Thanks to its rich culture and fast development Poznań is topping lists of most popular destinations in Poland. City’s mixture of traditionalism and modernity created a lot of beautiful and exciting places. But which ones exactly are worth visiting? Fear not! We are here to help with our list 10 Must-See Things in Poznań. Let’s take a look!
Rogalin Palace (Pałac w Rogalinie)
Are you a fan of Wes Andersons’ movies? Or maybe you are looking for some fancy background for your upcoming Instagram session? Then you just have to pay a visit to Rogalin Palace! It’s a former home of the Raczynski noble family. The palace was built at the end of the 17th century in the late Baroque style. Then it was modernised in Classicist style. During the Second World War, Rogalin was the seat of a Nazi detachment, and all furniture and objects were probably stolen afterwards. When the last owner of the estate – Count Bernard Raczynski – died, he left the palace to the Polish people. In recent years, Rogalin was restored to its former beauty. The furniture and decoration were rebuilt on the base of historical photographs. The castle is worth seeing to get a glimpse in the life of a royal family for more than 300 years. What made this palace really special is the palace’s landscape park with Italian-style gardens! As well with three majestic oak trees that have grown for more than 500 years. Definitely Instagram-friendly spot!
Croissant Museum (Rogalowe Muzeum)
St Martin Croissant is a local delicacy that you will find ONLY in the Poznan region because of protection by the European Union Certificate of Authenticity. The tradition of baking St Martin’s Croissants goes back to the 19th century, and since then it has become one of the most famous Polish pastries. Tour around the Croissant Museum will not only give you insides of its production which happens under strict instructions. It also includes croissant tasting! Location of the museum itself is quite intriguing – right opposite the Town Hall, in a beautiful, renaissance tenement house. Fun fact: in one day only, on St Martin’s day (November 11th), Poznań natives and the tourists eat around 250 tonnes of croissants. That gives about 1.25 million individual pastries!
Old Brewery (Stary browar)
The Old Brewery is a special place on the map of Poznan, where commerce and arts meet together. Created in a former 19th-century brewery, whole complex also has beer gardens, clubs, a park, an arts centre, and a hotel. In 2005, the brewery received the International Council of Shopping Centers Award in the best medium-sized shopping center in the world category. Old Brewery is the scope of a variety of activities, a place full of history as well as an example of unique architecture and permanent art collection. To experience the full potential of this place, everyone should think about a convenient time for a guided tour. If you also ask for a map of the facilities which are in the building, you will find a list of unusual gems such as s Persian carpet, or other art installations.
Palm house (Palmiarnia)
Poznań’s Palm House is a complex of dozen pavilions growing more than 1100 plant species in 4,600m2. It’s the largest attraction of its kind in Poland. Due to the vegetation and the weather periods, some parts of exhibitions are temporarily closed, but most pavilions are open to visitors. Also, in one, there is an aquarium, which has 170 fish species and 50 kinds of aquatic plants. Crème de la crème and most memorable of all Poznan Palm house are the giant greenhouses. Visitors are breaking through thick tropical jungle, where snakes and iguanas are kept behind the glass in terrariums.
Botanical Garden (Ogród botaniczny)
Poznan also has a lot to offer for every nature lover person! Crown Jule of it is the Botanical Garden of Adam Mickiewicz University. Placed in the western part of the city is a home of numerous artistic and cultural events and happenings. As well as many Plein-air painting, sculpture and photography workshops are taking place there. Most of the exhibitions presented in the garden are connected with nature and supervised by a curatorial care service of the garden’s Exhibition and Education Centre. The place possesses documented plant collections for scientific, academic and educational purpose. Academic education focuses on the protection of endangered and dying species. Botanical Garden prepared a rich educational offer for everyone: from demanding visitors such as nature and horticulture enthusiasts to regular, children and youth. Plant lovers can visit the Garden Centre Botanik, where they will find many exotic plants and floral arrangements. What is also worth mentioning – there is no entrance fee!
