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Poznań (German name: Posen, see also other names) is a city in west-central Poland with over 578,000 inhabitants (1999). Located by the Warta River, it is one of the oldest Polish cities, an important historical centre and the capital of Greater Poland, the cradle of the Polish state, and Poland's capital in the mid-tenth century during the early Piast dynasty. Poznań's impressive cathedral is the earliest church in the country, containing the tombs of the first Polish rulers: duke Mieszko I and king Boleslaus the Brave.
Today the city is a vibrant centre for trade, industry, and education. Poznań is Poland's 5th largest city and 4th biggest industrial centre. It is also the administrative capital of the Greater Poland Voivodship.
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[Top] Geography[Top] Location
[Top] Name of the cityWithout the special characters, the name is sometimes also spelled Poznan in English, it is also referred to, in Polish language, as Stołeczne Miasto Poznań, German Haupt- und Residenzstadt Posen (name used between 20 August 1910 and 28 November 1918) , Latin: Posnania, civitas Posnaniensis. Earliest surviving reference to the city were by Thietmar in his chronicles: episcopus Poznaniensis ("Bishop of Poznań", 970) and ab urbe Poznani ("by" or "from the city Poznań", 1005). Early spellings include: Posna and Posnan. The name probably comes from a personal name Poznan and means the Poznan's town. It is also possible the name comes directly from the verb poznać which means "to know, to recognize". [Top] Administrative divisionPoznań metropolitan area, consisting of the autonomous towns of Poznań, Ostrów, Ostrówek, Środka, Chwaliszewo, Łacina, was integrated into one city in 1793–1800. Rapidly growing city was extended by the joining of the neighbouring villages of Grunwald, Łazarz, Górczyn, Jeżyce, Wilda, Winogrady, Piątkowo and Rataje. Today, Poznań is divided into 5 districts, which are further divided onto several dozens of neighbourhoods. The districts are:
[Top] CultureThe annual Malta Theatre festival is probably the most characteristic cultural event of the city. Henryk Wieniawski Violin Festival is held every 5 years. Annual classical music festival is held in the city, on which the Basel Boys Choir took part several times. to be continued... [Top] Famous people(in alphabetical order)
[Top] EducationMain article: Education in Poznań Poznań is home to 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.
[Top] EconomyPoznań has been an important trade centre since the Middle Ages. In 19th century however local heavy industry became to grow. Several major factories were founded, including the steel mill and railway factory of Hipolit Cegielski. Nowadays Poznań is one of the major centres of trade with Germany. Many Western-European companies started their Polish branches there or in the nearby localities of Tarnowo Podgórne and Swarzędz. For a list of major Poznań-based corporations see Major corporations in Poznań [Top] Sports
[Top] Politics[Top] Municipal politicsSince 1989 (the end of the communist era), Poznań municipality and metro area have invested heavily in infrastructure, especially transportation and improved public administration. This has effected in a massive investment from foreign companies in Poznań itself, as well as in communities west and south of Poznań (namely, Kornik and Tarnowo Podgorne). Most foreign investors are German and Dutch companies (see "Major corporations" above), with a few others. Investors are mostly from the food processing, furniture, automotive and transport & logistics industries. Foreign companies are primarily attracted by low labour costs, but also by the relatively good road and railway networks in the vicinity, good vocational skills of workers (heritage of the communist era) and relatively liberal employment laws. As compared with Germany, there are far fewer restrictions, e.g. on shop opening hours. Worth noticing is also the positive attitude of public administration towards investments, and less annoying "red tape" than elsewhere in Poland. Investment into transportation was mostly in the public transport area. While number of cars grew at least twice since 1989, the policy of improving public transport gave good effects. Limiting car access to the city centre, building new tram lines (inc. Poznanski Szybki Tramwaj) and investing in new rolling stock (such as modern Combino trams by Siemens and Solaris low-floor buses) actually increased ridership. This is a notable success, even considering that Polish society possesses about half of "old EU" purchasing power and thus not everybody can own a car. Future investments into transportation include the construction of a "third ring road" around the city, and the completion of A2 (E30) highway towards Berlin. In the public transport area (and non-car transportation), further investment must be made into the development bicycle paths (and the linking of presently existing ones), and an attempt is presently made of developing Karlsruhe-style light rail system for commuters. All that is made more complicated (and more expensive) by the heavy neglect of transportation throughout communist era. [Top] Poznań constituencyMembers of Sejm elected from Poznań constituency
Members of European Parliament elected from Poznań constituency
[Top] History
Main article: History of Poznań, see also: History of Poland Historical summary: Poznań it is one of the oldest Polish cities, an important historical center and the capital of Greater Poland, the cradle of the Polish state, and Poland's capital in the mid-tenth century during the early Piast dynasty. Poznań's impressive cathedral is the earliest church in the country, containing the tombs of the first Polish rulers: duke Mieszko I and king Boleslaus the Brave. Poznań was the capital city of Greater Poland region and one of the biggest Polish cities. Lubrański Academy, second Polish university (in fact this wasn't "full" university, because students to get science tittle had to go to Cracow) was established in 1519. Poznan was the capital of the Greater Poland area when it came under control of Prussia in 1793, its administrative area renamed to South Prussia. The area was liberated from without by the armies of Napoleon and from within by local Polish resistance fighters, and was part of the Duchy of Warsaw from 1807 to 1815. Poznan was capital of the Poznan department. Following the defeat of Napoleon, the Greater Poland area returned to Prussia, ostensibly as an autonomous Grand Duchy of Poznan, but was reclassified as a Prussian province in 1830. This situation remained until the end of World War I, though Prussia and its provinces became part of the German Empire in the unification of 1871. Poznan was the capital of the area during all periods of Prussian control, with the official name "Posen". This was a period of great building projects, including a new theater and the Kaiser's Residence in a park setting at the western edge of the old town. Between the two World Wars, the area was part of the restored Poland (see: Great Poland Uprising). During World War Two, the area became part of Nazi Germany as the Reichsgau Wartheland, capital in Poznan. After the war, the area once again was part of the restored Poland, and the city has been capital of the surrounding area through administrative district boundary changes in 1957, 1975 and 1999, currently administrating Województwa wielkopolskie, one of 16 provinces in the nation. [Top] Historical population
[Top] Bibliography
[Top] See also:
[Top] External links:[Top] Internet Directories[Top] City Guides[Top] Economy[Top] Science and Education[Top] Genealogy[Top] Culture and History[Top] Sports
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