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94-505: Posen (present-day Poznań , Poland ) was the provincial capital. The land is mostly flat, drained by two major watershed systems; the Noteć (German: Netze ) in the north and the Warta ( Warthe ) in the center. Ice Age glaciers left moraine deposits and the land is speckled with hundreds of "finger lakes", streams flowing in and out on their way to one of the two rivers. Agriculture

188-541: A Slavic-Roman encirclement and even a threat to unified Germany. Under German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck renewed Germanisation policies began, including an increase of the police, a colonization commission, and the Kulturkampf . The German Eastern Marches Society ( Hakata ) pressure group was founded in 1894 and in 1904, special legislation was passed against the Polish population. The legislation of 1908 allowed for

282-687: A common Prussian province, as well as its incorporation into the German Confederation . The Frankfurt parliamentarian Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Jordan vehemently spoke against Polish autonomy. The assembly at first attempted to divide the Posen duchy into two parts: the Province of Posen, which would have been given to the German population and annexed to a newly created Greater Germany , and the Province of Gniezno , which would have been given to

376-512: A day after Ignacy Jan Paderewski 's speech. The uprising received little support from the Polish government in Warsaw . After the success of the uprising, Posen province was until mid-1919 an independent state with its own government, currency and military. With the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, most of the province, composed of the areas with a Polish majority, was ceded to Poland and

470-648: 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

564-608: 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

658-467: 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

752-461: 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

846-477: 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

940-524: A village nearby for the Polish laborers. Near that village, there might be a German settlement. And in the woods, there would be a forester's dwelling. The estate owners, usually of the nobility, owned the local grist mill , and often other types of mills or perhaps a distillery . In many places, windmills dotted the landscape, reminding one of the earliest settlers, the Dutch , who began the process of turning unproductive river marshes into fields. This process

1034-635: 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

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1128-581: Is a notable disparity between German statistics gathered by the Prussian administration, and the Polish estimates conducted after 1918. According to the Prussian census of 1905, the number of German speakers in the Province of Posen was approximately 38.5% (which included colonists, military stationed in the area and German administration), while after 1918 the number of Germans in the Poznan Voivodship, which closely corresponded to province of Posen,

1222-405: 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

1316-532: 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

1410-427: 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

1504-699: The Berlin Kammergericht court gained them enormous popularity even among German national liberals , who themselves were suppressed by the Carlsbad Decrees . Both were released in the March Revolution of 1848 and triumphantly carried through the streets. At the same time, a Polish national committee gathered at Poznań and demanded independence. The Prussian Army under General Friedrich August Peter von Colomb at first retired. King Frederick William IV of Prussia as well as

1598-526: The Congress of Vienna , Prussia gained the western third of the Warsaw duchy, which was about half of former South Prussia. Prussia then administered this province as the semi-autonomous Grand Duchy of Posen , which lost most of its exceptional status already after the 1830 November Uprising in Congress Poland , as the Prussian authorities feared a Polish national movement which would have swept away

1692-715: The German Confederation (and thus Germany) until the German Confederation was dissolved and the North German Confederation was established, which occurred in 1866 . Nevertheless, the Prussian Kings retained the title "Grand Duke of Posen" until the German and Prussian monarchy finally expired in 1918, following the abdication of William II . With the unification of Germany after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71,

1786-771: The Greater Poland Uprising (1848) and joined various organisations supporting the independence of Poland ( Polish National Committee and Revolutionary Committee). During the Spring of Nations he was elected as one of the members of the Frankfurt Parliament ; he also took part in the Slavic Congress in Prague in June 1848. In 1849 he was elected a member of the Prussian parliament and became

1880-541: The Holy Alliance system in Central Europe . Instead Prussian Germanisation measures increased under Oberpräsident Eduard Heinrich von Flottwell , who had replaced Duke-governor Antoni Radziwiłł . A first Greater Poland Uprising in 1846 failed, as the leading insurgents around Karol Libelt and Ludwik Mierosławski were reported to the Prussian police and arrested for high treason . Their trial at

1974-625: 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

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2068-667: The Middle Ages , when the first settlers arrived in the course of the Ostsiedlung . Although many of those had been Polonized over time, a continuous immigration resulted in maintaining a large German community . The 18th century Jesuit -led Counter-Reformation enacted severe restrictions on German Protestants. At the end of the 18th century when Prussia seized the area during the Partitions of Poland , thousands of German colonists were sent by Prussian officials to Germanize

2162-575: 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

2256-643: 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,

2350-778: 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

2444-564: 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

2538-521: 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

2632-592: 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

2726-849: The Second Polish Republic after the latter was established. There was also Polonization of local Catholic Germans . Another reason of the disparity is that some border areas of the province, inhabited mostly by Germans (including Piła ), remained in Germany after 1918. According to Polish authors, the real share of Poles in 1910 was 65% (rather than 61.5% claimed by official census). Area: 28,970 km Population Prussian provinces were subdivided into government regions ( Regierungsbezirke ), in Posen: These regions were again subdivided into districts called Kreise . Cities would have their own "Stadtkreis" (urban district) and

