structure of the city, three communication frames have developed.
Currently, the first frame and the second frame exist in their entirety,
and the third frame only fragmentarily. The first frame is located
closest to the center and acts as its bypass. The second frame, on which
most of the transit and intra-city traffic is based, is located on the
outskirts of the city center, constituting its contractual border. The
still non-existing III communication frame was conceived as a fast
inner-city ring road, which would take over most of the inter-district
traffic and heavy target traffic. Its construction was postponed due to
the huge investment costs. The construction of a 36-kilometre-long,
collision-free expressway surrounding the city was valued in 2008 at PLN
9.14 billion.
All public roads in Poznań, with the exception of
the motorway and the expressway, are managed by the Municipal Roads
Authority - a budgetary unit subordinated to the mayor of the city. This
institution takes care of 1,927 streets with a total length of 1,040 km,
of which 86.3% (898 km) have paved surfaces. National roads are 52 km
long, provincial roads - 13 km, and poviat roads - 269 km. The rest are
municipal roads with a total length of 706 km. ZDM also manages 136
engineering structures (20 bridges, 69 viaducts, 35 underground
passages, 12 footbridges), nearly 46 thousand. lighting points and 567
km of rain water drainage system. This unit is also responsible for 304
traffic lights, most of which are connected to the Traffic Control
Centre. The Poznań Paid Parking Zone has 9.4 thousand parking spaces.
parking spaces serviced by 422 parking meters.
The urban section
of the A2 motorway measuring 13 km (the so-called southern bypass of
Poznań) is managed by Autostrada Wielkopolska on behalf of the State
Treasury. Due to the increased traffic on the motorway bypass (exceeding
60,000 vehicles per day), it is planned to add a third lane in both
directions. The extension of the route was made in 2019.
On the
edge of the Kiekrz housing estate in Poznań, there is a section of the
S11 expressway, managed by the General Directorate for National Roads
and Motorways. It is crossed by the district road from Kobylniki to Sady
without collisions and without the possibility of entry or exit.
The Poznań Railway Junction is one of the largest, busiest and most
important in the country. 8 railway lines converge in the junction,
leading in 9 directions: to Warsaw, Ostrów Wielkopolski, Wrocław,
Wolsztyn, Berlin, Szczecin, Piła, Wągrowiec and Gniezno. Five of them
are lines of state significance. In Poznań itself, there are 12 active
stations and passenger stops. The PWK main track system is supplemented
by a system of ring lines that allows freight trains to bypass the
Poznań Główny station. In the eastern part of the city, on the railway
bypass, there is the Poznań Franowo freight station, which is the second
busiest marshalling yard in Poland. There are also 6 rail transhipment
terminals in the Poznań area.
The central point of the junction
is the Poznań Główny station, where most of the railway lines running
through the city intersect. On average, 300 trains pass through it
daily, and the station is used by about 17.2 million passengers
annually. In mid-2012, a new station building was opened, located above
the eastern platforms (1-3). It is part of the so-called integrated
communication center, which (apart from the new railway station)
consists of a bus terminal, parking lots for cars and bicycles and a
large shopping mall. The combined stations will be used by approximately
24.5 million passengers annually.
Thanks to the convenient
location of Poznań in the structure of the railway network, the
inhabitants of the city have the possibility of direct access by
long-distance trains to most of the major centers in the country.
International trains to Berlin and Moscow stop in the capital of
Wielkopolska, as well as the Moscow-Berlin-Paris train serviced by
Russian Railways. A network of regional and agglomeration connections
leads to Poznań, transporting the inhabitants of the voivodeship to work
and school. During peak hours, these trains run every 30-60 minutes.
Most regional trains are operated by Przewozy Regionalne. Trains on the
Poznań-Gołańcz, Poznań-Wolsztyn and Zbąszynek-Poznań-Kutno routes are
run by the local government company Koleje Wielkopolskie. In December
2012, an agglomeration ticket was introduced under the name
"Bus-Tram-Railway - One Ticket", enabling the purchase of a joint season
ticket for public transport and railway routes up to 30 km from Poznań.
The beginnings of the railways in Poznań date back to the first half
of the 19th century. On August 10, 1848, the Stargard – Poznań railway
line was launched, connecting the city with Szczecin and then with
Berlin. Its final point was the Poznań Jeżyce railway station, which
operated in the area of today's ul. Zwierzyniecka and Gajowa (currently
the area of the Old Zoo). In 1879, the building was closed due to the
construction of the Central Railway Station (later renamed Poznań
Główny).
The city has an international airport, Poznań-Ławica. In March 2013,
it was possible to fly from it to 25 airports located mainly in Western
European countries. Additionally, in the summer season of 2013, charter
planes departed from Poznań to 36 popular resorts. In 2012, Ławica
served nearly 1.6 million passengers, thanks to which it was ranked 6th
in Poland in terms of the volume of air traffic.
In the years
2011–2013, thanks to European funds, the Ławica Airport was expanded.
Currently, it has a complex of passenger terminals capable of handling
up to 3.5 million passengers a year. Regular passenger traffic checks in
two passenger terminals: T2 - departures and T3 - arrivals. In addition,
a separate General Aviation terminal operates in the old passenger
terminal (T1). The airport also has a cargo cargo terminal. On Ławica
there are two bases from which helicopters take off - the Polish Medical
Air Rescue and the Aviation Section of the Provincial Police
Headquarters in Poznań. The European Cirrus Aircraft Simulation Center
has been established in the Aero Poznań training center operating at the
T1 terminal. It is equipped with a flight simulator that simulates the
conditions identical to real piloting of an aircraft. In the
north-eastern part of the airport, the construction of a new 34-meter
air traffic control tower with a radio communication center is underway.
