Poznan is a city in west-central Poland with over 578,900 inhabitants (2002). Located by the Warta River, it is one of the oldest cities in Poland, making it an important historical center. Poznan's impressive cathedral is the earliest church in the country, containing the tombs of the first Polish rulers: duke Mieszko I, king Boleslaus the Brave, king Mieszko II, duke Casimir I the Restorer, duke Przemys I and king Przemysl II.
Today the city is a vibrant center for trade, industry, and education. Poznan is Poland's 5th largest city and 4th biggest industrial center. It is also the administrative capital of the Greater Poland Voivodship.
Education and Culture:
The first school of higher education in Poznan, the Lubranski Academy, was founded in 1518... There are now over 1
0 schools of higher education. In a city of 600,000 inhabitants there are over 50,000 students.
The main sources of wealth for Poznan's citizens were craft and trade. For ages, Poznan has been famous for its trade fairs and markets. The largest one was St. John's Market (24th June) during which people traded primarily in wool and cereals.
The St. John's Market of today is a place where art collectors, master craftsmen, and those whose hobby is art and collecting flock to during Poznan's biggest trade fair, the Poznan International Fair in June.
The annual Malta Theater festival is probably the most characteristic cultural event of the city. There are also Henryk Wieniawski Violin Festival (held every 5 years), and Classical Music Festival.
Poznan is home to a few state-owned universities and a number of smaller, mostly private-run colleges and institutions of higher education. Adam Mickiewicz University (abbreviated UAM) is one of the most influential and biggest universities in Poland.
Other Universities:
- Poznan University of Technology
- Poznan University of Medical Sciences
- Adam Mickiewicz University
- Agricultural University of Poznan
- Poznan University of Economics
- Poznan University School of Physical Education
- Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan
- Academy of Music in Poznan
History:
Mieszko I , the first known duke of the Polans, built one of his castles in Poznan. The Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul is the oldest Polish cathedral, built in Poznan during the latter half of the 10th century. The city would become the capital of Greater Poland. Mieszko I's son, Boleslaus the Brave, was crowned king in 1025 and the Kingdom of Poland was formed. Greater Poland became the 'cradle of the Polish state', and both Mieszko I and Boleslaus I are buried in Poznan. Lubranski Academy, the second Polish university (not a "full" university, in fact, as science students had to go to Krakow) was established in 1519.
Poznan was the capital of the Greater Poland area when it came under the control of Prussia in 1793 and had its administrative area renamed to South Prussia. During the Greater Poland Uprising of 1806, local Polish resistance fighters rebelled, thereby assisting the efforts of Napoleon while simultaneously driving out the occupying Prussian forces.
Poznan became part of the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 and was capital of the Poznan department. Napoleon's defeat led to the Congress of Vienna, where the boundaries of Europe were redrawn by the victors. Greater Poland was returned to Prussia and became the capital of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Poznan. From the time of the Revolutions in the mid 1800s, it was an official Prussian province and became part of the German Empire after the unification of German states in 1871.
International Trade Center:
Poznan is the capital of the so-called "bread-basket" of the Polish state. It is the home of the only Agricultural Horticultural Exchange of this kind in Poland, a joint Poznan-Swiss initiative. The Swiss maintain that flowers, fruit and vegetables are traded "just as in Zurich".
On the other hand, the Poznan Exchange, which matches western standards, specialises in cereals, meat and fertilisers.
The presence of over 30 banks in Poznan, including a few foreign ones, all help promote business.
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Poznan is a city in west-central Poland with over 578,900 inhabitants (2002). Located by the Warta River, it is one of the oldest cities in Poland, making it an important historical center. Poznan's impressive cathedral is the earliest church in the country, containing the tombs of the first Polish rulers: duke Mieszko I, king Boleslaus the Brave, king Mieszko II, duke Casimir I the Restorer, duke Przemys I and king Przemysl II.