It is here that the Radiohead concert took place, and in a few days, it will also host the Pyra Feast (Święto Pyry), an event enjoyed by the inhabitants of Poznan and guests alike. So it’s worth familiarising ourselves with the history of the place.

For over 100 years, the Cytadela was one of the biggest defensive forts in this part of Europe. Today, it is one of the largest urban parks on the continent. Pathways and beautiful wooded green spaces stretch over an area of over 100 ha. Nevertheless, the creators of the Cytadela did not forget about history and art.

The Cytadela is set on a hill located north-west of the Old Town and was built between 1829 and 1839. At that time, Poznan was intended as the biggest Prussian stronghold in the territory. The Cytadela was designed in the Neo-Prussian style and was surrounded by an embankment and a dry ditch. The walls of every building erected within the area of the fort were made 2.5 metres thick. Only Polish insurgents were imprisoned there. However, the Cytadela was used in accordance with its purpose only in 1945, when it became the main point of resistance by German forces. Battles lasted a month and finished on the 23rd of February 1945. Its seizure by the Red Army cost the lives of several thousand Russian, Polish and German soldiers. When the war was over, the completely bombed-out fortifications were dismantled, and only individual parts remained. At present, one of the corridors inside the fortifications houses the Poznan Army Museum, while the former ammunition shelter has been transformed into a museum of memorabilia related to the history of the fort. Visitors can see there authentic armaments, cannons, planes, tanks and assault guns from the two enemy armies.

Today, military cemeteries also stretch over the southern slopes of the Cytadela. The biggest holds the graves of almost 6,000 Red Army soldiers. The eastern slope includes a Cemetery for British Soldiers killed during both world wars.

However, the Cytadela today is first and foremost the most frequently visited urban park in Poznan. All year round, one can see here thousands of walkers, cyclists, skaters, sledge riders, as well as sun worshippers spreading their blankets over the vast lawns. The park is very well groomed and is adorned with thousands of especially selected and planted trees and shrubs of all specimens found in Poland.
For a few years, one of the biggest attractions of the Cytadela was the body of sculptures by the contemporary Polish sculptor, Magdalena Abakanowicz. The “Unrecognised” installation comprises over a hundred cast-iron, marching individuals without heads. The sculptures, covered as they are with ginger, rust ideally fit into the surrounding greenery.

The glade under the Bell of Peace hosts concerts, fetes and open-air performances: the largest Polish ‘Mystery of the Passion of Christ’, and a charge by lancers on the occasion of the Day of the Lancer.