The 31st Tactical Air Base, where F-16 fighters are stationed, is
located in Krzesiny in Poznań.
In addition, there is a sports
airport near Poznań. In Kobylnica there is a training center of the
Poznań Aeroclub (Poznań-Kobylnica airport), and in Gądki there is a
private Airport Biernat (Żerniki airstrip). In the commune of
Pobiedziska (at the former military airport), the Poznań-Bednary
airstrip was established.
The history of aviation in Poznań began
over 100 years ago. On August 26, 1913, in Ławica near Poznań at that
time, the official opening of the Poznań Air Station took place. It was
a Prussian military airport to strengthen the IV Army Corps stationed in
the city. On the area of about 300 ha, there was a grassy field of
take-offs, next to which barracks, workshops and three halls that could
accommodate 30 machines were erected. One of them was a plane named
Poznań, funded as part of a public collection organized by the newspaper
"Posener Tageblatt". In 1921, the first commercial passenger flights
were launched from Poznań (to Gdańsk and Warsaw), which were operated by
the "Aero-Targ" company.
The basis of public transport in the city is 18 tram lines,
supplemented by 50 regular bus lines and 65 suburban bus lines. At
night, public transport is based on 24 bus lines and one tram line. Most
night lines run every 30 minutes, and their central transfer points are
Rondo Kaponiera and Poznań Główny (railway and bus station). The network
of night connections is the second largest in the country and the first
in which most night lines run every 30 minutes. In 1995, 122 MAN and
Neoplan low-floor buses were purchased. It was the first such large
delivery of low-floor buses in the country, thanks to which both
companies installed their production lines near Poznań (in Sady and
Bolechów, respectively). After ownership transformations in Bolechów,
Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z o.o. was established, which soon achieved
international success.
In autumn 2013, tram routes formed a
network of connections with a total length of 70.5 km. They spread
radially from the center of Poznań towards 14 tram loops located in the
vicinity of larger housing estates, production plants, cemeteries and
shopping centers. In 2012, a 2.5-kilometre tram route from Osiedle Lecha
to Franowo was launched, while in 2013 a 2-kilometre extension of the
PST to the Zachodni Railway Station was opened.
At the end of
2012, bus routes in Poznań formed a network of connections with a length
of 296 km. Bus lines run through all districts of the city, with the
highest density in the area of larger housing estates in Grunwald,
Piątkowo and Rataje. They end their course at numerous bus loops and at
4 modern bus stations constituting transfer centres.
The study of
public transport accessibility in Poznań conducted in 2008 shows that
the network of public transport connections in the city should be
considered relatively good, although it requires some improvements.
Since then, numerous changes have been made to the network of
connections and many investments have been made. Currently, bus
communication still does not serve all areas where housing development
is developing, including primarily single-family housing. This problem
mainly affects Junikowo, Krzyżownik, Naramowice / Umultowa, Osiedle
Warszawskie / Antoninek, Szczepanków and Starołęka. The map of
accessibility to the tram also includes the so-called "White stains".
These include, among others: new housing estates in Naramowice and
Osiedle Kopernika.
The local public transport in Poznań is
organized by the Public Transport Authority. Most of the communication
lines are operated by the Municipal Transport Company in Poznań. The
ticket tariff is based on time tickets enabling transfers and season
tickets. Stop tickets are also valid on bus lines. The public transport
ticket tariff is divided into three zones - urban A and covering
suburban communes B and C. Tickets can be purchased: in 70 ticket
machines located at the busiest public transport stops, in 25 points of
sale (ZTM points and Ruch kiosks), in mobile ticket vending machines
installed in buses and via a mobile phone.
In November 2010, the
Intercommunal Association "Transport of the Poznań Agglomeration" was
established, which deals with the organization of joint public transport
in the municipalities near Poznań. Currently, the process of integrating
suburban bus lines with the city system is underway. The City of Poznań,
on the basis of inter-municipal agreements, takes over responsibility
for further bus lines - ZTM supports, among others, all connections in
Luboń and the communes of Komorniki and Suchy Las. In the winter of
2013, there were 29 agglomeration lines (27 day and 2 night lines) that
ran outside the area of the capital of Wielkopolska. Communes bordering
Poznań also have their own carriers.
At the beginning of 2013,
there were 227 trams and 320 buses in Poznań. The capital of
Wielkopolska was the first large city to start buying a modern low-floor
bus fleet en masse. Currently, all buses running on the line in the
colors of MPK are low-floor. The tram rolling stock is also being
replaced with low-floor vehicles - in January 2013, 70 low-floor
vehicles and 13 low-floor vehicles were running on Poznań tracks.
In autumn 2013, MPK in Poznań had 5 depots: Głogowska (for approx.
85 trams), Madaliński (for approx. 45 trams), Forteczna (for approx. 60
trams), Pusta (for approx. 195 buses) and Kacza (for approx. 125 buses).
In 2014, a new depot was opened in Franowo, which will accommodate 150
trams. After its full launch in 2014, the depot at ul. Madaliński and
holding tracks at ul. Budziszyńska.
