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Poznań

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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
Poznań is located in Poland
Poznań
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 (2006)
 - City 566,546
 - Density 2,163.6/km2 (5,603.8/sq mi)
 - Metro 855,894
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
Website http://www.poznan.pl/

Poznań [ˈpɔznaɲ] ( listen) (Latin: Posnania; German: Posen; Yiddish: פּױזן Poyzn) is a city in west-central Poland with over 567,882 inhabitants (2006). Located on the Warta River, it is one of the oldest cities in Poland, making it an important historical centre and a vibrant centre of trade, industry, and education. Poznań is Poland's fifth largest city and fourth biggest industrial centre. It is also the administrative capital of the 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.

In Poznań is The Royal-Imperial Route in Poznań - a tourist walk running through the most important parts of the city and presenting the history, culture and identity of Poznań.

Contents

[edit] Etymology

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

The earliest surviving references 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, which have also historically been used in English.

Medieval seal of Poznań (1344)

The official city name in full is The Capital City of Poznań (Polish: Stołeczne Miasto Poznań). Poznań is known as Posen in German, and was officially known as Haupt- und Residenzstadt Posen ("Capital and Residence City of Poznań") between 20 August 1910 and 28 November 1918. The city has been known in Latin as Posnania and civitas Posnaniensis. Its Yiddish name is פּױזן, or Poyzn.

[edit] History

Main article: History of Poznań

For hundreds of years before the Christianization of Poland, Poznań was an important cultural and political center of the Polan people. Mieszko I, the first Duke of Poland, built one of his castles in Poznań. The Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul is the oldest Polish cathedral, founded in Poznań during the latter half of the 10th century. Mieszko I's son, Boleslaus the Brave, was crowned king in 1025 and the Kingdom of Poland was formed. Greater Poland became the 'cradle of the Polish state', and 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 from north ca. 1617, from Frans Hogenberg and Georg Braun's Civitates Orbis Terrarum, Köln 1618

Poznań was the capital of the Greater Poland area when it came under the control of Prussia in 1793 and had its administrative area renamed to South Prussia. During the Greater Poland Uprising of 1806, Polish soldiers and civilian volunteers, assisted the efforts of Napoleon by driving out the occupying Prussian forces. The city became part of the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 and was capital of the Poznań Department.

In 1814 Napoleon's defeat led to the Congress of Vienna, where the boundaries of Europe were once again redrawn. Greater Poland was returned to Prussia and became the capital of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Posen. From the time of 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.

Imperial Castle

Shortly after Imperial Germany's defeat in World War I, the Great Poland Uprising (1918-1919) liberated the city and most of Greater Poland. The uprising lead to the creation of the Second Polish Republic, in which Poznań became the capital of Poznań Voivodeship. During World War II, Poland suffered under Nazi occupation and the Polish population was severely repressed. In 1945, the city was declared a Festung (a fortified locale in which German forces were expected to conduct a last-ditch defense) by order of Hitler. As Poznań lay on the direct route from Warsaw to Berlin, the Red Army first besieged and then assaulted the German defenses, culminating in the assault on the Cytadela (citadelle) and resulting in serious damage to the city. Since the war's end, Poznań has been the capital of the surrounding area through administrative district boundary changes in 1957, 1975, and 1999; Poznań currently administrates Greater Poland Voivodeship, one of 16 provinces in the country.

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

Further information: History of Poland

[edit] Historical population

Ostrów Tumski: Cathedral (on the right) and Church of Our Lady
Small renaissance merchant houses, 16th century

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
  • 2000: 572,900 inhabitants
  • May 2002: 578,900 inhabitants

2020 population forecast:

  • Poznań City 584,500 (small increase)
  • Poznań County 305,500 (significant increase)
  • Poznań Metro Area 890,000

[edit] Geography

Poznań old town, south view
  • 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

[edit] Administrative division

Local government districts of Poznań

The Poznań metropolitan area, consisting of the autonomous towns of Poznań, Ostrów, Ostrówek, Środka, Chwaliszewo, Łacina, was integrated into one city from 1793–1800. The rapidly growing city annexed the neighboring villages of Grunwald, Łazarz, Górczyn, Jeżyce, Wilda, Winogrady in 1900, Piątkowo and Rataje in later years. Today, Poznań is divided into five districts, which are further divided onto several dozens of neighborhoods. The districts are:

[edit] Economy

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

Stary Browar in Poznań

Today Poznań is one of the major centers of trade with Germany. Poznań is regarded to be the second most prosperous city in Poland (following Warsaw) with 202% of Poland's average GDP (PPP) per capita (2006). Many Western European companies started their Polish branches in Poznań, or in the nearby localities of Tarnowo Podgórne and Swarzędz. It is the site of annual Poznań International Fair.

Poznan Downtown

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 network, good vocational skills of workers and relatively liberal employment laws. As compared with Germany, there are far fewer restrictions, e.g. on shop opening hours.

For a list of major Poznań-based corporations see Major corporations in Poznań

[edit] Culture

The annual Malta theater festival is probably the most characteristic cultural event of the city. There are also Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition (held every 5 years), and Classical Music Festival (annual).

[edit] Education

Jesuits Collegium established by king Sigismund III Vasa in 1611
Library of the Raczyński family, 1822-1828
Main article: Education in Poznań

Poznań is home to a 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:

[edit] Scientific and regional organizations

[edit] Sports

Municipal stadium (during reconstruction)

[edit] Politics

[edit] Municipal politics

Old Town Hall (Ratusz)

Since the end of the communist era in 1989, Poznań municipality and metro area have invested heavily in infrastructure, especially public transportation and improved administration. This has resulted in a massive investment from foreign companies in Poznań itself, as well as in communities west and south of Poznań (namely, Kórnik and Tarnowo Podgórne). Worth noticing is the positive attitude of public administration towards investments, and less annoying "red tape" than elsewhere in Poland.

City investment into transportation was mostly in the public transport area. 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 (inc. 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 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.

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

See also: Category:People from Poznań
Combino tram in Poznań
Poznań-Ławica Airport
Royal Castle on Przemysł Hill
Baroque Collegiate Church, built between 1651–1701
Andersia Tower and PFC
Poznań skyscrapers
Delta
Academy of Music
Półwiejska Street
Collegium Stomatologicum Poznań

[edit] Twin towns

Poznań is twinned with:[2]

[edit] Sister cities

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

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ German statistics for 1875 - 1918
  2. ^ "Poznań Official Website - Twin Towns". (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 on 2008-11-29. 

[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

[edit] External links

Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Poznań
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