Misplaced Pages

#105894

81-545: The original idea of creating a preserve here was floated in 1946, at a conference in Łeba with scientists from Poznań and Gdańsk . The park, however, was created 21 years later, in 1967, on an area of 180.69 km (69.76 sq mi). Today it is slightly larger, covering 186.18 km (71.88 sq mi), of which 102.13 km (39.43 sq mi) consists of waters and 45.99 km (17.76 sq mi) of forests. The strictly preserved zone covers 56.19 km (21.70 sq mi). In 1977 UNESCO designated

162-497: A city with powiat rights may also be a seat of both an eponymous rural gmina and an eponymous regular powiat, despite belonging to neither, e.g. Siedlce , Skierniewice , Słupsk . No city in Poland constitutes a separate voivodeship in its own right, though 5 cities held such status in the past. All municipalities in Poland are governed regardless of their type under the mandatory mayor–council government system. Executive power in

243-752: 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 stable headquarters 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

324-608: A four-year term. The current council members were elected in 2023. The council consists of 37 members. The Chairman of the Poznań City Council is Grzegorz Ganowicz (KO), and the Vice-Chairpersons are Przemysław Alexandrowicz (PiS), Agnieszka Lewandowska (KO), and Halina Owsianna. The council members collaborate within 14 permanent committees. The office of the President of Poznań is held by Jacek Jaśkowiak , with

405-410: A number of exemptions due to historic or political reasons, when a municipality meets neither of these two conditions but nevertheless has the city status, including the only 3 capitals of the former voivodeships of Poland (1975–1998) not meeting the abovementioned criteria, as well as 38 other municipalities which do not fit into any of the mentioned categories but have nevertheless been allowed to keep

486-423: A rural gmina is exercised by a wójt , while the homologue in municipalities containing cities or towns is called accordingly either a city mayor ( prezydent miasta ) or a town mayor ( burmistrz ), all of them elected by a two-round direct election , while the town/city council is the legislative, budget-making and oversight body. Any local laws considered non-compliant with the national ones may be invalidated by

567-467: A single duke, but at other times these constituted separate duchies. In about 1249, Duke Przemysł I began constructing what would become the Royal Castle on a hill on the left bank of the Warta . Then in 1253, Przemysł issued a charter to Thomas of Gubin for the founding of a town under Magdeburg law , between the castle and the river. Thomas brought a large number of German settlers to aid in

648-461: A space of 650,000 square metres it attracted around 4.5 million visitors. In the 1930s, the fair ranked as European fourth largest organiser of international trade events. The city's boundaries were again expanded in 1925 to include Główna, Komandoria , Rataje , Starołęka, Dębiec , Szeląg and Winogrady , and in 1933: Golęcin and Podolany . During the German occupation of 1939–1945, Poznań

729-477: A unit of administrative division and local government. However, in 1815, following the Congress of Vienna , the region was returned to Prussia, and Poznań became the capital of the semi-autonomous Grand Duchy of Posen . Around 1820, Poznań had over 20,000 inhabitants, 70% of whom were Poles, 20% Jews, and 10% Germans. The city continued to expand, and various projects were funded by Polish philanthropists, such as

810-635: Is a city on the River Warta in west Poland , within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's Fair ( Jarmark Świętojański ), traditional Saint Martin's croissants and a local dialect . Among its most important heritage sites are the Renaissance Old Town, Town Hall and Gothic Cathedral . Poznań

891-546: Is also an excellent observation point. The "moving dunes" are regarded as a curiosity of nature on a European scale. Waters, which occupy 55% of park's area, are made up of lakes - Łebsko (71.40 km (27.57 sq mi), maximum depth 6.3 m (21 ft)), Gardno (24.68 km (9.53 sq mi), maximum depth 2.6 m (8.5 ft)) and Dolgie Wielkie (1.46 km (0.56 sq mi), maximum depth 2.9 m (9.5 ft)). Both Lebsko and Gardno lakes were previously bays. There are also seven rivers crossing