The beginnings of organized
public transport in Poznań date back to the end of the 19th century. On
July 30, 1880, the first horse-drawn tram appeared on the streets of
Poznań, serving the line from the Central Railway Station to the Old
Market Square. In the same year, the Poznań Horse Railway Company
launched a tram depot at today's ul. Zwierzyniecka and Gajowa. It
consisted of a coach house, stables, a forge with a horseshoe shop and a
residential building. In 1898, the horse tram was replaced by an
electric tram. There were 3 lines in operation at the time. In 1925,
city bus transport was launched in Poznań on lines with little passenger
traffic, where tram transport was not profitable. The trolleybus line,
which was established in 1930 (from Śródka to Wiejska Street), was the
first in Poland and the only one in the country until 1939.
Poznań is located on the European network of bicycle routes EuroVelo,
designed by the European Cyclists' Federation. The EV9 route from Gdańsk
on the Baltic Sea to Pula on the Adriatic Sea runs through here.
At the end of 2014, there were 134 km of bicycle paths in Poznań, which
accounted for 12.9% of the total length of streets in the city.
Bicycle, pedestrian and bicycle paths and designated special lanes
connect the two largest residential districts located on opposite sides
of the city center - Rataje and Piątkowo. The capital of Wielkopolska
has a network of routes leading cyclists out of the city without
collisions. They can be reached by to the Rusałka and Strzeszyńskie
lakes, and further to Szamotuły and Międzychód; to the Morasko Meteorite
reserve; along the Piastowskie Cycling Route to Gniezno; and the Earth
Bike Trail to the Wielkopolski National Park and further to Kościan and
Rawicz. From Malta you can reach Kalisz and Ostrów Wielkopolski. From
Starołęka you can get to Kórnik and Rogalin, and from ul. Bukowska - to
Lusowo.
There are about 700 signs in the city leading bicycle
routes to the central point, which is the intersection of ul. John Paul
II and Archbishop Baraniak on Lake Malta. This place was called the
Poznań Bicycle Junction.
14 public bicycle racks have been
installed in the capital of Wielkopolska. Free guarded car parks for
cyclists are located in 8 buffer car parks of the Poznań Paid Parking
Zone.
In the summer season of 2017, there were 88 bike rentals in
Poznań: 15 belonging to the Poznański Rower Miejski system managed by
Nextbike, 2 MaltaBike rentals, Malta Ski rental, ZTM rental, free Enea
rental and electric bike rental of the Kupiec Poznański department
store.
Poznań is a city with poviat rights. It is the seat of the authorities of the voivodeship and the Poznań district. The city is the administrative center for Wielkopolska, it is home to regional offices. Poznań also performs some supra-regional administrative functions for north-western Poland.
Poznań has the status of a city with poviat rights. This means that
the municipal commune performs the tasks of the poviat. The governing
body of the local government is the Poznań City Council, consisting of
37 councilors elected in 7 electoral districts. The president of the
city is the executive body of the local government. Currently, in the
2018–2023 term, this function is held by Jacek Jaśkowiak.
The
city is the seat of the authorities of the Greater Poland Voivodeship.
Residents elect 6 out of 39 councilors to the Sejmik of the Wielkopolska
Region. Poznań is also the seat of the authorities of the Poznań
district.
Poznań is a member of the Association of Polish Cities
and the Union of Polish Metropolises.
Since 2011, the area of Poznań has been divided into 42 auxiliary
units of the city, called housing estates. The residents of each
auxiliary unit elect the estate council, and their executive body is the
estate management. They represent local communities of residents in the
implementation of the tasks of the municipal government. The tasks of
own housing estates include taking care of the order and order of the
local space and maintaining the local urban infrastructure. In order to
support the activities of housing estates within the structures of the
City Hall, the Department for Supporting Auxiliary Units of the City was
established. It also supervises their activities.
In the years
1954-1976 and 1984-90, the city was divided into 5 large districts:
Grunwald, Jeżyce, Nowe Miasto, Stare Miasto, Wilda. Despite being
outdated, this division is sometimes used by residents. It also appears
in statistics and in the activities of some offices.
There are about 30 consular offices in Poznań. Most of them are
honorary institutions. The only regular post is the Consulate General of
the Russian Federation. There are also 2 consulates headed by honorary
consuls general in the city. These are the posts of Albania and Turkey.
The United States, on the other hand, has a consular agency that
replaced the consulate general that existed until 1989.
The city
government has established a number of close, direct contacts with
partner cities. The first cooperation agreements between Poznań and the
Czech city of Brno were concluded in 1966. In 1979, the city concluded
two more cooperation agreements with the Finnish Jyväskylä and the
German Hanover, however, most of the partnership agreements were
concluded by Poznań in the 1990s. Currently, it has 14 partner cities
and one friendly city - Georgian Kutaisi. Poznań maintains the closest
partnership with Hanover, Rennes and Nottinghamshire.
The Voivode of Wielkopolska, who is the representative of the
government administration in the region, has its seat in Poznań. The
voivodship office subordinated to it, together with the units of
combined administration at the voivodship level, form a regional complex
of government administration. From January 29, 2021, the office of the
voivode is held by Michał Zieliński.
In the parliamentary
elections, the citizens of Poznań elect 10 deputies to the Sejm of the
Republic of Poland in constituency no. 39. The city is an independent
single-member electoral district for the Senate. Poznań residents elect
Members of the European Parliament from constituency no. 7.
The city area is divided between 3 different district courts. These
are district courts for the following districts: Grunwald and Jeżyce,
Nowe Miasto and Wilda and Stare Miasto. Their local jurisdiction, apart
from the titular districts, extends beyond the city limits to include
neighboring communes. The Grunwald and Jeżyce District Court deals with
cases from the communes (or parts thereof) of Dopiewo, Komorniki and
Tarnowo Podgórne. The Nowe Miasto and Wilda District Court is
responsible for cases from the Czerwonak, Luboń, Puszczykowo and
Swarzędz communes. The Stare Miasto District Court, on the other hand,
is competent for cases from the Murowana Goślina commune and part of the
Suchy Las commune.
