POZNAŃ
The majority of visitors who take a chance on the wonderfully-rich region of Greater Poland are most to likely end up in Poznań at some point! The voivodeship's capital city is crowded with churches, cobblestones and colourful burgher houses, Poznań's Old Town is a collage of architectural styles stuffed with soaring historical monuments, esoteric museums, art galleries and theatres, and more than its fair share of restaurants, bars and cafes. A major cultural and economic centre, Poznań has earned an international reputation as a city of trade fairs, its success stemming partly from its convenient location as a mid-way point on the road from Paris to Moscow (If you plan to arrive during a trade fair, we can't over-emphasise the importance of securing a sound place to sleep in advance). However, Poznań it's not all about business. Over 130,000 people, some 20% of the population, purport to study here at some institute or another, lending a defiantly young and vibrant atmosphere to the streets. It seems overly obvious, but it's not a bad place to start exploring Greater Poland! For more on the region's capital, visit our city page for Poznań!
GNIEZNO - POLAND'S FIRST LEGENDARY CAPITAL!
If you've ever wondered where the whole Poland thing began, you need not look any further than Gniezno - the Polish City Of Kings. A picturesque town lying 50km east of Poznań, this was effectively Poland's first capital until the seat of power shifted to Kraków and then, much later, Warsaw! However, for more than a millennia, Gniezno has remained an important centre of worship and to this day is still regarded as Poland’s ecclesiastical heart. For the visitor, it is an intriguing town full of spires and cobbles, a superb medicine to the frantic flap of urban Poland. It's an easy day trip from Poznań and you can get there with relative ease from most places in Poland. Sightseeing in Gniezno is, of course, centred around the historic foundations of the Polish state and the importance of educating the youth of these sights means that there's plenty of options for kids and young families! Essential sights here include Gniezno Cathedral, which is quite probably the site where original Polish ruler Duke Mieszko I was baptised, and its impressive bronze doors that chronicle the life of St. Adalbert (Wojciech in Polish) who was martyred while on a mission to convert Pagan Prussians on the Baltic coast. Poland's first dynasty of rulers, the Piasts, have been brought to life in the form of action-pose sculptures around Gniezno's old town. Together with small-scale models showing the different iterations of buildings and city layouts, this tourist trail is known as The Royal Route and can be tracked on a mobile phone app!