SECTION 10

#1732790949106

972-405: Is home to over 1 million inhabitants. The complex infrastructure, population density, number of companies and gross product per capita of Poznań suburbs may be only compared to Warsaw suburbs. Many parts of closer suburbs such as Tarnowo Podgorne , Komorniki , Suchy Las , and Dopiewo produce more in terms of GDP per capita than the city itself. The relocation of Poznań from the right to

1053-448: Is not uncommon. A recall referendum may however be triggered either in respect to the wójt/town mayor/city mayor or to the municipal council through a petition supported by at least 1/10 of eligible voters, but the turnout in the recall referendum must be at least 3/5 of the number of people voting in the original election in order for the referendum to be valid and binding. In addition, elected bodies of any municipality may be suspended by

1134-609: Is policed by the Capital City Police Headquarters separate from the Mazovian Voivodeship Police Headquarters, with a status equal to that of voivodeship police headquarters. Attempts to establish a formally incorporated metropolitan union have been fiercely resisted by the citizens and the city mayor of Warsaw who have considered them a form of concealed gerrymandering , potentially leading to a political takeover of

1215-479: Is the fifth-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland . As of 2023, the city's population is 540,146, while the Poznań metropolitan area ( Metropolia Poznań ) comprising Poznań County and several other communities is inhabited by over 1.029 million people. It is one of four historical capitals of medieval Poland and the ancient capital of the Greater Poland region, currently the administrative capital of

1296-427: Is within the transition zone between a humid continental and oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb to Dfb although it just fits in the second in the 0 °C isotherm) and with relatively cold winters and warm summers. Snow is common in winter, when night-time temperatures are typically below zero. In summer temperatures may often reach 30 °C (86 °F). Annual rainfall is more than 500 mm (20 in), among

1377-625: The Jesuits ' college, founded in the city in 1571 during the Counter-Reformation , had the right to award degrees from 1611 until 1773, when it was combined with the academy. In the second half of the 17th century and most of the 18th, Poznań was severely affected by a series of wars, attendant military occupations, lootings and destruction – the Second and Third Northern Wars, the War of

1458-575: The Polish local government reforms of 1999, Poznań again became the capital of a larger province entitled Greater Poland Voivodeship . It also became the seat of a powiat Poznań County , with the city itself gaining separate powiat status. Post-communism infrastructural developments include the opening of the Pestka Fast Tram route in 1997, and Poznań's first motorway connections in 2003 as Poland's east–west A2 highway runs south of

1539-643: The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , Poznań was the seat of a voivodeship . The city's importance began to grow in the Jagiellonian period, due to its position on trading routes from Lithuania and Ruthenia to western Europe. It would become a major center for the fur trade by the late 16th century. Suburban settlements developed around the city walls, on the river islands, and on the right bank, with some (Ostrów Tumski, Śródka , Chwaliszewo, Ostrówek) obtaining their own town charters. However,

1620-778: The Poznań International Fair , the biggest industrial fair in Poland and one of the largest fairs in Europe. The city's other renowned landmarks include the National Museum , Grand Theatre , Fara Church and the Imperial Castle . Poznań is classified as a Gamma−global city by Globalization and World Cities Research Network . According to several rankings it is one of the most business-friendly cities in Poland. It also ranks highly in safety and healthcare quality . The city of Poznań has also, many times, won

1701-478: The Prime Minister of Poland in case of persisting law transgressions or negligence , resulting in such case in the municipality being placed under receivership . In a city with powiat rights , the city mayor additionally has the powers and duties of a powiat executive board and a starosta , while the city council has the powers and duties of a powiat (county) council; both nevertheless being elected under

SECTION 20

#1732790949106

1782-564: The Prussian Settlement Commission founded in 1886. Germans accounted for 38% of the city's population in 1867, though this percentage would later decline somewhat, particularly after the region returned to Poland. Another expansion of Festung Posen was planned, with an outer ring of more widely spaced forts around the perimeter of the city. Building of the first nine forts began in 1876, and nine intermediate forts were built from 1887. The inner ring of fortifications