In Poznań there is a district court whose area
of jurisdiction is 12 district courts from central and north-western
Wielkopolska. There is also an appellate court in the city, whose appeal
area includes the district courts in Poznań, Konin and Zielona Góra.
There is also a provincial administrative court here, which is the first
instance in court and administrative proceedings for the whole of
Wielkopolska.
The structure of common prosecutor's offices
corresponds to the boundaries of the jurisdiction of the courts. Four
district prosecutor's offices were established: Grunwald and Jeżyce,
Nowe Miasto, Stare Miasto and Wilda. District and appellate public
prosecutor's offices have the scope of activity in accordance with the
jurisdiction of their respective courts.
Poznań is the only
military judiciary center next to Warsaw. There is a military garrison
court (equivalent to a district court) and a military district court
with authority over the garrison courts in Gdynia, Poznań, Szczecin and
Wrocław. Military courts are accompanied by the corresponding
organization of the military prosecutor's office: the military garrison
prosecutor's office and the military district prosecutor's office.
at ul. Młyńska, there is a detention center. It has branches located
at ul. Nowosolska and in Baranów and Komorniki. On the other hand, right
next to the city border in Koziegłowy near Poznań, there is a
penitentiary facility.
As of December 31, 2012, Poznań was inhabited by 550,742 people
(fifth place in the country), and the population density was 2,103
people per square kilometer. Poznań was inhabited by 15.9% of the
population of the Wielkopolskie Voivodship, which at the same time
accounted for 1.4% of the population of Poland.
At the end of
December 2012, the entire Poznań agglomeration (Poznań, the Poznań
district and the communes of Oborniki, Skoki, Szamotuły and Śrem) was
inhabited by a total of 1,009,028 people.
The research conducted
in 2011 shows that the average life expectancy of men living in Poznań
is 74.9 years. The average Poznań woman lives longer than a man by 6.5
years, dying at the age of 81.4. The life expectancy of the inhabitants
of Poznań is similar to that of the inhabitants of Warsaw (75.4/82.0),
Kraków (75.6/81.9), Tri-City (75.1/81.8) and Wrocław (74.0/81.8). 81.6),
while higher than the average life expectancy in Szczecin (72.8/81.1),
Katowice conurbation (70.6/78.5) or Łódź (70.1/78.4).
In the
years 2008–2011, about 5.8–6.2 thousand babies were born annually.
children born to Poznań women.
In 2011, the fertility rate for
Poznań was 1.24. Similar results were recorded in the Katowice
conurbation (1.26) and Warsaw (1.26); lower in the Tri-City (1.20),
Kraków (1.16), Wrocław (1.16), Łódź (1.14) and Szczecin (1.10). For
generational replacement, this factor should be 2.10-2.15.
The
highest number of people so far lived in Poznań in the early 1990s.
According to the Central Statistical Office data from 1990, there were
590.1 thousand people registered in the city at that time. inhabitants.
Since then, this number has slowly and gradually decreased. This is
related to the relocation of residents to towns in the municipalities
near Poznań, as well as to the general trend of negative birth rate. The
opposite situation takes place in the Poznań district - over the last 17
years, the number of inhabitants has increased by 43.2% from 240.7
thousand. people in 1995 to 344.7 thousand. in year 2012.
In the academic year 2017/2018, there were 25 universities in Poznań
(8 public and 17 private), with a total of 110,346 students. In the same
year, 32,531 people graduated from universities in Poznań. In the
capital of Wielkopolska, there is a five universities; almost 3/4 of
students are educated at public universities.
In the ranking of
academic universities conducted in 2018 by the educational monthly
"Perspektywy", the University of Adam Mickiewicz (4th place), then the
Poznań University of Technology (17th place), the University of
Economics (17th place), the Medical University of Karol Marcinkowski
(21st place) and the University of Life Sciences (27th place). Over 90
universities from all over the country were included in the study.
The largest universities according to data from 2015 are:
Uniwersytet im. Adam Mickiewicz University (39,000 students), Poznań
University of Technology (over 20,000 students), University of Life
Sciences (over 10,000 students), University of Economics (over 10,000
students) and the WSB University (9,000 students). In 2017, over 4,000
students studied in Poznań. foreigners.
There are 18 scientific
and research institutions of the Polish Academy of Sciences in the
Poznań region, including: the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the
Polish Academy of Sciences together with the Poznań Supercomputing and
Networking Centre, the Institute of Dendrology of the Polish Academy of
Sciences, the Institute of Molecular Physics of the Polish Academy of
Sciences, the Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of
Sciences, the Institute of Plant Genetics Polish Academy of Sciences,
the Institute of Agricultural and Forest Environment of the Polish
Academy of Sciences, or the Space Research Center of the Polish Academy
of Sciences with the accompanying Astrogeodynamic Observatory in
Borówiec.
Numerous cultural institutions operate in Poznań, including:
opera
(The Stanisław Moniuszko Grand Theatre),
8 theaters with their own
stage (including the Musical Theatre, Animation Theatre, Nowy Theater
and Polish Theatre),
8 theaters without a professional stage (e.g.
