Poznań

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This article is about the city in Poland. For other uses, see Poznan (disambiguation).
Poznań
Poznań

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Coat of arms
Poznań is located in Poland
Poznań
Coordinates: 52°24′N 16°55′E / 52.4°N 16.917°E / 52.4; 16.917
Country  Poland
Voivodeship Greater Poland
County city county
Established 8th century
Town rights 1253
Government
 - Mayor Ryszard Grobelny
Area
 - City 261.85 km2 (101.1 sq mi)
Highest elevation 154 m (505 ft)
Lowest elevation 60 m (197 ft)
Population (2008)
 - City 557,264
 - Density 2,128.2/km2 (5,512/sq mi)
 - Metro 943,700
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 60-001 to 61-890
Area code(s) +48 61
Car plates PO, POZ, PZ
Website http://www.poznan.pl/
Poznań Coat of Arms on the medieval seal (1344)
Poznań (south-facing view) ca. 1617 by Frans Hogenberg and Georg Braun, Civitates Orbis Terrarum, Cologne 1618

Poznań [ˈpɔznaɲ] ( listen) (Latin: Posnania; German: Posen; Yiddish: פּױזן Poyzn) is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 557,264 in December 2008. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral.

Poznań is now Poland's fifth largest city and fourth largest industrial centre. It is the historical capital of the Wielkopolska ("Greater Poland") region, and is currently administrative capital of Greater Poland Voivodeship.

Poznań is now an important centre of trade, industry, and education, and hosts regular international trade fairs. It was the host city for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December 2008, a key stage in the creation of a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.

Contents

[edit] Names

The name Poznań probably comes from a personal name Poznan (from the Polish participle poznan(y) – "one who is known/recognized") and would mean "Poznan's town". It is also possible that the name comes directly from the verb poznać, which means "to get to know" or "to recognize".

The earliest surviving references to the city are found in the chronicles of Thietmar of Merseburg, written between 1012 and 1018: episcopus Posnaniensis ("bishop of Poznań", in an entry for 970) and ab urbe Posnani ("from the city of Poznań", for 1005). The city's name appears in documents in the Latin nominative case as Posnania in 1236 and Poznania in 1247. The phrase in Poznan appears in 1146 and 1244.

The city's full official name is Stołeczne Miasto Poznań ("The Capital City of Poznań"), in reference to its role as a centre of political power in the early Polish state. Poznań is known as Posen in German, and was officially called Haupt- und Residenzstadt Posen ("Capital and Residence City of Poznań") between 20 August 1910 and 28 November 1918. The Latin names of the city are Posnania and Civitas Posnaniensis. Its Yiddish name is פּױזן, or Poyzn.

The Russian version of the name, Познань (Poznan'), is of feminine gender, in contrast to the Polish name, which is masculine.

[edit] History

Main article: History of Poznań

For centuries before the Christianization of Poland, Poznań was an important cultural and political centre of the Polans. Mieszko I, the first historically recorded ruler of the Polans (rex ambulans - "moving ruler"), built one of his main stable headquarters in Poznań.

Poznań's cathedral, the Archathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul, is the oldest Polish cathedral, founded during the latter half of the 10th century. The first Polish king, Mieszko's son Boleslaus the Brave, was crowned there in 1025. Greater Poland was the "cradle" of the early Polish Kingdom; both Mieszko and Boleslaus are buried at Poznań's cathedral, as are their successors King Mieszko II, Duke Casimir I the Restorer, Duke Przemysł I, and King Przemysł II.

The city of Poznań received its founding charter, under Magdeburg Law, in 1253. The city was located on the left (west) bank of the Warta. The mediaeval walls marked the city's boundary until 1797.

The Lubrański Academy was established in 1519 as an institution of higher education (but without the right to award degrees). That right was enjoyed by Poznań's Jesuit College between 1611 and 1773 (when it was combined with the Academy).

Poznań was the capital of the Greater Poland region, until it came became a dependency of Prussia in 1793, when its administrative area was renamed South Prussia. In 1797 the city's boundaries were extended to include left-bank settlements outside the city walls, and in 1800 they further took in the cathedral island of Ostrów Tumski (including the separate town of Chwaliszewo) and areas on the right bank, including Śródka and the smaller towns of Ostrówek and Łacina (St. Roch).

During the Greater Poland Uprising of 1806, Polish soldiers and civilian volunteers assisted the efforts of Napoleon by driving out the Prussian forces. The city became a part of the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 and was capital of the Poznań Department. However following the Congress of Vienna Greater Poland was returned to Prussia, and Poznań became the capital of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Posen. After the Revolutions of 1848, Poznań was the capital of the Prussian Province of Posen. It became part of the German Empire with the unification of German states in 1871.

