Poznan

Sister cities

• Kharkiv
• Kutaisi

History

For centuries before the Christianization of Poland (an event that essentially is credited as the creation of the very first Polish state, the Duchy of Poland), Poznań was an important cultural and political centre of the Western Polans. It consisted of a fortified stronghold between the Warta and Cybina rivers on what is now Ostrów Tumski. Mieszko I, the first historically recorded ruler of the West Polans and of the early Polish state which they dominated, built one of his main gords in Poznań. Mieszko's baptism in AD 966, seen as a defining moment in the Christianization of the Polish state, may have taken place in Poznań. Following the baptism, construction began of Poznań's cathedral, the first in Poland. Poznań was the main seat of the first missionary bishop sent to Poland, Bishop Jordan. The Congress of Gniezno in 1000 led to the country's first permanent archbishopric being established in Gniezno (which is generally regarded as Poland's capital in that period), although Poznań continued to have independent bishops of its own. Poznań's cathedral was the place of burial of the early Piast monarchs, among them Mieszko I, Bolesław I the Brave, Mieszko II Lambert, Casimir I, and later of Przemysł I and Przemysł II. The pagan reaction that followed Mieszko II's death (probably in Poznań) in 1034 left the region weak, and in 1038, Duke Bretislaus I of Bohemia sacked and destroyed both Poznań and Gniezno. Poland was reunited under Casimir I the Restorer in 1039, but the capital was moved to Kraków, which had been relatively unaffected by the troubles. In 1138, by the testament of Boleslaus III, Poland was divided into separate duchies under the late king's sons, and Poznań and its surroundings became the domain of Mieszko III the Old, the first of the Dukes of…

Geography

Poznań covers an area of , and has coordinates in the range 52°17'34–52°30'27N, 16°44'08–17°04'28E. Its highest point, with an altitude of , is the summit of Morasko hill within the Morasko meteorite nature reserve in the north of the city. The lowest altitude is , in the Warta valley. Poznań's main river is the Warta, which flows through the city from south to north. As it approaches the city centre it divides into two branches, flowing west and east of Ostrów Tumski Cathedral island, and meeting again further north. The smaller Cybina river flows through eastern Poznań to meet the east branch of the Warta, which is also called Cybina – its northern section was originally a continuation of that river, while its southern section has been artificially widened to form a main stream of the Warta. Other tributaries of the Warta within Poznań are the Junikowo Stream (Strumień Junikowski), which flows through southern Poznań from the west, meeting the Warta just outside the city boundary in Luboń; the Bogdanka and Wierzbak, formerly two separate tributaries flowing from the north-west and along the north side of the city centre, now with their lower sections diverted underground; the Główna, flowing through the neighbourhood of the same name in north-east Poznań; and the Rose Stream (Strumień Różany) flowing east from Morasko in the north of the city. The course of the Warta in central Poznań was formerly quite different from today: the main stream ran between Grobla and Chwaliszewo, which were originally both islands. The branch west of Grobla (the Zgniła Warta – "rotten Warta") was filled in during the late 19th century, while the former main stream west of Chwaliszewo was diverted and filled in during the 1960s. This was done partly to prevent floods, which did serious…

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,372
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,836
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,652
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,567
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,413
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,065
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,654
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  2,627

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2025-07-22
  5 km NW of Szlichtyngowa, Poland
• M 4.1 — 2021-10-17
  6 km NNE of Gr?bocice, Poland
• M 4.3 — 2020-11-19
  5 km NNE of Gr?bocice, Poland
• M 3.4 — 2018-05-05
  4 km E of G?ogów, Poland
• M 4.3 — 2012-11-11
  5 km E of G?ogów, Poland
• M 2.9 — 2008-09-28
  4 km ESE of Szlichtyngowa, Poland