1863-577: The Raczyński Library and the Bazar hotel. The city's first railway, running north-west to Stargard , opened in 1848. Due to its strategic location, the Prussian authorities intended to make Poznań into a fortress city, building a ring of defensive fortifications around it. Work began on the citadel with Fort Winiary in 1828, and in subsequent years the entire set of defenses called Festung Posen

1944-592: The Second Partition of Poland , Poznań came under the control of the Kingdom of Prussia , becoming part of (and initially the seat of) the province of South Prussia . The Prussian authorities expanded the city boundaries, making the walled city and its closest suburbs into a single administrative unit. Left-bank suburbs were incorporated in 1797, and Ostrów Tumski, Chwaliszewo, Śródka, Ostrówek and Łacina (St. Roch) in 1800. The old city walls were taken down in

2025-591: The Silesian Voivodeship , currently composed of 41 contiguous municipalities, with some of them containing also rural areas. Its total population is 2,279,560. The metropolis largely coincides with the metropolitan area of the Katowice urban area , which is a part of the wider polycentric transnational Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area . A de facto metropolitan area is, however, also formed in some aspects by Warsaw metropolitan area , consisting of

2106-502: The baptism , construction began of Poznań's cathedral , the first in Poland. Poznań was probably 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

2187-412: The mammals , there are deer , wild pigs and hares . There are around 140 kilometres (87 mi) of tourist walking trails. Beside the lakes are observation towers and along the trails one can find benches and resting places. Around the park there are many parking sites as well as hotels and camp sites, especially in Łeba. Pozna%C5%84 Poznań ( Polish: [ˈpɔznaɲ] )

2268-680: The 15th century. Cities in Poland This is a list of cities and towns in Poland , consisting of four sections: the full list of all 107 cities in Poland by size, followed by a description of the principal metropolitan areas of the country, the table of the most populated cities and towns in Poland, and finally, the full alphabetical list of all 107 Polish cities and 861 towns combined. As of 30 April 2022, there are altogether 2471 municipalities ( gmina ) in Poland: In some cases,

2349-532: The Bogdanka, and Rusałka , an artificial lake formed in 1943 further down the Bogdanka river. The latter two are popular bathing places. Kiekrz lake is much used for sailing , while Malta is a competitive rowing and canoeing venue. The city centre – including the Old Town , the former islands of Grobla and Chwaliszewo, the main street Święty Marcin and many other important buildings and districts – lies on

2430-631: The Deputy Presidents being Mariusz Wiśniewski, Jędrzej Solarski, and Natalia Weremczuk. The position of City Treasurer is occupied by Barbara Sajnaj, while Stanisław Tamm serves as the City Secretary. Administrative services for citizens are managed by 30 departments and equivalent organizational units of the City of Poznań Office. Additionally, the city operates 328 municipal organizational units to fulfill various public tasks. Throughout

2511-480: The Grand Duchy of Poznań , and Polish Theatre opened in 1875. It became a national stage for the inhabitants of the province of Posen, and even in whole Greater Poland region , acting as a mainstay of polish tradition and culture, and as a sign of resistance against the restrictive policies of the Prussian partition authorities. However, the authorities made efforts to Germanize the region, particularly through

Slovincian National Park - Misplaced Pages Continue

2592-626: 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")

2673-684: The Latin nominative case as Posnania in 1236 and Poznania in 1247. The phrase in Poznan appears in 1146 and 1244. The city's full official name is Stołeczne Miasto Poznań (The Capital City of Poznań), in reference to its role as a centre of political power in the early Polish state under the Piast dynasty . Poznań is known as Posen in German , and was officially called Haupt- und Residenzstadt Posen (Capital and Residence City of Poznań) between 20 August 1910 and 28 November 1918. The Latin names of

2754-585: The Marshal of Greater Poland. Poznań, which holds the status of both a municipality and a county city, is home not only to the local authorities of Poznań but also to the authorities of the Poznań County . Additionally, the city hosts the[Union of Polish Cities and the Association of Municipalities and Counties of Greater Poland . The Poznań City Council is the legislative and supervisory body, elected for