O.B.O.R.A. Artistic Platform, Biuro Podróży Theater or Strefa Ciszy
Theatre),
in a barrack at ul. Grunwaldzka, there is the Theater
Residence Center "Scena Robocza" established on the initiative of the
Strefa Ciszy Theater - it is a place for the repertoire of theaters that
do not have their own stage
at ul. Behind the Citadel, the Theater
Education Center for children has been opened - there is a performance
and educational hall hosted by Łejery and the Children's Art Center in
Poznań
Poznan Philharmonic Tadeusz Szeligowski,
12 cinemas
(including 5 multi-screen multiplexes and an IMAX 3D cinema)
28
museums (e.g. Mock-ups of Old Poznań, the Museum of Bambrów Poznańskie,
the Gallery of Painting and Sculpture of the National Museum, the Museum
of Musical Instruments, the Museum of the Poznań Uprising, and the Lech
Touring Centre),
over 40 art galleries (with the largest one being
the Arsenał Municipal Gallery),
20 choirs (including AMU Academic
Choir, Poznan Nightingales, and Poznan Cathedral Choir).
There
are also numerous orchestras, music and folklore groups in the
city[188]. Works here, e.g. The Amadeus Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra
under the direction of Agnieszka Duczmal, the representative Orchestra
of the City of Poznań at MPK, as well as the ballet (Polish Dance
Theatre) presenting their performances to audiences around the world.
The capital of Wielkopolska is also home to the TV Animated Film Studio,
which produces animated puppet and cartoon films.
Poznań is an
important publishing and literary center. The city and the University of
The Adam Mickiewicz Foundation has been awarding the Poznań Literary
Award since 2015.
Cultural institutions in Poznań:
museums in
Poznań
theaters in Poznań
cinema in Poznań
choirs in Poznań.
The first center of design and creativity in Poland - Concordia
Design - was established in the historic building of the Concordia
Printing House.
The oldest squat in the country - Rozbrat -
operates in Poznań. It is a center of alternative culture and a meeting
place for activists of the Poznań section of the Anarchist Federation,
Rytmy Oporu and Food Instead of Bombs groups. As part of the functioning
of this center, numerous concerts, discussions and meetings with social
activists as well as happenings and social protests are organized. Among
the cyclical events taking place in Rozbrat, the following can be
distinguished: DIY Art Festival (Do It Yourself).
Numerous
festivals take place in the capital of Wielkopolska, including the most
recognizable ones - Malta Festival (theatrical), Ale Kino! (films for
children and young people), Animator (animated films), Off Cinema
(independent films), Art & Fashion Festival (fashion and art), Pyrkon
(fantasy), International Festival of Ice Sculpture, Poznan Poets
(poetic), and Festival of Fiction (prose).
Every 5 years,
international violin and violin making competitions are organized in
Poznań. Henryk Wieniawski, and every two years the international choir
festival Universitas Cantat.
Poznań was a candidate for the title
of the European Capital of Culture 2016, but in 2010 it was not
qualified for the second stage of the competition.
The establishment of the bishopric made Poznań the first center of
chant, introduced here by the Benedictines. One of the Poznań bishops
was Jan Łodzia, considered to be very musical, the creator of the Polish
sequence. In 1400, the organ in Poznań was mentioned for the first time.
From the 15th century, there are messages about the performance of
mysteries in the Corpus Christi church. In the 16th century, the main
centers of religious music were the cathedral and the collegiate church.
Secular music was nurtured by the Górka family, whose members were
patrons of Hermann Finck. He dedicated his treatise Musica practica
(1556) to them. Presented as an outstanding composer of this period is
Jan Brant known as "Posnaniensis". Before 1650, a permanent music
ensemble was formed in the cathedral, consisting of 5 singers and 8
instrumentalists. In the richest churches there were bands, eg in 1774 a
12-member collegiate band. In the years 1783–1784, the first opera
performances, performed by Wojciech Bogusławski's troupe, took place in
the building of the Jesuit college.
Since the early 1990s,
Poznań, along with such cities as Katowice, Szczecin, Warsaw and Kielce,
has been an important center of hip-hop culture and music in the
country. Numerous performers gained nationwide popularity, including,
among others, Slums Attack, Sudden Welder Attack, Peja, Five Dwa Dębiec,
Killaz Group, Ski Skład, WSRH, K.A.S.T.A., Beat Squad, Shellerini, Rafi,
Paluch, Mezo and Medi Top Glon.
One of the first sports organizations in the city was the "Sokół"
Gymnastic Society in Poznań, founded on June 2, 1886 on the initiative
of Ignacy Andrzejewski.
Numerous international and national
sports events are organized in the capital of the voivodeship. The World
Cup, European and World Championships in rowing, canoeing and canoe
polo, as well as nationwide dragon boat competitions, are regularly held
at the Malta Regatta Course in Poznań. The ATP Poznań Open International
Tennis Tournament has become a permanent fixture in the calendar of
tennis players. Swimming competitions are organized at the Olympic
swimming pool of the Maltańskie Baths, and international and national
horse show jumping competitions are held in the MTP halls and at the
Wola Hippodrome. On the Poznan Track, the competitions of the Polish
Motor Racing Championship and the Polish Motorcycle Racing Championship
are organized.
Every autumn in Poznań there is a marathon run
Poznań Maraton im. Maciej Frankiewicz. In 2012, 5.7 thousand people
started the race. people from 31 countries. They faced a distance of
42.2 km. In 2015, the first edition of the Challenge Poznań triathlon
competition was launched.