Urban game (gra miejska)
In recent years Poznań has enriched itself with new tourist attraction – urban game! Designed for tourist to be played independently, by each person on his own. Everyone can start a game, już by downloading a starting card from the Internet or collect it at one of the tourist information points. You control entirely how long and when you want to play. There are 9 urban games in Poznań, available in English, showing its surrounding areas from different perspectives. Some of them are dedicated to the historic part of Poznań, such as – Ostrów Tumski or Poznań Uprising. Other to places connected to kings and emperors who visited the city over the ages. The urban game allows players to be played over a few hours, and it’s exciting and understandable for people who don’t know much about the history of Poznań. Go ahead and feel like characters of “The Da Vinci Code”! Discover inscriptions, hidden sculptures and architectural details with the content of the card are hints!
Porta Poznania (brama poznania)
Every room illustrates a different historical era, with sound and light effects and interactive displays. The “Water room” is dedicated to the arrival of Christianity to Poland. The “Golden room” covers the period from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century. All complete with a futuristic ‘costume room’, where a screen gets your measurements, and then you can dress your very own avatar with a series of outfits from the era. The center is a futuristic building, alongside the preserved remnants of Prussian-era fortifications. You will also find there an interactive display, which allows going into depth about the origins of Poland’s first cathedral, as well as everyday life and culture in Poznań. What is really interesting about Brama Poznania, is that all the exhibits are multimedia – not a single historical artefact. Future truly has come!
Park Cytadela
Every great city, such as New York, London, Paris has a big green area for people to interact out in the open. Poznań also belongs to that list! North of the Old Town on the rise is Fort Winiary, one of a system of defences protecting the city in the Prussian years, more than a century ago. On a map, it’s easy to see the outline of the ravelins to the north of the park. After WW2 it became a natural, urban park. For many locals, it’s a mecca for lovers of rollerblading or biking through alleys and green fields. It’s a nearly perfect location for any active leisure, including picnicking and for-hours-book-reading. A vast meadow in the center of the park is a place of many events and music concerts. You can always just stroll in the rosarium and grab a bite at one of three restaurants in the park.
Dark restaurant
The concept of “Dark dining” is that the customers do not see the food they are eating. Removing of vision enhances the other senses and increases gastronomic pleasure. Since 1999 such “dark restaurants” have opened in many countries including Poznań, only one in Poland! If you are open-minded, brave and in real need of new experiences, you should definitely visit it. The idea that your meal remains a mystery is more than exciting. Rules are pretty simple: absolutely no light. Pitch black. Prohibited are mobile phones, fluorescent watches, and other devices that may be the source of even a weak light. Any question or request will be answered by the waiter who will help you and guide you. The waiter can be summoned with the sound of a bell.
Enea Spring Break Festival
Each major city – aside from prominent and representative park – have a proper music festival, which also is an international hallmark. Gdynia has an Open’er music festival, Warsaw Orange music festival and Poznań has Enea Spring Break – a genuinely pioneering event in the Polish music industry! The goal of the event is to present young, Polish bands and artists to influential people from the music industry. As well as allowing them to perform for the audience. Since the first edition in April 2014, Poznań’s event became an essential part of the cultural life in Poland, as well in other countries. The main innovation in that music festival relies on the way music is presented. Alongside a big stage with headliners, other concerts (more than a hundred!) are happening in over a dozen venues in the center of Poznan. Traditional concert format is about an hour of the show. Organisers of Spring Break shortened it to 30/45 minutes and because of that twice many bands can perform. Because of a reduced amount of time, artists have to accumulate their performance to the essentials. Thanks to that each show will be truly amazing and memorable!
KontenerART
Center of culture and art doesn’t have to be in a big and fancy building in the shiny castle. Real culture is the energy of the creative people, and it doesn’t really matter where it will explode…even in the container! KontenerART is a culture, art and recreation center on the Warta River, which starts every year, at the end of April and lasts for all summer. It’s initiative of the artistic community in Poznań. A place where you can meet people of culture, participate in the creative process, acquire new skills during various artistic workshops, take part in concerts and exhibitions. It is also a place of recreation and relaxation. In KontenerART you will find music and art studios, a gallery of visual arts and a concert stage. Recently, they’ve even made a social garden. The entire facility also serves many guest initiatives. The built-up area of 140m2 can be used to organize conferences, debates, and discussions.