2835-747: The Polish Succession , the Seven Years' War and the Bar Confederation . During the Deluge , Poznań's Jewish community was accused of collaborating with the invading Swedish enemy , and as a result suffered pogroms carried out by both the city's non-Jewish residents and units of the Polish Crown Army . It was also hit by frequent outbreaks of plague , and by floods, particularly that of 1736, which destroyed most of

2916-649: 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 Greater Poland . This period of fragmentation lasted until 1320. Duchies frequently changed hands; control of Poznań, Gniezno and Kalisz sometimes lay with

2997-615: The Tricity Charter (Polish: Karta Trójmiasta ), was signed by the three city mayors on 28 March 2007. The only incorporated common management authority in the Tricity metro is the Gdańsk Bay Public Transport Metropolitan Union ( Polish : Metropolitarny Związek Komunikacyjny Zatoki Gdańskiej ) which is, despite the name, an inter-municipal union and not a metropolitan one. Poland contains: Below

3078-517: 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;

3159-475: The building and settlement of the city – this is an example of the German eastern migration ( Ostsiedlung ) characteristic of that period. The city, which covered the area of today's Old Town neighbourhood, was surrounded by a defensive wall, integrated with the castle. The royal chancery and the university ensured a first flourishing of Polish literary culture in the city. In reunited Poland, and later in

3240-578: The capital city of Warsaw , a city with powiat rights , and the 9 neighbouring counties: Warsaw West County , Nowy Dwór County , Legionowo County , Wołomin County , Mińsk County , Otwock County , Piaseczno County , Pruszków County and Grodzisk Mazowiecki County . Warsaw forms together with these counties a NUTS 2 area separate as an exception from the remainder of its home region, the Mazovian Voivodeship . In addition, identical area

3321-470: The centre. Older residential and commercial districts include those of Wilda, Łazarz and Górczyn to the south, and Jeżyce to the west. There are also significant areas of forest within the city boundaries, particularly in the east adjoining Swarzędz , and around the lakes in the north-west. For more details on Poznań's geography, see the articles on its five main districts: Stare Miasto , Nowe Miasto , Jeżyce , Grunwald , and Wilda . The climate of Poznań

Slovincian National Park - Misplaced Pages Continue

3402-536: The city are Posnania and Civitas Posnaniensis . Its Yiddish name is פּױזן , or Poyzn . In Polish, the city's name has masculine grammatical gender . 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

3483-409: 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

3564-613: The city centre, serving also as a bypass. In 2006 country's first F-16 Fighting Falcons came to be stationed at the 31st Air Base in Krzesiny in the south-east of the city. Poznań continues to host regular trade fairs and international events, including the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2008. It was one of the host cities for UEFA Euro 2012 . Poznań covers an area of 261.3 km (100.9 sq mi), and has coordinates in

3645-525: The city government through aiming to counterbalance the profoundly liberal city population with the conservative population of the neighbouring areas. A third widely known metropolitan area is the metropolitan area of Tricity in Pomeranian Voivodeship , urban area of which consists of the eponymous cities of Gdańsk , Sopot and Gdynia . The designation has been used informally or semi-formally only. A strategic cooperation declaration,

3726-438: The city in 1974. Another infrastructural change, which was completed in 1968, was the rerouting of the river Warta to follow two straight branches either side of Ostrów Tumski. The most recent expansion of the city's boundaries took place in 1987, with the addition of new areas mainly to the north, including Morasko , Radojewo and Kiekrz . The first free local elections following the fall of communism took place in 1990. With

3807-487: The city's development was hampered by regular major fires and floods. On 2 May 1536 a fire destroyed 175 buildings, including the castle, the town hall, the monastery, and the suburban settlement called St. Martin. In 1519, the Lubrański Academy had been established in Poznań as an institution of higher education, but without the right to award degrees, which was reserved to Kraków's Jagiellonian University . However,

3888-497: The city), and around 40% were Germans (over 65,000 German inhabitants of the city). Other nationalities accounted for 1-2% of the population (mainly Jews). Germans tended to settle in the newer western part of the city, the Kaiserviertel or Kaiser district, Poles in the older east side. And while there was tension between the two major populations there was also some overlap between them, particularly in cultural events. At