As the city grew its boundaries were extended, to include the former villages of Łazarz, Górczyn, Jeżyce and Wilda in 1900, and Sołacz in 1907. Further expansion would occur in 1925 (Główna, Komandoria, Rataje, Starołęka, Dębiec, Szeląg and Winiary – including Winogrady) and 1933 (Golęcin, Podolany), and then during Nazi occupation in 1940–42, when the city took roughly its present-day boundaries. In later expansion Piątkowo was added in 1974, and the northernmost areas of today's city (including Morasko and Kiekrz) in 1987.

Shortly after Imperial Germany's defeat in World War I, the Great Poland Uprising (1918–1919) liberated the city and most of Greater Poland. In the interwar Second Polish Republic, Poznań was the capital of Poznań Voivodeship. Poznań's university (now known as Adam Mickiewicz University) was founded in 1919. During World War II, Poland suffered under Nazi occupation and the population was severely repressed. In 1945, Adolf Hitler declared the city a Festung (a fortified locale in which German forces were expected to conduct a last-ditch defense). As Poznań lies on the direct route from Warsaw to Berlin, the Red Army first besieged and then assaulted the German defenses in the Battle of Poznań, which culminated in the assault on the Cytadela (citadel) and caused serious damage to the city. Since the end of the war, Poznań has been the capital of the surrounding area, though administrative boundaries changed in 1957, 1975, and 1999. Poznań is currently the seat of Greater Poland Voivodeship, which is one of Poland's 16 provinces.

Workers' protests in Poznań in 1956 played a part in liberalising the post-war communist regime.

Further information: History of Poland

[edit] Historical population

Main article: Historical population of Poznań

Historical population figures for Poznań:

  • 1600: about 20,000 inhabitants
  • 1732: 4,000 inhabitants
  • 1793: 15,000 inhabitants
  • 1875: 60,998 inhabitants
  • 1900: 117,033 inhabitants
  • 1918: 156,091 inhabitants[1]
  • 1939: 274,155 inhabitants
  • 1946: 268,000 inhabitants
  • 1965: 438,200 inhabitants
  • 1980: 553,000 inhabitants
  • 1990: 590,100 inhabitants
  • 2000: 575,000 inhabitants
  • 2007: 561,000 inhabitants

2020 population forecast:

  • Poznań city: 584,500 (small increase)
  • Poznań County: 305,500 (significant increase)

Note that recent population figures exclude approximately 60,000 students from outside Poznań who live in the city during the academic year.

[edit] Geography

Poznań covers an area of 261.3 km2 (100.9 sq mi), and has coordinates in the range 52°17'34''–52°30'27''N, 16°44'08''–17°04'28''E. Its highest point, with an altitude of 157 m (515 ft), is the summit of Góra Moraska (Morasko Hill) within the Morasko meteorite nature reserve in the north of the city. The lowest altitude is 60 m (197 ft), in the Warta valley.

The Warta river flows from south to north through the city, being joined by several small tributaries, in particular the river Cybina from the east. The largest lake is Jezioro Kierskie (Kiekrz Lake) in the extreme north-west of the city. Other large man-made lakes include Lake Malta on the Cybina, and the lakes of Strzeszyn and Rusałka on the Bogdanka stream in the north-west.

The city centre (including the Old Marketplace with the Old Town Hall, and the main street Święty Marcin) lies on the west side of the Warta. The cathedral is situated on an island (Ostrów Tumski) between two branches of the river, with the historic district of Śródka opposite on the east bank. Large areas of apartment blocks, built from the 1960s onwards, include Rataje in the east, and Winogrady and Piątkowo north of the centre. Older residential and commercial districts include those of Wilda, Łazarz and Górczyn to the south, and Jeżyce to the east.

For details, see the articles on the five districts: Stare Miasto, Nowe Miasto, Jeżyce, Grunwald and Wilda.

[edit] Climate

The climate of Poznań is continental humid with relatively cold winters and fairly hot summers. Snow is common in winter, when night-time temperatures are typically below zero. In summer temperatures may often reach 30°C. The rainiest month is July, mainly due to short but intense cloudbursts and thunderstorms.