Selected sports events organized in
Poznań:
Speedway World Pairs Championship 1991
2006 UEFA European
Under-19 Football Championship
2006 Academic Futsal World
Championship
2006 European Youth Fencing Championships
2006
European Athletics Veterans Championships
Academic European Tennis
Championships 2009
2009 European Men's Basketball Championship
Academic European Basketball Championship 2010
2010 World Canoe
Championships
2011 World Indoor Field Hockey Championship
World
Masters Rowing Regatta 2011
2012 Disabled Canoeing World
Championships
European Football Championship 2012
GAC World Tour –
Polish Open 2012 (international table tennis tournament from the ITTF
Pro Tour series)
4th Maciej Frankiewicz Memorial 2013 (international
show jumping competition with CSI4* rank)
Canoeing World Cup 2013
2013 FIFA World Homeless Championship
1st round of the Speedway
Junior World Championship 2017
In 2006 and 2007, the route of the
Tour de Pologne cycling race ran through Poznań.
The capital of
Wielkopolska applied for the organization of the 2010 Summer Youth
Olympic Games and the Summer Universiade in 2007, 2009 and 2011.
However, the city lost the competition to Singapore, Bangkok, Belgrade
and Chinese Shenzhen.
In 2011, there were 105 youth sports
centers in Poznań, which gathered 4.5 thousand people. young athletes.
The Poznań branch of the Academic Sports Association consisted of 26
clubs with over 300 sports, recreational and tourist sections. More than
6,000 people were associated with them. students.
The most
successful team in the city is KKS Lech Poznań - eight times Polish
football champion, five times winner of the Polish Cup and six times the
Polish Super Cup. The team of Warta Poznań won the title of Polish
Football Champion twice. Other first-league sports teams from Poznań
are:
KS Enea Energetyk Poznań (women's volleyball)
PSŻ Poznań
(speedway)
Polonia Poznan (women's soccer),
Inea AZS Poznań
(women's basketball),
MUKS Poznań (women's basketball),
AZS
Politechnika Poznań (men's basketball),
WKS Grunwald Poznań (men's
handball),
KS AZS-AWF Poznań (women's handball),
PTH Poznań (ice
hockey)
WKS Grunwald Poznań (field hockey),
AZS Politechnika
Pocztowiec Poznań (field hockey),
KS AZS-AWF Poznań (field hockey),
KS Warta Poznań (field hockey),
Alstal Waterpolo Poznań (water polo),
KS Posnania Poznan (rugby),
Army "Poznań" (American football),
Cadet Futsal Team Poznań (men's futsal)
AZS UAM Poznań (women's
futsal).
Four summer bathing areas have been designated in Poznań:
Malta
bathing beach on Lake Malta (covering 200 m of shoreline),
Krzyżowniki bathing beach on Lake Kierskie (75 m of coastline),
the
Strzeszynek swimming pool, on the Strzeszyńskie Lake (50 m of the
shoreline),
Rusałka (Mermaid) swimming pool, on Lake Rusałka (100 m
of the shoreline).
Since 2012, a city beach has been opened in
the old Warta riverbed (at ul. Uniiwska, in the vicinity of
KontenerArt). In addition to using the sun loungers, you can play beach
volleyball or badminton there. Balls, boards and fresbiees are
available. Exhibitions, workshops and music events take place on the
beach, apart from it, three other city beaches on the Warta River
operate seasonally in Poznań, and these are: Beach Wilda, Beach Rataje,
Beach Szeląg.
Poznań was one of the host cities of the European Football
Championship "Euro 2012", which took place from June 8 to July 1, 2012.
During the tournament, the football team of Portugal used the
accommodation center in Opalenica near Poznań. Among the players who
lived there were m.in. Cristiano Ronaldo.
Three matches of the
group stage of the tournament were organized at the Municipal Stadium in
Poznań: Ireland-Croatia (June 10), Italy-Croatia (June 14) and
Italy-Ireland (June 18). These matches were watched in the stands by
106.4 thousand spectators. people (34% were Poles, 29% - Irish, 15% -
Croats, 12% - Italians, and 3% - Germans).
The city authorities
estimate that around 125,000 people visited Poznań during the group
stage of the tournament. foreign tourists - 70 thousand Irish, 40,000
Croats and 15 thousand. Italians. More than 400 journalists from all
over the world have been accredited in the press center. The guests were
helped by 540 volunteers, and the order was guarded by nearly 1.4
thousand people every day. policemen. In the Poznań fan zone located at
pl. Over 60 artists performed. Throughout the entire championship
period, a total of 705,000 people played there. people (2nd place in the
country), the most on the day of the match between Poland and Russia -
60.5 thousand. people. Thousands of people also cheered and had fun in
the nearby Old Market Square, around the Arena hall (at Carlsberg
FanCamp) and by Lake Malta (at Malta Fun Zone).
TV stations
TVP3 Poznań (Telewizja Poznań)
TV fan club
(formerly: Lech TV)
Cable TV stations
WTK TV
SM GRUNWALD TV
TVK Winogrady (formerly Winogradzka Telewizja Kablowa)
Ratajska Cable
Television
ONTV
Radio stations
Radio Poznań (former name:
Radio Merkury) – 100.9 FM
Radio Afera – 98.6 FM
Radio Eska Poznan
– 93 FM
Radio Emmaus – 89.8 FM
Golden Oldies Radio – 88.4 FM
Meloradio - 90.6/99.4 FM
Rock Radio - 105.4 FM
MC Radio - 102.7 FM
RMF Maxxx Poznań – 93.5 FM
Radio Vox FM - 107.4 FM
Radio Weather –
103.4 FM
Press
Voice of Greater Poland
Linguistic Quarterly
Economic Guide
Reign over us Christ
Catholic Guide
University
Life
IKS Poznań Cultural, Sports and Tourist Guide
Poznań is the seat of the curia of the Poznań Archdiocese of the
Roman Catholic Church, which was established from the first missionary
bishopric in Poland, established in 968. The main temple of this Church
in the city is the Archcathedral Basilica of the Holy Apostles Peter and
Paul, located in Ostrów Tumski. The second temple in Poznań is the
Collegiate Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Mary Magdalene and
St. Stanisława Biskupa, also known as the Poznań parish church.