3969-495: The city, particularly the Old Town, in ruins. Many monuments were also destroyed, including Gutzon Borglum 's statue of Woodrow Wilson in Poznan. Due to the expulsion and flight of German population Poznań's post-war population became almost uniformly Polish. The city again became a voivodeship capital. In 1950, the size of Poznań Voivodeship was reduced, and the city itself was given separate voivodeship status. This status

4050-546: The city. The German population increased from around 5,000 in 1939 (some 2% of the inhabitants) to around 95,000 in 1944. The Jewish community's history in the city dates back to the 13th century. In the past, the Jewish council in Poznan became one of the oldest and most important Jewish councils in Poland. The pre-war Jewish population of at least about 2,000 were mostly murdered in the Holocaust . A concentration camp

4131-642: The communist party and secret police headquarters, where they were repulsed by gunfire. Riots continued for two days until being quelled by the army; 67 people were killed according to official figures. A monument to the victims was erected in 1981 at Plac Mickiewicza. The post-war years had seen much reconstruction work on buildings damaged in the fighting. From the 1960s onwards intensive housing development took place, consisting mainly of pre-fabricated concrete blocks of flats , especially in Rataje and Winogrady , and later Piątkowo , following its incorporation into

SECTION 50

#1732790949106

4212-451: The earlier awarded status due to unspecified historical reasons. Among the 37 cities over 100,000, 18 are seats of voivode or voivodeship sejmik , thus carrying the informal designation of a voivodeship city. 11 of them are seats of an appeal court and other supra-voivodeship institutions. The 107 Polish cities belong to the following size ranges in terms of the number of inhabitants ( cities with powiat rights are indicated with italics ;

4293-420: The early 19th century, and major development took place to the west of the old city, with many of the main streets of today's city center being laid out. In the Greater Poland uprising of 1806 , Polish soldiers and civilian volunteers assisted the efforts of Napoleon by driving out Prussian forces from the region. The city became a part of the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807, and was the seat of Poznań Department –

4374-517: The end of World War I , the final Greater Poland Uprising in 1918–1919 brought Poznań and most of the region back to newly reborn Poland, which was confirmed by the Treaty of Versailles . The local German populace had to acquire Polish citizenship or leave the country. This led to a wide emigration of the ethnic Germans of the town's population – the town's German population decreased from 65,321 in 1910 to 5,980 in 1926 and further to 4,387 in 1934. In

4455-405: The head of the city executive, thus being informally called miasto prezydenckie , with such privilege automatically awarded to municipalities either inhabited by more than 100,000 residents (currently 37) or those enjoying the status of a city with powiat rights (currently 66). As of 2022, all of the former group fit into the latter, though it was not always the case in the past. There is, however,

4536-413: The interwar Second Polish Republic , the city again became the capital of Poznań Voivodeship . Poznań's university, today called Adam Mickiewicz University , was founded in 1919, and in 1924 the Poznań International Fair began. In 1929, the fair site was the venue for a major National Exhibition ( Powszechna Wystawa Krajowa , popularly PeWuKa ) marking the tenth anniversary of independence; organized on

4617-571: The left bank of the Warta River occurred in the mid-13th century, during the height of the Gothic architecture . This significant urban shift led to the preservation of numerous Gothic structures, both religious and secular, on both sides of the Warta River, within the area of the former chartered town. The Gothic style in Poznań flourished from approximately the mid-13th century to the end of

4698-543: The lowest in Poland. The rainiest month is July, mainly due to short but intense cloudbursts and thunderstorms. The number of hours of sunshine are among the highest in the country. The warmest temperature was recorded on 11 July 1959 at 38.7 °C (101.7 °F) The city of Poznań, serving as the administrative center of the Greater Poland Voivodeship , houses both the Voivode of Greater Poland and

4779-410: The municipal election rules rather than those applicable to county elections. In spite of no linguistic distinction between a city and a town in the Polish language (both translated miasto ), a city may be recognized among other Polish urban municipalities through being managed by a city mayor ( prezydent miasta , literally translated city president) instead of a town mayor ( burmistrz ) as

