Poznań, whose history dates back over a thousand years, has often been in the centre of great political events.

 

It’s the place where the first rulers of Poland are buried, and the city was visited by German Emperor Otto III and French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Hence the idea of the creation of a royal - imperial route that would commemorate all these events.

The royal - imperial route begins with St. John of Jerusalem's Church outside the City Walls, situated in the vicinity of Lake Malta, and is one of the oldest brick churches in Poland. In the Middle Ages a settlement was built around the church, which became famous when the Johannites built the first hospital in the city there.

 

Photo 1 – St. John of Jerusalem's Church

 

Next to the church is Śródka – a very old district that since its creation in the 11th century has developed as a trade settlement. Markets were organised on Wednesdays, the Polish name for which is środa, hence the name of the place – Śródka. Until the beginning of the 19th century Śródka functioned as an independent town. We can still see the old urban layout with a small market square. Adjacent to the market square is the Church of St. Margaret the Maiden and Martyr and a former monastery of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. In the eastern part of the district is St. Casimir’s Church and a former Franciscan monastery. Śródka is connected with the centre of Poznań by means of a motorway, and in a few weeks it will be also possible to quickly get from Śródka to Poznań cathedral, as a new footbridge is being constructed over the river.
In the vicinity of Śródka is the oldest part of Poznań – the island of Ostrów Tumski with the cathedral. According to recent studies, the first settlement existed here as early as the 9th century, which was 100 years before Poland started functioning as an independent country.

 

Photo 2 – The Cathedral

 

From the oldest part of Poznań, the royal route leads towards the Old Market Square, a fragment of the city that was created after its foundation in 1253. The route from Ostrów Tumski to the Old Town leads through the small district of Chwaliszewo. For a short period of time this part of the city was famous all around Europe when the coach carrying Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, passing through the town in 1843, broke down. Rumours abounded that this might have been an attempt on his life, however an investigation confirmed that it was just an accident.

The Old Town is obviously the beautiful Market Square with its Renaissance town hall and surrounding buildings. In the vicinity of the Market Square, the Baroque parish church is definitely worth seeing. Next to the church is the building of the former Jesuit college, which now houses City Hall. The building became famous at the beginning of the 19th century when the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte spent several days there, along with his entire court.
On the opposite side of the Old Town stands a hill that is the former location of the Royal Castle when Poznań was the capital city of Poland at the turn of the 13th century. Nowadays, it seats a building from a much later period which houses the Museum of Applied Arts. Construction work has begun to reconstruct the original castle from the Middle Ages.

 

Photo 3 – Old Market Square

 

From the Old Town, the route leads to ul. Święty Marcin and the imperial castle. The imperial castle was created as part of a small district east of Poznań city centre. At the turn of the 19th century when Poznań belonged to the German Empire, a castle for Emperor Wilhelm II was created in the city, which he visited twice, in 1910 and 1913.

 

Photo 4 – The Imperial castle

 

Photos – Poznań City Hall