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Poznań

Coordinates: 52°24′N 16°55′E / 52.400°N 16.917°E / 52.400; 16.917
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This article is about the city in Poland. For other uses, see Poznan (disambiguation).
Poznań
Poznań
Poznań
Flag of Poznań
Flag
Coat of arms of Poznań
Coat of arms
Country Poland
VoivodeshipGreater Poland
Countycity county
Established8th century
Town rights1253
Government
 • MayorRyszard Grobelny
Area
 • City
261.85 km2 (101.10 sq mi)
Highest elevation
154 m (505 ft)
Lowest elevation
60 m (200 ft)
Population
 (2008)
 • City
557,264
 • Density2,100/km2 (5,500/sq mi)
 • Metro
855,894
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
60-001 to 61-890
Area code+48 61
Car platesPO, POZ, PZ
Websitehttp://www.poznan.pl/
File:Herb poznania stary.jpg
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] ⓘ (Template:Lang-la; Template:Lang-de; Template:Lang-yi Poyzn) is a city in west-central Poland with a population of 557,264 in December 2008. Standing on the Warta river, it is one of the oldest cities in Poland, making an important historical centre and a vibrant centre of trade, industry, and education. Poznań is 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's cathedral is the oldest 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 Przemysł I, and King Przemysł II.

Poznań was the host city for the United Nations Climate Change Conference that took place in December 2008. The conference was a key event in the creation of a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.

Etymology

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 has came directly from the verb poznać, which means "to get to know" or "to recognize".

The earliest surviving references to the city are by Thietmar in his chronicles: Episcopus Poznaniensis ("Bishop of Poznań", 970) and Ab Urbe Poznani ("From the City of Poznań", 1005). Earlier spellings included Posna and Posnan, which have also historically been used in English.

The full official city name is The Capital City of Poznań (Template:Lang-pl). Poznań is known as Posen in German, and officially was known as 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.

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 proved 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 son of Mieszka I, Boleslaus the Brave, was crowned king in 1025, and the Kingdom of Poland was formed. Greater Poland became the "cradle of the Polish state"; both Mieszko I and Boleslaus I are buried in Poznań.

Lubrański Academy, the second Polish university (not a "full" university, in fact, as science students had to go to Kraków), was established in 1519.

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. 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.

Napoleon's defeat in 1814 led to the Congress of Vienna, where the boundaries of Europe were redrawn once again. 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 during the unification of German states in 1871.

The Poznań metropolitan area, consisting of the autonomous towns of Poznań, Ostrów, Ostrówek, Środka, Chwaliszewo, Łacina, was integrated into one city in 1793–1800. The rapidly growing city annexed the neighboring villages of Grunwald, Łazarz, Górczyn, Jeżyce, Wilda, Winogrady in 1900, and Piątkowo and Rataje in later years.

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. 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 (citadelle) 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.

Anti-communist protests in 1956 played a part in liberalising the post-war communist regime.

Further information: [[:History of Poland]]

Historical population

Detailed demographic tables: Historical population of Poznań

Historical population summary:

  • 1600: about 20,000 inhabitants
  • 1732: 4,000 inhabitants
  • 1793: 15,000 inhabitants before
  • 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)
  • Poznań Metro Area 890,000

Important information: Many students live in Poznań as it is a city with many universities. Each year around 120,000 young people are in higher education in Poznan. It is estimated that half of this number is from outside the Poznań County. Therefore 60,000 seasonal inhabitants (Academic year starts in October and finishes in July) should be added to population of Poznań.

Geography

  • City area 261.3 km2 (100.9 sq mi) (2002)
  • Geographical location:
  • 52°17'34''N - 52°30'27''N
  • 16°44'08''E - 17°04'28''E
  • Highest point: Mt. Morasko 157 m (515 ft) asl
  • Lowest point: Warta river valley: 60 m (197 ft) asl

Climate

Climate of Poznań is continental humid with relatively cold winters and fairly hot summers. Expect snow in winter (hopefully on Christmas) with temperatures below 0 °C in the night. In the summer temperatures may often reach 30 °C. The most rainy month is July mainly due to very few short but intense cloud bursts and thunderstorms. Spring and fall are usually beautiful seasons, the former crisp and sunny and full of blooms and the latter alternately sunny and misty, and cool but not cold.

Climate data for Poznan
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Source: BBC Weather [2]

Administrative division

File:Dzielnice Poznan.PNG
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

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.

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.

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:

Scientific and regional organizations

Sports

Municipal stadium (during reconstruction)
File:Makieta Stadionu Miejskiego w Poznaniu.jpg
New stadium

Politics

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

Constituency

Members of Sejm elected in 2005 from Poznań constituency:

Members of European Parliament elected from Poznań constituency:

Notable residents

Template:ORList

See also: Category:People from Poznań

International relations

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

Twin towns

Poznań is twinned with:[3]

Sister cities

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

  • Old Market Square
    Old Market Square
  • Combino tram in Poznań
    Combino tram in Poznań
  • Poznań – Ławica Airport
    Poznań – Ławica Airport
  • Royal Castle on the Hill of Przemysł
    Royal Castle on the Hill of Przemysł
  • Baroque Collegiate Church, built between 1651–1701
    Baroque Collegiate Church, built between 1651–1701
  • Andersia Tower and Poznan Financial Centre
    Andersia Tower and Poznan Financial Centre
  • Poznań skyscrapers
    Poznań skyscrapers
  • Delta
    Delta
  • Academy of Music
    Academy of Music
  • Półwiejska Street
    Półwiejska Street
  • Collegium Stomatologicum Poznań
    Collegium Stomatologicum Poznań
  • Jesuits Collegium established by king Sigismund III Vasa in 1611
    Jesuits Collegium established by king Sigismund III Vasa in 1611
  • Ostrów Tumski: Cathedral (to the right) and Church of Our Lady
    Ostrów Tumski: Cathedral (to the right) and Church of Our Lady
  • Renaissance merchant houses, 16th century
    Renaissance merchant houses, 16th century
  • Poznań Old City Centre, North facing view
    Poznań Old City Centre, North facing view
  • Poznań City Centre
    Poznań City Centre

Footnotes

  1. ^ German statistics for 1875–1918
  2. ^ "BBC Weather Average Conditions for Poznan". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  3. ^ "Poznań Official Website - Twin Towns". (in Polish) © 1998–2008 Urząd Miasta Poznania. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  4. ^ "Brno - Partnerská města" (in Czech). © 2006-2009 City of Brno. Retrieved 2009-07-17. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "Hanover - Twin Towns" (in German). © 2007-2009 HANNOVER.de - Offizielles Portal der Landeshauptstadt und der Region Hannover in Zusammenarbeit mit hier.de. Retrieved 2009-07-17. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)

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

See also

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Posen (city)".
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Poznań.
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