4860-548: The old division into five districts called dzielnica is used – although they ceased to be governmental units in 1990. These are: Many citizens of Poznań thanks to the strong economy of the city and high salaries started moving to suburbs of the Poznań County ( powiat ) in the 1990s. Although the number of inhabitants in Poznań itself was decreasing for the past two decades, the suburbs gained almost twice as many inhabitants. The Poznań metropolitan area Metropolia Poznań comprising Poznań County and several other communities

4941-646: The park a biosphere reserve under its Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MaB). The Slovincian wetlands were designated a Ramsar site in 1995. The park is named after the West Slavic (later Germanized ) people known as the Slovincians ( Polish : Słowińcy ), who used to live in this swampy , inaccessible area at the edge of Lake Leba. In the village of Kluki there is an open-air museum presenting aspects of this people's former life and culture. In

SECTION 60

#1732790949106

5022-485: The park, the largest being the Łeba and the Łupawa . Forests in the park are mainly made of pines . These trees cover 80% of wooded areas, there are also peat bogs of several types. Of animals, the most numerous are birds with 257 species. This is because the park is located on the paths of migrating birds . They feel safe here because human activities are limited. The most interesting species are: erne , eagle owl , crow , swan and various kinds of ducks . Among

5103-466: The past, the park's area was a Baltic Sea bay . The sea's activity, however, created sand dunes which in the course of time separated the bay from the Baltic Sea. As waves and wind carry sand inland the dunes slowly move, at a speed of 3 to 10 metres per year. Some dunes are quite high - up to 30 metres. The highest peak of the park – Rowokol (115 metres (377 ft) above sea level) –

5184-408: The patrons of the cathedral. Martin of Tours – the patron of the main street Święty Marcin – is also regarded as one of the patron saints of the city. The name Poznań probably comes from a personal name Poznan , which was in turn derived from the Polish participle poznan(y) – "one who is known/recognized", and would mean "Poznan's town". It is also possible that the name comes directly from

5265-506: The present-day area of the city; these boundaries were retained after the war. Poznań was captured by the Red Army , assisted by Polish volunteers, on 23 February 1945 following the Battle of Poznań , in which the German army conducted a last-ditch defense in line with Hitler's designation of the city as a Festung . The Citadel was the last point to be taken, and the fighting left much of

5346-484: The prize awarded by " Superbrands " for a very high quality city brand. In 2012, the Poznań's Art and Business Centre " Stary Browar " won a competition organised by National Geographic Traveler and was given the first prize as one of the seven "New Polish Wonders". Companies headquartered in the city include energy provider Enea , e-commerce company Allegro and convenience store chain Żabka . The official patron saints of Poznań are Saint Peter and Paul of Tarsus ,

5427-410: The province called Greater Poland Voivodeship . Poznań is a centre of trade, sport, education, technology and tourism. It is an important academic site, with about 130,000 students and Adam Mickiewicz University , the third largest Polish university. The city serves as the seat of the oldest Polish diocese , now being one of the most populous Catholic archdioceses in the country. The city also hosts

5508-454: The range 52°17'34''–52°30'27''N, 16°44'08''–17°04'28''E. Its highest point, with an altitude of 157 m (515 ft), is the summit of Morasko hill within the Morasko meteorite nature reserve in the north of the city. The lowest altitude is 60 m (197 ft), in the Warta valley. Poznań's main river is the Warta , which flows through the city from south to north. As it approaches

5589-505: The respective voivode , whose rulings may be appealed to an administrative court. Decisions in individual cases may in turn be appealed to quasi-judicial bodies named local government boards of appeal  [ pl ] , their ruling subject to appeal to an administrative court. A town or city mayor may be scrutinized or denied funding for his/her projects by the council, but is not politically responsible to it and does not require its confidence to remain in office; therefore, cohabitation