2820-502: 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

2914-475: The 15th century. Karol Libelt Karol Libelt (8 April 1807, neighborhood of Chwaliszewo in Poznań , Duchy of Warsaw - 9 June 1875, Brdowo ) was a Polish philosopher, writer, political and social activist, social worker and liberal , nationalist politician, and president of the Poznań Society of Friends of Learning . Libelt took part in the failed November Uprising against Russia in 1830, and

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3008-532: 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

3102-631: 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

3196-568: The French side during the Franco-Prussian War . France and Napoleon III were known for their support and sympathy for the Poles under Prussian rule Demonstrations at news of Prussian-German victories manifested Polish independence feelings and calls were also made for Polish recruits to desert from the Prussian Army , though these went mostly unheeded. Bismarck regarded these as an indication of

3290-480: 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

3384-626: 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")

3478-672: The Kulturkampf, the German Empire for nationalist reasons implemented Germanisation programs. One measure was to set up a Settlement Commission to attract German settlers to counter the Polish population's higher growth. However, this failed, even when accompanied by additional legal measures. The Polish language was eventually banned from use in schools and government offices as part of the Germanisation policies. (including bilinguals) (including most of Jews) There

3572-684: 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

3666-585: 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

3760-487: The Poles and remain outside of Germany. Because of the protest of Polish politicians, this plan failed and the integrity of the duchy was preserved. Nevertheless, when the Prussian troops had finally crushed the Greater Polish revolt, after a series of broken assurances, on 9 February 1849 the Prussian authorities renamed the duchy as the Province of Posen. In spite of that, the territory formally remained outside of

3854-747: 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

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3948-413: The Province of Posen became part of the German Empire , and the city of Posen was officially named an imperial residence city. Bismarck's hostility towards the Poles was already well known, as in 1861 he had written in a letter to his sister: "Hit the Poles so hard that they despair of their life; I have full sympathy for their condition, but if we want to survive we can only exterminate them." His dislike

4042-649: 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

4136-402: 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;

4230-560: The area. During the first half of the 19th century, the German population grew due to state sponsored colonisation . In the second half, the Polish population grew gradually due to the Ostflucht and a higher birthrate among the Poles. In the Kulturkampf , mainly Protestant Prussia sought to reduce the Catholic impact on its society. Posen was hit severely by these measures due to its large, mainly Polish Catholic population. Many Catholic Germans in Posen joined with ethnic Poles in opposition to anti-Catholic Kulturkampf measures. Following

4324-422: 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

4418-470: 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

4512-422: 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

4606-409: 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

4700-460: 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

4794-438: 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

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4888-428: 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,

4982-435: 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

5076-439: 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

5170-436: 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

5264-590: 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

5358-489: The confiscation of Polish-owned property. The Prussian authorities did not permit the development of industries in Posen, so the duchy's economy was dominated by high-level agriculture. At the end of World War I, the fate of the province was undecided. The Polish inhabitants demanded the region be included in the newly independent Second Polish Republic , while the German minority refused any territorial concessions. Another Greater Poland Uprising broke out on 27 December 1918,

5452-461: The director of the liberal Dziennik Polski (Polish Daily). The following year Libelt began to establish various scientific and social organisations in Greater Poland , including the Society of Friends of the Sciences in Posen (Poznań), which became a de facto university. Between 1868 and 1875 he headed the Society and gave lectures in aesthetics . In 1873, he was elected to the Prussian Lower House. In his philosophical works, Libelt described

5546-420: 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 –

5640-465: 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

5734-419: The historic region of Greater Poland . For more than a century, it was part of the Prussian Partition , with a brief exception during the Napoleonic Wars . When this area came under Prussian control, the feudal system was still in force. It was officially ended in Prussia ( see Freiherr vom Stein ) in 1810 (1864 in Congress Poland ), but lingered in some practices until the late 19th century. The situation

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5828-413: 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

5922-400: 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

6016-409: 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

6110-444: The new Prussian commissioner, Karl Wilhelm von Willisen , promised a renewed autonomy status. However, both among the German-speaking population of the province as well as in the Prussian capital, anti-Polish sentiments arose. While the local Posen ( Poznań ) Parliament voted 26 to 17 votes against joining German Confederation, on 3 April 1848 the Frankfurt Parliament ignored the vote, unsuccessfully attempting its status change to