Weather data for Poznan
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 1
(34)		 1
(34)		 7
(45)		 12
(54)		 20
(68)		 23
(73)		 24
(75)		 23
(73)		 19
(66)		 13
(55)		 6
(43)		 3
(37)		 13
(55)
Average low °C (°F) -5
(23)		 -5
(23)		 -1
(30)		 3
(37)		 8
(46)		 11
(52)		 14
(57)		 13
(55)		 9
(48)		 5
(41)		 1
(34)		 -2
(28)		 5
(41)
Precipitation mm (inches) 24
(0.94)		 29
(1.14)		 26
(1.02)		 41
(1.61)		 47
(1.85)		 54
(2.13)		 81
(3.19)		 66
(2.6)		 45
(1.77)		 38
(1.5)		 23
(0.91)		 39
(1.54)		 513
(20.2)
Source: BBC Weather [2]

[edit] Administrative division

Local government districts of Poznań

Poznań is divided into five districts for certain administrative purposes; these are sometimes referred to as dzielnicas, although they do not have their own elected councils as do the dzielnicas of some cities. Several dozen smaller administrative units (osiedles), with elected councils, exist within the above districts, although these do not cover the whole of the city.

The five districts are:

  • Stare Miasto ("Old Town"), population 161,200, area 47.1 km2 (18.2 sq mi), covering the central and northern parts of the city
  • Nowe Miasto ("New Town"), population 141,424, area 105.1 km2 (40.6 sq mi), including all parts of the city on the right (east) bank of the Warta
  • Jeżyce, population 81,300, area 57.9 km2 (22.4 sq mi), covering the north-western parts of the city
  • Grunwald, population 125,500, area 36.2 km2 (14.0 sq mi), covering the south-western parts of the city
  • Wilda, population 62,290, area 15.0 km2 (5.8 sq mi), in the southern part of the city

[edit] Economy

See also: Major corporations in Poznań
Stary Browar (Old Brewery) in Poznań

Poznań has been an important trade centre since the Middle Ages. Starting in the 19th century, local heavy industry began to grow. Several major factories were built, including the Hipolit Cegielski steel mill and railway factory (see H. Cegielski - Poznań S.A.).

Nowadays Poznań is one of the major trade centers in Poland. Poznań is regarded as the second most prosperous city in Poland after Warsaw. The city of Poznan produced PLN 31.8 billion of Poland's gross domestic product in 2006. The city also boasts a GDP per capita of PLN 56,081 or 202% of Poland's average. Furthermore, Poznan had very low unemployment rate of 2.3% as of May 2009. For comparison Poland's national unemployment rate was over 10%.

Many Western European companies have established their Polish headquarters in Poznań, or in the nearby towns of Tarnowo Podgórne and Swarzędz. Most foreign investors are German and Dutch companies (see Major corporations in Poznań), along with a few others. Investors are mostly from the food processing, furniture, automotive and transport and logistics industries. Foreign companies are primarily attracted by low labour costs, but also by the relatively good road and railway network, good vocational skills of workers and relatively liberal employment laws.

The recently built Stary Browar shopping center contains many high-end shops and is considered one of the best in Europe.[who?] Other notable shopping centers in the city include Galeria Malta, one of the largest in Central Europe, and the shops at the Hotel Bazar, a historical hotel and commercial center in the Old Town.

[edit] 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 – a tourist walk leading through the most important parts of the city showing its history, culture and identity.

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.

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.

Poznań also stages the "Ale Kino!" International Young Audience Film Festival in December and the "Off Cinema" festival of independent films. Poznań has several cinemas, including both multiplexes and smaller cinemas, an opera house and several other theatres, as well as museums.

The "Rozbrat" squat serves not only as a home for squatters, but also as a centre of independent and open-minded culture. It hosts frequent gigs, as well as an anarchistic library, vernissages, exhibitions, annual birthday festival (each October), poetry evenings, graffiti festivals and so on.

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

[edit] Education

The Raczyński Library, 1822–1828
Main article: Education in Poznań

Poznań has a few state-owned universities and a number of smaller, mostly private-run colleges and institutions of higher education. Adam Mickiewicz University (abbreviated UAM in Polish, AMU in English) is one of the most influential and biggest universities in Poland:

[edit] Scientific and regional organizations

[edit] Sports

Municipal stadium (during reconstruction)
New stadium

[edit] Politics

[edit] Municipal politics

Poznań City Hall (Ratusz)

Since the end of the communist era in 1989, Poznań municipality and suburban area have invested heavily in infrastructure, especially public transport and administration. That results in a massive investment from foreign companies in Poznań as well as in communities west and south of Poznań (namely, Kórnik and Tarnowo Podgórne). One of the most important values of Poznań is the positive attitude of public administration towards investments, and less bureaucracy than elsewhere in Poland.

