Plain and prominences
We are on plains, the horizon is wide and you reach really distant spots with your eye. A slight rugosity will not spoil our views however dense forests might shorten our perspective a little. To make your view of the area less monotonous you will find some small mountains and strictly speaking these are just three moraine ranges. If you want to see them you should choose one of following routes: Leszno-Gostyń-Żerków or Gorzeń-Pniewy-Gniezno or Piła-Wyrzysk. Whichever you choose will be all right and there is no point in differentiating them. You will also find post-glacial lakes here. Their greatest concentration is obviously found in Międzychód-Sieraków Lakeland. But also near Wągrowiec, Gniezno, Poznań and Wolsztyn you will find quite a lot of them.
3 thousand kilometers
We are on site. Welcome to Greater Poland – the land located in Great Poland Lakeland and Great Poland Lowland. The land of three thousand kilometers of tourist trails! Its pride is cities like Poznań, Bydgoszcz and Kalisz. Tourists arriving here can visit numerous city halls and churches as well as palaces and stations. The choice is impressive indeed. There are as many as one hundred thirty eight objects of wooden architecture, nearly three hundred sacral buildings, and over hundred castles and palaces. Sixty three museums make it a must for a curious tourist to prepare for a long vacation. Absolute must-sees in this region include museums in Gniezno, Poznań and Puszczykowo. It’s impossible to overlook the Piast Trail, which is linked to the beginnings of Poland’s statehood. Archaeological trophies, examples of musical instruments, environmental curiosities, rural and industrial wonders as well as relics and traditional apiculture tools are just some of the exhibits. Gniezno, Poznań and Konin are true mines of archaeological and sacral monuments. You will also find numerous castles in Greater Poland. Look for them in Koło and Szamotuły. They will certainly become an unforgettable lesson of history for everyone, regardless of age and interests.
Although plain, it’s not boring
Don’t get a false impression that Greater Poland is all about history and museums, however. It is also a region of fantastic recreational and holiday facilities. Many of them capitalize on the boons of local forests and lakes. You can come across a whole variety of tree and animal species. It is a perfect place for autumn walks in forest and mushroom as well as forest fruit picking. In summer season you can use post-glacial lakes as much as you want. Feel like fishing, swimming or enjoying water sports? Nothing is stopping you here. The most famous lakes are situated near Międzychód, Powidz and Wolsztyn. Fans of nature are invited to Greater Poland National Parka and Zielonka Forest. Lake Malta is a place where festivals, cultural events and sports contests are organized and the disciplines include rowing and regatta. In winter season you can choose a sledge chute in Poznań, while horse-riding lovers need to come to Iwno and Posadów.
Poznań and its goats
The city of notorious goats and fairs. No question that the most important building of the Old Market Square is the renaissance Old Town Hall. Traditionally it served as an office of city authorities. It is assumed that the first building here emerged as early as in XIIIth century; however the fire destroyed it in XVI century. It was rebuilt by an Italian architect and became a model example of renaissance architecture. It was then, when the “comic element”, meaning the abovementioned goats, was made by craftsman Bartel Wolf of Gubin. The legend says that the goats commemorate a hilarious incidence. Supposedly the animals ran for their lives up on the tower of the Town Hall in order to avoid being served as a dinner. Whether they eventually shared the fate of other goats or not is difficult to say but certainly they became the landmark of the city. Next to the Old Town Hall there are merchant houses with arcades, worth having a look at. It is a country-scale rare example of trade buildings. Then-obsolete wooden houses were replaced by stone houses, while narrow tenements served merchants as apartments. The old town weighing house is another symbol of the city. Today, however, the Old Market Square is a vibrant place, full of social and cultural life, a place of meetings in numerous cafes and restaurants. They are located not only in those monumental tenements but also in Poznań’s family palaces. The Działyńscy’s and Mielżyńscy’s palaces certainly took their names after the names of Poznań’s merchants, who thus permanently went down in history of the city.
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