5670-440: The seats of either a voivode or a voivodeship legislature are marked in bold , the seats of an appeal court are marked with an asterisk*): The biggest towns (e.g. Tarnowskie Góry , Rumia , Piaseczno ) are larger than a number of cities. Only a single officially incorporated multi-purpose metropolitan union exists in Poland, the sui generis Metropolis GZM , established by a dedicated act of Parliament of Poland within

5751-419: The suburban buildings. The population of the conurbation declined from 20,000 around 1600 to 6,000 around 1730, and Bambergian and Dutch settlers ( Bambers and Olęders ) were brought in to rebuild the devastated suburbs. In 1778, a "Committee of Good Order" ( Komisja Dobrego Porządku ) was established in the city, which oversaw rebuilding efforts and reorganized the city's administration. However, in 1793, in

5832-411: The verb poznać , which means "to get to know" or "to recognize", so it may simply mean "known town". The earliest surviving references to the city are found in the chronicles of Thietmar of Merseburg written between 1012 and 1018: episcopus Posnaniensis (" bishop of Poznań ", in an entry for 970) and ab urbe Posnani ("from the city of Poznań", for 1005). The city's name appears in documents in

5913-422: The west side of the Warta. Opposite it between the two branches of the Warta is Ostrów Tumski, containing Cathedral and other ecclesiastical buildings, as well as housing and industrial facilities. Facing the cathedral on the east bank of the river is the historic district of Śródka . Large areas of apartment blocks, built from the 1960s onwards, include Rataje in the east, and Winogrady and Piątkowo north of

5994-450: The year, the departments of the City of Poznań Office and municipal administrative units issue approximately 565,000 administrative decisions. Poznań is divided into 42 neighbourhoods called osiedle , each of which has its own elected council with certain decision-making and spending powers. The first uniform elections for these councils covering the whole area of the city were held on 20 March 2011. For certain administrative purposes,

6075-671: Was completed. A Greater Poland Uprising during the Revolutions of 1848 was ultimately unsuccessful, and the Grand Duchy lost its remaining autonomy, Poznań becoming simply the capital of the Prussian Province of Posen . It would become part of the German Empire with the unification of German states in 1871. Polish patriots continued to form societies such as the Central Economic Society for

6156-419: Was filled in late in the 19th century, and 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 damage to Poznań frequently throughout history. Poznań's largest lake is Kiekrz in the north-west end of the city. Other large lakes include Malta , an artificial lake formed in 1952 on the lower Cybina river, Strzeszyn on

6237-532: Was incorporated into the Nazi Germany as the capital of Reichsgau Wartheland . Many Polish inhabitants, even children as young as 10, were executed, arrested, expelled to the General Government or used as forced labour . Polish children were also kidnapped and deported to an infamous camp for Polish children in Łódź . At the same time, many Germans and Volksdeutsche were settled in

6318-427: Was lost in the 1975 reforms, which also significantly reduced the size of Poznań Voivodeship. The Poznań 1956 protests are seen as an early instance of discontent with communist rule. In June 1956, a protest by workers at the city's Cegielski locomotive factory developed into a series of strikes and popular protests against the policies of the government. After a protest march on 28 June was fired on, crowds attacked

6399-758: Was now considered obsolete and came to be mostly taken down by the early 20th century, although the citadel remained in use. This made space for further civilian construction, particularly the Prussian Royal Residence Palace ( Zamek ) which was completed in 1910, and other grand buildings around it, including today's central university buildings and the opera house. The city's boundaries were also significantly extended to take in former suburban villages: Piotrowo and Berdychowo in 1896, Łazarz, Górczyn, Jeżyce and Wilda in 1900, and Sołacz in 1907. In 1910, Poznań had 156,696 inhabitants, of which nearly 60% were Poles (over 91,000 Polish inhabitants of

6480-614: Was set up in Fort VII , one of the 19th-century perimeter forts. The camp was later moved to Żabikowo south of Poznań. Also the Stalag XXI-D German prisoner-of-war camp for Allied POWs of various nationalities was based in the city. The Polish resistance was active in Poznań with various organizations and activities, and even an underground Polish parliament was established in the city. The Nazi authorities significantly expanded Poznań's boundaries to include most of

6561-521: 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

#105894