City investments into transportation were mostly into public transport. While the number of cars since 1989 has at least doubled, the policy of improving public transport gave good effects. Limiting car access to the city center, building new tram lines (including Poznański Szybki Tramwaj) and investing in new rolling stock (such as modern Combino trams by Siemens and Solaris low-floor buses) actually increased the level of ridership. This is a notable success, even considering the fact that Polish society only possesses about half of the "old EU"'s purchasing power, hence not everybody can afford to own a car.

Future investments into transportation include the construction of a third bypass of Poznań, and the completion of A2 (E30) motorway towards Berlin. New cycle lanes are being built, linking to existing ones, and an attempt is currently being made to develop a Karlsruhe-style light rail system for commuters. All this is made more complicated (and more expensive) by the heavy neglect of transport infrastructure throughout the Communist era.

See also: Tramways in Poznań

[edit] Constituency

Members of Sejm elected in 2005 from Poznań constituency:

Members of European Parliament elected from Poznań constituency:

[edit] Notable residents

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See also: Category:People from Poznań

[edit] International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland

[edit] Twin towns

Poznań is twinned with:[3]

[edit] Sister cities

Poznań has 2 sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

[edit] Gallery

Old Market Square

Combino tram in Poznań

Poznań – Ławica Airport

Royal Castle on the Hill of Przemysł

Baroque Collegiate Church, built between 1651–1701

Andersia Tower and Poznan Financial Centre

Poznań skyscrapers

Delta

Academy of Music

Półwiejska Street

Collegium Stomatologicum Poznań

Jesuits Collegium established by king Sigismund III Vasa in 1611

Ostrów Tumski: Cathedral (to the right) and Church of Our Lady

Renaissance merchant houses, 16th century

Poznań Old City Centre, North facing view

Poznań City Centre

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ German statistics for 1875–1918
  2. ^ "BBC Weather Average Conditions for Poznan". http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT004120. 
  3. ^ "Poznań Official Website - Twin Towns". Flag of Poland.svg (in Polish) © 1998–2008 Urząd Miasta Poznania. http://www.poznan.pl/mim/public/publikacje/pages.html?co=list&id=19&ch=20&instance=1017&lang=pl. Retrieved 2008-11-29. 
  4. ^ "Brno - Partnerská města" (in Czech). © 2006-2009 City of Brno. http://www.brno.cz/index.php?nav02=1985&nav01=34&nav03=1010&nav04=1016&nav05=1249&nav06=1272. Retrieved 2009-07-17. 
  5. ^ "Hanover - Twin Towns" (in German). © 2007-2009 HANNOVER.de - Offizielles Portal der Landeshauptstadt und der Region Hannover in Zusammenarbeit mit hier.de. http://www.hannover.de/de/buerger/entwicklung/partnerschaften/staedte_regionspartnerschaften/index.html. Retrieved 2009-07-17. 

[edit] Bibliography

  • collective work, Poznań. Dzieje, ludzie kultura, Poznań 1953
  • Robert Alvis, Religion and the Rise of Nationalism: A Profile of an East-Central European City, Syracuse University Press, Syracuse 2005
  • K. Malinowski (red.), Dziesięć wieków Poznania, t.1, Dzieje społeczno-gospodarcze, Poznań 1956
  • collective work, Poznań, Poznań 1958
  • collective work, Poznań. Zarys historii, Poznań 1963
  • Cz. Łuczak, Życie społeczno-gospodarcze w Poznaniu 1815–1918, Poznań 1965
  • J. Topolski (red.), Poznań. Zarys dziejów, Poznań 1973
  • Zygmunt Boras, Książęta Piastowscy Wielkopolski, Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, Poznań 1983
  • Jerzy Topolski (red.), Dzieje Poznania,Wydawnictwo PWN, Warszawa - Poznań 1988
  • Alfred Kaniecki, Dzieje miasta wodą pisane, Wydawnictwo Aquarius, Poznań 1993
  • Witold Maisel (red.), Przywileje miasta Poznania XIII-XVIII wieku. Privilegia civitatis Posnaniensis saeculorum XIII-XVIII. Władze Miasta Poznania, Poznańskie Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk, Wydawnictwa Żródłowe Komisji Historycznej, Tom XXIV, Wydawnictwo PTPN, Poznań 1994
  • Wojciech Stankowski, Wielkopolska, Wydawnictwo WSiP, Warszawa 1999
  • Gotthold Rhode : Geschichte der Stadt Posen

[edit] See also

Search Wikisource Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Posen (city).

[edit] External links

Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Poznań
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