Poznań and Greater Poland

Greater Poland is the cradle of the Polish state as it was here that the Piast dynasty laid the foundations of the country at the beginning of the 10^th century, and it is from this region that the country’s name originates. To no suprise, the first historical capital of Poland is located here: Gniezno, a city of great importance in the Polish history. The Gniezno Cathedral is a burial place of Saint Adalbert of Prague, who was murdered in 997 as a martyr during his missionary journey in Prussia, and is venerated as the apostle of Hungary and Poland. In 1000, Emperor Otto III and the Polish ruler Bolesław the Brave met at the relics of Saint Adalbert, which is known as the Congress of Gniezno. This meeting had significant consequences: The Empire recognized Polish statehood and thus opened the hope for peaceful and equal relations between Germanism and Slavic peoples. 

Today, Greater Poland is an economically dynamic region with numerous towns and cities, the largest of which is Poznań. This unassuming city is full of surprises, definitely worth a visit. The city’s most famous symbol is its mechanical goats. Legend has it that they once escaped to the town hall banquet table; today, they emerge from the clock tower every day at noon to butt horns twelve times.

Other reasons to visit this part of Poland include architectural monuments, Romanesque and Gothic heritage routes, the palaces in Kórnik and Rogalin, the archaeological open-air museum in Biskupin and Poland’s largest Catholic Church in Licheń, home to Our Lady of Licheń.