There is a Greek Catholic parish in Poznań. Protection of the Mother of
God, which belongs to the Wrocław-Koszalin eparchy. Services of this
parish are held in the Church of the Protection of the Mother of God.
The city has two Old Catholic communities: the Polish Catholic
parish of St. Kazimierz (established in 1947 and holds its services in
the church of St. Casimir) and the parish of Reformed Catholics
dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius (established in 2007, services
are held in the chapel at Powstańców Warszawy 9A). The faithful of the
Old Catholic Mariavite Church who belong to the parish of St. Matthew
and St. Roch in Nowa Sobótka.
The Polish Autocephalous Orthodox
Church has an orthodox church in Poznań. st. Nicholas (co-cathedral and
at the same time parish), which belongs to the diocese of Łódź and
Poznań.
The Evangelical-Augsburg Church has one parish centered
around the Church of the Grace of God. In this parish, in the green
pavilion at ul. Obozowa 5, some services of the Evangelical Reformed
Church are held, whose diasporal group is served by Fr. Tadeusz Jelinek
from the Evangelical-Reformed parish in Żychlin.
Church of the
Holy Cross at ul. Ogrodowa is the temple of the parish of the
Evangelical-Methodist Church.
In Poznań there are several
communities belonging to Pentecostal churches. The Pentecostal Church in
Poland has three churches here: the church in Poznań, the church
"Lifehouse Church" and the church "Dom Bleba". The Church of God in
Christ is also active in the city, to which the Poznań Centrum Community
and the "Salt of the Earth" facility in Poznań, subordinated to the
church in Kutno, belong.
The Baptist Church has 10 churches here.
These include: 1st Congregation in Poznań "Community of the New
Covenant", 2nd Congregation in Poznań "Koinonia", 3rd Congregation in
Poznań "Kościół 5N", 4th Congregation in Poznań "Genesis Community",
Congregation "Amazing Grace", Congregation "Droga Życia" ", Church on
the Rock, Church "New Life", Church "Wspólnota Kaleb" and Poznan
International Church.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Poland
has a church in Poznań, and the seat of its western diocese is also
located here. There is also a Reformed Seventh-day Adventist church
here.
In Poznań, there are also such Protestant churches as:
Confederation of Evangelical Reformed Churches (Evangelical Reformed
Church in Poznań), Arka Christian Church, Church of Evangelical
Christians in Poland ("Emmanuel" congregation), Messianic God's
Assemblies (mission point in Poznań subordinate to the Warsaw) and the
"Agape" Evangelical Church.
In the city there is also the Unity
of the Polish Brethren and the congregation of the Religious Society of
Friends (Quakers) and the congregation of the New Apostolic Church.
From December 29, 2009 to January 2, 2010, Poznań became a stage of
the Pilgrimage of Trust through the Earth, organized by the ecumenical
Taizé Community.
In Poznań, there are 25 congregations of
Jehovah's Witnesses (including a sign language congregation and three
other language congregations: English, Russian and Ukrainian, as well as
Bulgarian, Chinese and Spanish speaking groups) gathered in eight
Kingdom Halls. Other Restorationist denominations in Poznań include:
Christadelphians, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a
commune in Poznań), the Secular Missionary Movement "Epiphany" (a
congregation in Poznań) and the independent Epiphany community
"Christian Community".
There is a prayer house of the Muslim
Religious Union in the city. The second Muslim religious group in Poznań
is the Muslim League in Poland, which has its own mosque.
There
is also the Jewish Religious Community in Poznań, which belongs to the
Association of Jewish Religious Communities, which has its synagogue in
the city.
Every week, practices of the Garuda Association in
Poland take place in Poznań. The city is also home to the Engakuin (Sōtō
Zen and Nyingma) Buddhist temple and the center of Diamond Way Buddhism.
Poznań and the Poznań poviat have joint organizational units of the
Police and the State Fire Service - they operate in an area of 2,161 km²
inhabited by nearly 900,000 people. people.
The Municipal
Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Poznań employs a total of 495
officers. The operational security of the city and the Poznań district
consists of 9 rescue and firefighting units (JRG), most of which have
their own specialization. Rescue operations are also supported by 68
volunteer fire brigades, including a specialist rescue group and a water
rescue unit operating in the national rescue and firefighting system. In
addition, there are 2 company fire protection units (at the airport and
in the Municipal Transport Company) and a military fire protection unit
in Krzesiny. at ul. Bobrzańska in Poznań (JRG 7) houses a modern Threat
Analysis and Forecasting Station of the Municipal Headquarters of the
State Fire Service, which performs functions in the area of rescue,
civil protection and crisis management. It is connected by an ICT
network with similar facilities in Kalisz, Konin, Leszno and Piła. In
2012, the fire brigade recorded 4,249 events in Poznań, including 1,656
fires, 2,154 local hazards and 439 false alarms.
The Municipal
Police Headquarters in Poznań employs approx. 1,800 police officers, has
7 police stations located in the city and 15 police stations and 2
district police departments serving the communes of the Poznań poviat.