6204-548: 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

6298-408: 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

6392-399: 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

6486-484: 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 ,

6580-410: 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

6674-400: 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

6768-419: 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

6862-643: The surrounding rural area would be named for the city, but referred to as a "Landkreis" (rural district). In the case of Posen, the Landkreis was split into two: Landkreis Posen West, and Landkreis Posen East. The German figure includes the German-speaking Jewish population. The province was headed by presidents ( German : Oberpräsidenten ). (in alphabetical order) (see also Notable people of Grand Duchy of Posen ) Pozna%C5%84 Poznań ( Polish: [ˈpɔznaɲ] )

6956-766: The time World War II ended in May 1945, it had been overrun by the Red Army . Following Germany's defeat in World War in 1945, at Stalin 's demand all of the German territory east of the newly established Oder–Neisse line of the Potsdam Agreement was either turned over to the Poland or the Soviet Union . All historical parts of the province came under Polish control, and the remaining ethnic German population

7050-411: 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

7144-422: 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

7238-450: 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,

7332-472: Was expelled by force. This region was inhabited by a Polish majority, with German and Jewish minorities and a smattering of other ethnic groups. Almost all the Poles were Roman Catholic , and most of the Germans were Protestant . The small numbers of Jews were primarily in the larger communities, mostly in skilled crafts, local commerce and regional trading. The smaller a community, the more likely it

7426-423: Was administered as Posen-West Prussia with Schneidemühl as its capital. This province was dissolved in 1938, when its territory was split between the neighboring Prussian provinces of Silesia , Pomerania and Brandenburg . In 1939, the territory of the former province of Posen was annexed by Nazi Germany and made part of Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia and Reichsgau Wartheland (initially Reichsgau Posen ). By

7520-609: 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

7614-419: 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

7708-675: Was finished by the German settlers employed to reclaim unproductive lands (not only marshland) for the host estate owners. Greater Poland became Prussian in 1772 ( Netze District ) and 1793 ( South Prussia ) during the First and Second Partition of Poland . After Prussia's defeat in the Napoleonic Wars , the territory was attached to the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 upon the Franco-Prussian Treaty of Tilsit . In 1815 during

7802-453: Was firmly entrenched in traditions of Prussian mentality and history. There was little need for discussions in Prussian circles, as most of them, including the monarch, agreed with his views. Poles suffered from discrimination by the Prussian state; numerous oppressive measures were implemented to eradicate the Polish community's identity and culture. The Polish inhabitants of Posen, who faced discrimination and even forced Germanization, favored

7896-595: Was imprisoned for nine months at Magdeburg . Since 1839 he became the head of a secret committee started to organise yet another uprising against the partitioning powers , which was nicknamed the Libelt Committee - Komitet Libelt ). He was sentenced by the Prussian authorities to 20 years of imprisonment in a fortress for taking part in the Greater Poland Uprising (1846) . However, he was amnestied in 1848 and returned to Posen (Poznań), where he took part in

7990-532: 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

8084-427: 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

8178-758: 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

8272-429: Was only 7%. According to Witold Jakóbczyk , the disparity between the number of ethnic Germans and the number of German speakers is because Prussian authorities placed ethnic Germans and the German-speaking Jewish minority into the same class. Around 161,000 Germans in the province were officials, soldiers and their families settled in the region by German Empire. In addition, there was a considerable exodus of Germans from

8366-470: Was reformed as the Poznań Voivodeship . The majority-German populated remainder (with Bomst , Fraustadt , Neu Bentschen , Meseritz , Tirschtiegel (partially), Schwerin , Blesen , Schönlanke , Filehne , Schloppe , Deutsch Krone , Tütz , Schneidemühl , Flatow , Jastrow , and Krojanke —about 2,200 km (850 sq mi)) was merged with the western remains of former West Prussia and

8460-614: 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

8554-521: 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

8648-430: Was the primary industry. The three-field system was used to grow a variety of crops, primarily rye , sugar beet , potatoes , other grains , and some tobacco and hops . Significant parcels of wooded land provided building materials and firewood . Small numbers of livestock existed, including geese , but a fair number of sheep were herded. The 29,000 km (11,000 sq mi) area roughly corresponded to

8742-420: Was thus that (primarily) Polish serfs lived and worked side by side with (predominantly) free German settlers. Though the settlers were given initial advantages, in time their lots were not much different. Serfs worked for the noble lord, who took care of them. Settlers worked for themselves and took care of themselves, but paid taxes to the lord. Typically, an estate would have its manor and farm buildings, and

8836-768: Was to be either all Polish or German. These "pockets of ethnicity" existed side by side, with German villages being the most dense in the northwestern areas. Under Prussia's Germanization policies, the population became more German until the end of the 19th century, when the trend reversed (in the Ostflucht ). This was despite efforts of the government in Berlin to prevent it, establishing the Settlement Commission to buy land from Poles and make it available for sale only to Germans. The province's large number of resident Germans resulted from constant immigration since

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