Poznan in 1 day (Poland), what to see in the medieval and university city

If you sign up for a organized trip to Poland, a city that will not be missing on your route is Poznan, located west of warsaw, and not far from Germany, since it is located at a shorter distance from Berlin than from the Polish capital.

Poznan It is a city whose history dates back to the 12th century, and which is located in the region to the west of the country known as the Greater Poland, of which it is the capital.

Poznan now it's a University City where you should not be surprised if you hear Spanish spoken, as it is a popular destination in Poland among Spanish students who do their Erasmus, and that you can visit on a route that includes Wroclaw, Also known as Wroclaw.

On a visit to its historic center, without a doubt, what will surprise you most is the great beauty of its spectacular Old Market Square, smaller in size than that of Wroclaw, but with a similar charm.

Best places to see in Poznan

But there are other places in the city that will also catch your attention and are worth visiting.

For example, very close to the aforementioned square, between narrow streets is the St. Stanislaus ChurchKnown as Fara cathedral, one of the Jesuit buildings that will surprise you with the great richness of its baroque decor.

Other notable corners that you will see on your walk through the historic center are the Racynsky Library or  El Castillo cultural center, which occupies the building of the last imperial castle built in Europe. in 1905 for the king of germanya.

To know the Poznan's most modern face You have to approach the large building of an old brewery that has now become the mall, cultural and business Old brewery.

On the way you will meet the curious sculpture of old mariano, with his bicycle.

This is the Market Square in Poznan

But without a doubt, the most outstanding corner of this Polish city, and which will be the heart of your visit, is the aforementioned one. Marketplace.

Something that characterizes several of the main cities of Poland with greater tourist interest, as is the case of Wroclaw o Krakow, is that its main focus of attraction for visitors is located in a large square that is the center of city life.

La Poznan Old Market Square It is not as large as the squares of a similar name in the two cities mentioned above, but with its two hectares of surface, it is the third largest square in Poland.

Of course, just as happens in other cases, when you reach the Poznan Market Square (Old Market Square) originally built in the mid-13th century, you cannot help but be impressed by the great beauty of its corners.

Almost square in shape, the square features a succession of two-storey houses with very colourful facades, most of which house cafés and restaurants with their terraces.

In the center of it, along with other buildings, stands the imposing Renaissance style town hall.

As in other Polish cities, Poznan suffered the serious consequences of Second World War, Therefore, the vast majority of the buildings in the square were rebuilt in a baroque and classicist style.

As you can imagine, you Poznan visit you should focus it on a long walk through the market square.

Poznan Town Hall in Renaissance style

You may find a street market in one of its corners, as was the case during my trip, which will recall the commercial atmosphere that historically existed in this square.

Of course you must see the building Poznan City Hall, where despite the Renaissance style that were captured by the Italian architects who redesigned it in their day, inside you can find some rooms of Gothic style, with ribbed vaults, which remains from the original building.

Su Grand Lobby It is considered one of the most beautiful examples of the Renaissance style in Poland.

The legend of the goats of Poznan City Hall

If you visit the square in the morning, at 12 noon you have the possibility of witnessing a historical tradition that gathers tourists every day in front of the main façade of the building: the goats of the Poznan town hall.

As a musician plays a trumpet from a position high up in the building, the door above him opens. Town Hall clock and the figures of two goats come out to clash their heads.

La legend He says that when the building was inaugurated, two goats escaped from the kitchen while he was preparing the banquet, and since they climbed up to the clock tower, he decided to incorporate them into it as a sign of good luck.

A good place to see the goats is from the museum dedicated to croissant, a typical sweet from this city very similar to the one you surely know from France.

El croissant from Poznan It has a more robust texture than the typical French one, as it is made with walnuts, and is usually eaten, above all, to celebrate the holiday of San Martín.

In the museum's workshop you can learn how it is made, which takes more than three hours.

As in other squares of these characteristics, the ideal is that you can do at least a couple of Market Square tours at different times of the day, so you can appreciate the beauty of all its buildings with the help of the different lighting throughout the day.

Pictures of Poznan

As an invitation to visit this city, here you have more photos of the Poznan Market Square in Poland.