Posnan - Culture and Sights

Culture and Sights

Poznań has many historic buildings and sights, mostly concentrated around the Old Town and other parts of the city centre. Many of these lie on the Royal-Imperial Route in Poznań – a tourist walk leading through the most important parts of the city showing its history, culture and identity.

Results of new extensive archaeological research performed on Poznan's Ostrow Tumski by prof. zw dr hab. Hanna Kocka-Krec z Instytutu Prahistorii UAM indicate that Poznań indeed was a central site of the early Polish State (recent discovery of first Polish ruler, Mieszko I's Palatium). Thus, the Ostrow Tumski Island is more important that it was thought previously and may have been as important as "Gniezno" in the Poland of first "Piasts". In the near future "Ostrow Tumski of Poznan" is supposed to have a very rich historical exposition, which is being under construction these days and will be a very interesting place for visitors of Poznan. This will include all sorts of attractions: above mentioned Cathedral, Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Poznan, "Lubranski Academy" and newly opened in 2012 "Genius Loci Archeological Park" and Interactive Center of Ostrow Tumski History ("ICHOT") planned to be opened in 2013 presenting Polish State through many different periods in a form of multimedia museum. "Palatium in Poznan" will be also transformed into a museum, although more funds are needed. When all the expositions are ready in a couple of years Ostrow Tumski may be as worth visiting as "Wawel" in Cracow. There is a very famous sentence illustrating the importance of Ostrow Tumski in Poznań by the "Pope Jean Paul II": "Poland began here".

One of the most interesting places in Poznań is Malta with an artificial lake in its center. On one bank of the lake there are ski and sleigh slopes (Malta Ski), on the opposite bank a huge complex of swimming pools including an olympic-size one (Termy Maltanskie). This whole recreational city "district" is a unique attraction in a whole of Poland or even Europe.

Perhaps the most important cultural event in Poznań is the annual Malta theatre festival, which takes place at many city venues usually in late June and early July. It hosts mainly modern experimental off-theatre performances, often taking place on squares and other public spaces. It also includes cinema, visual, music and dancing events. Malta Theatre Festival gave birth to many off-theater groups, expressing new ideas in an already rich theatrical background of the city. Thus, Poznań with a great deal of off-theaters and their performances has recently become a new Polish off-theater performance center.

Classical music events include the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition (held every 5 years), and classical music concerts by the city's Philharmonic Orchestra held each month in the University Aula. Especially popular are concerts by the Poznań Nightingales.

Poznan is also home to new forms of music such as rap and hip-hop made by a great deal of bands and performers ("Peja", "Mezo" and others). Poznań is also known for its rock music performers (Muchy, Malgorzata Ostrowska).

Poznan apart from many traditional theaters with a long history ("Teatr Nowy", "Teatr Wielki", "Teatr Polski", "Teatr Muzyczny" and several others) is also home to a growing number of alternative theater groups, some of them stemming from International Malta Festival: "Teatr Strefa Ciszy", "Teatr Porywcze Cial", "Teatr Usta Usta", "Teatr u Przyjaciol", "Teatr Biuro Podrozy", "Teatr Osmego Dnia" and many, many others - it is believed that even up to 30 more or less known groups may work in the city.

Every year on the 11th of November, Poznanians celebrate The Day of St. Marcin Street. A procession of horses, with St. Marcin at the head, parades along St Marcin Street, in front of The Imperial Castle. Everybody can eat delicious croissants, the regional product of Poznań.

Poznań hosted the 2009 European Young Adults Meeting of the ecumenical Christian Taizé Community.

Poznań also stages the "Ale Kino!" International Young Audience Film Festival in December and "Off Cinema" festival of independent films. Other festival: "Transatlantyk" (film music festival by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek started in 2011), Maski Theater Festival, Dance International Workshops by Polish Dance Theater, Made in Chicago (Jazz Festival), Ethno Port, Festival of Ice Sculpture, Animator, Science and Art Festival, Tzadik (Jewish music festival), Meditations Biennale (Modern Art). The full list of cultural annual events is even longer.

Poznań has several cinemas, including multiplexes and smaller cinemas, an opera house, several other theatres, and museums.

The "Rozbrat" squat serves as a home for squatters and as a centre of independent and open-minded culture. It hosts frequent gigs, an anarchistic library, vernissages, exhibitions, annual birthday festival (each October), poetry evenings and graffiti festivals.

The city centre has many clubs, pubs and coffee houses, mainly in the area of the Old Town.