All history lovers who stay in Poznań should take a trip along The Piastowski Route.

It leads you through the places where, over one thousand years ago, Poland was born.

The Piastowski Route starts in Poznań, at the foot of the Cathedral in Ostrów Lednicki. It was the place where, a few years ago, archaeologists found relics of the palatium of Prince Mieszko I – the first Polish ruler. According to historians, during his reign Poznań was the  capital city of Poland.

Picture 1 – Cathedral in Poznań
The route then heads north-east from Poznań to Gniezno. Before entering Gniezno it is worth  stopping in Lednogóra (about 35 kilometres from Poznań). A few kilometres north of the main road is a small island situated in the middle of a lake. This place is called Ostrów Lednicki. Some years ago, archaeologists found there the palatium, chapel-baptistery, town church, bridges and defense mechanisms dating back to 10th century. The discovery of two baptismal basins allowed historians to deduce that it might have been the place where Mieszko, together with his entourage, had been baptised. This time is considered to be the  beginning of the Polish state. Other sources point to the fact that in the year 1000 the German Prince Otton 3rd , who was making a pilgrimage to Gniezno to see St. Adalbert's tomb,  stayed in Lednica.

Picture 2 – A fragment of the findings from Ostrów Lednicki
Lednica is located only a dozen or so kilometres from Gniezno. Gniezno itself is a city with over a thousand years of history. The most magnificent witness of this history is the Cathedral towering over the city centre. Its Romanesque vaults, Gothic form, Baroque ring of chapels and equipment from all the historical periods make it a repository of Polish culture with a European dimension. The most valuable are Drzwi Gnieźnieńskie (Gniezno Gates) from the 13th century – the most magnificent piece of Romanesque art in Poland, which illustrates the story of St. Adalbert's life and death, together with his relics buried in a silver sarcophagus.

Picture 3 – Cathedral in Gniezno
Now the route leads to Trzemeszno (a dozen or so kilometres east of Gniezno). There is a church which was a silent witness of Premonstratensians (The Norbertines) coming to Poland at the beginning of the 12th century. Further, in Mogilno, we can admire Romanesque sacral architecture raised by Benedictine monks in the 11th century. In Strzelno (30 kilometres east of Gniezno) one has to enter the Romanesque rotunda of St. Prokop and the Holy Trinity church with its famous columns. When going along The Piastowski Route, it is hard to drive past Kruszwica (almost 100 kilometres from Poznań) with its famous Mice Tower where, according to legend, one thousand years ago mice devoured the evil king Popiel.
The oldest traces of settlement on Polish land can be admired in the small town Biskupin (30 kilometres west of Gniezno). In the early 30’s, the settlement dating back to the 8th century B.C was excavated and reconstructed there.

Picture 4 – Settlement in Biskupin
When going back to Poznań one has to stop in Giecz (a few kilometres south of the Gniezno – Września – Poznań road). Giecz, alongside Poznań, Gniezno and Ostrów Lednicki belonged to the most magnificent towns of early Piast Poland. The town’s ruins which remain to this day are still admired and raise many questions about those mysterious and unique times when the Polish state was born.
It is recommended to go along the Piastowski Route by car. During one day it is possible to visit the cathedrals in Poznań, Ostrów Lednicki and Gniezno. Longer trips may require stopping somewhere for the night.