Poznan is the capital and largest city of Wielkopolska province in Poland. It is scenically located on the Warta River and serves as a major cultural and literary centre, with several institutions of higher education, scientific organizations, opera and dance centres, and a number of theatres.
Highlights of the city include the Raczynski Library, Market Square, the Museum of Musical Instruments, the National Museum, and the oldest zoological garden in Poland. Also worth seeing, the Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul contains the tombs of the first rulers of Poland, Boleslaw and his father, Duke Mieszko. Another important building in Poznan is the 16th century Renaissance Town Hall in the Old Square. It is surrounded by old merchant houses which were carefully restored after WWII.
A stroll around the town is quite fascinating. Large apartment buildings, constructed after WWII, provide the housing for residents, who work in industries such as metallurgical works, chemical and furniture factories, textile mills, and food-processing plants. The Archdiocesan Museum is situated in the curatery, a building dating from 1850, and houses sacred art, folk art and paintings. Gorka's Palace is situated in the southeastern corner of the Old Market and was built in the 16th century but reconstructed after WWII.
Poznan has long been famous for its trade fairs and markets. The St John's Market is where art collectors and master craftsmen arrive in droves for Poznan's biggest trade fair, the Poznan International Fair (June).
Gniezno, 50kms away, is the most important place of Piastowski Route which runs from Poznan through Ledogora, Gniezno, Mogilno and Kruszwica to Inowroclaw. On this tourist route are a range of magnificent monuments of the national culture. The route divides in Gniezno. One of the branches leads to Inowroclaw through Biskupin, Znin and Lubstron. The second goes to Poznan through Czerniejewo, Giecz and Kostrzyn. Gniezno is surrounded by lakes, with three of them, lakes Winiary, Jelonek and Swietokrzyskie, actually in the city.
There are convenient road and rail connections with all major towns and cities in Poland; the E261 runs through Wrolaw-Poznan-Bydgoszcz-Gdansk and motorway A2 links Swiecko, Poznan and Warsaw. Eurocity trains from Berlin take three hours, as does the train journey from Warsaw. From the city's airport, Lawica, you can catch regular flights to Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Hannover, Nurmberg, Vienna and Warsaw.
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