Poznan – City Guide Part 1

Not many Westerners would pick Poznan as a place to come for a holiday but I can thoroughly recommend a visit. I much prefer Poznan to places like Krakow and Warsaw, it’s a bit less in your face from a tourists perspective. Poznan has a lot going for it: the town square, the stunning architecture, museums/churches/cathedrals, great restaurants and a great nightlife. For those coming from the UK a favourable exchange rate of 5.25zl for £1.00 also means it will be a lot cheaper than a holiday in a Euro using country.

PLACES TO STAY / HOTELS IN POZNAN

There are many options for accommodation in Poznan from cheap hostels to the high end hotels like the Poznan Sheraton If you are after something mid range then I’d suggest Hotel Stare Miasto which is very central, has nicely furnished rooms and an excellent buffet breakfast, rooms range from  200zl to 350zl a night. 

POZNAN TOWN SQUARE

A great spot to watch the world go by and one of the best (if not the best) town square in Europe, after a bit of a battering in WWII the square has been beautifully rebuilt. There are a number of nice bars/restaurants with seating in and out including Poznan’s only microbrewery at the excellent Brovaria (the honey beer is lovely). Also worth checking out is Rooster’s which is the Polish equivalent of Hooters in the US. The usual burgers/ribs/fries all served by permatan busty blondes in lycra:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watching the world go by:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You won’t be able to miss the Town Hall in the centre of the Rynek, it houses the museum of Poznan and displays exhibitions from the 10th century to the present day. One thing to watch out for is the mechanical goats which appear at noon each day and butt heads a dozen times. The reason for the goat is that in 1511 a chef in the Town Hall burnt the venison prepared for dinner so went out and stole 2 goats to cook, the goats escaped up the tower where they were spotted butting heads on the ledge. The fate of the chef is unknown, it is more than likely he ended up on the famous whipping post outside the Town Hall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I won’t list every attraction in the Town Square as I’d be here all day but I’ll finish with a mention of the St Stanislaus church which is just off the square, work started on the church in 1649 and was finally finished 50 years later. One of the most exquisite examples of Baroque architecture in Poland, the interior is 57 meters long, 34 meters wide and 27 meters high and features many sculptures, paintings and statues. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued in part 2.