In 2014, in Poznań, the police recorded 22.7 thousand crimes. In the
analyzed period, criminal offenses dominated (84.1%), including mainly
thefts, burglaries and drug offences. Economic crimes (10.6%) and
traffic crimes (3.5%) were ranked next. 298 road accidents. The
detection rate of perpetrators of Poznań crimes in 2014 was 52.1% and is
lower than in 2013 and 2012.
There is a command of the Municipal
Police of the City of Poznań at the municipal office, which is
subordinated to 5 district departments. These units employ about 300
guards. In 2012, this institution fined 43.1 thousand people. people for
the total amount of PLN 4.5 million. 58.7 thousand were also identified.
people, 11.5 thous. admonitions-instructions, 19.4 thous. wheel locks
for improperly parked vehicles, 119 car wrecks were removed, and 599
people were referred to the sobering-up centre.
From the funds of
the Poznań City Hall, a video monitoring system has been implemented
since 2000 to improve security and crime detection. In mid-2013, 395
cameras were in use. The monitoring image is watched and analyzed by
employees of 6 Supervision Centers established in police stations. In
addition, the image from the cameras reaches: the Municipal Police
Headquarters, the ZDM Traffic Control Center, the MPK dispatch room, the
Crisis Management Center and the seat of the Municipal Guard.
In
2011, an SMS system was launched in Poznań to transmit warnings about
crisis situations threatening health and life and the need to evacuate
from specific areas of the city.
In Poznań, there is an emergency
notification center that handles emergency calls to emergency numbers
112, 997, 998 and 999.
At the end of 2014, there were 19 civilian hospitals operating in
Poznań with a total of 5.7 thousand beds. beds. Patients' health was
monitored by 3.4 thousand doctors, 4.2 thous. nurses and 0.8 thous.
midwives.
Poznan's hospitals are of supra-local importance -
residents of Wielkopolska and the rest of the country are also
hospitalized here. In 2012, 303.1 thousand people were treated here.
people, and the average length of stay was 4.4 days.
There are 5
teaching hospitals in Poznań (at the following streets: Długa,
Przybyszewskiego, Polna, 28 Czerwca 1956, Szpitalna). They ensure that
the health needs of residents are secured in terms of the most
specialized medical services and procedures. They are a didactic and
scientific base for the Medical University, which is also their founding
body.
The basis for health care in the city is provided by 4
general hospitals, including two subordinated to the city government -
Fr. Raszei at ul. Mickiewicz and them. J. Strusia at ul. Szwajcarska, as
well as the Provincial Hospital at ul. Juraszów and the private hospital
Centrum Medyczne HCP at ul. June 28, 1956
at ul. There is a
general departmental hospital of the Ministry of Interior and
Administration. Medical support is supplemented by specialist hospitals,
including: a children's hospital, a rehabilitation hospital for
children, the Wielkopolska Oncology Center and the Wielkopolskie Center
of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery, which has branches in Poznań and
Ludwików near Mosina. In Puszczykowo, there is a multi-profile Hospital
of T. Dąbrowski.
There are 7 private hospitals in Poznań -
Centrum Medyczne HCP, Certus, Klinika Grunwaldzka, Klinika Radiant,
Klinika Pro Bono, Med-Polonia and Medica Celsus.
In 4 hospitals -
them. J. Strusia, Provincial, HCP and them. T. Dąbrowskiego
(Puszczykowo) - there are Hospital Emergency Departments (so-called
HEDs). In addition, at the Municipal Hospital of Strusia, one of
fourteen Trauma Centers in the country was established.
The State Medical Rescue Service in the capital of Wielkopolska
provides medical services by providing first aid, it also runs
outpatient clinics and patient transports. The Regional Ambulance
Station in Poznań has 8 substations and waiting places in the city and 9
substations and waiting places in the Poznań poviat. This institution is
subordinated to the Self-Government of the Wielkopolska Region. There is
also a private ambulance service in the city, MediFast, serving mainly
clients of private insurance companies, medical centers and hospitals.
At the Ławica airport in Poznań, there is a regional base of the Polish
Medical Air Rescue (HEMS base). In the Poznań area, there are 3
professional LPR helicopter landing sites (Poznań-Szpital Wojewódzki,
Poznań-Szwajcarska heliport at the J. Struś Hospital and the helipad at
the T. Dąbrowski Hospital in Puszczykowo), another one will be opened at
the HCP Medical Center. The creation of landing pads in these four
facilities is a prerequisite for the functioning of the Hospital
Emergency Departments serving the residents of Poznań and the Poznań
district.
In 2012, outpatient care under contracts with the
National Health Fund was provided by 677 facilities located in Poznań.
Safety over water reservoirs in the Poznań area is guarded by 3
rescue teams belonging to the Wielkopolska Volunteer Rescue Service
(WOPR).
The president of the Weimar Republic, Paul von Hindenburg, was born
in Poznań.
Many people associated with Polish cinematography were
born in Poznań, e.g. Emilia Krakowska, Hanna Stankówna, Roman Wilhelmi,
Zofia Czerwińska, Andrzej Szczytko and Daria Trafankowska.
Many
people from the world of Polish music come from Poznań, e.g. Anna
Jantar, Urszula Sipińska, Hanna Banaszak, Halina Frąckowiak and
Krzysztof Grabowsk
The city of Poznań was honored with:
Order of the Builders of
People's Poland awarded to the city on April 16, 1966.
The First
Class Cross of Grunwald awarded on December 18, 1978 during the
celebration of the anniversary of the Greater Poland Uprising.
Award
of the Minister of the Environment and the National Fund for
Environmental Protection and Water Management "Leader of Polish Ecology"
in 2002 and 2009 - Poznań is the only city that has been honored with
this award twice.