Poznań, Poland

Poznań is an important industry, commerce, culture, higher education, and science center. It is also one of the leading cities in Poland in terms of economic strength. This is also a good place for tourists. The Old Town and the 19th-century city center are truly impressive, with the townhouses in the market square looking like something out of a fairy tale. Here, you can also explore the layout of 19th and 20th-century fortifications or visit the Poznań Fortress. The city where you can enjoy Saint Martin’s croissants all year round, as well as Gray Dumplings and boiled or baked jacket potatoes, served with a mixture of fatty white cheese, cream, and onion or chives (in Polish: pyry z gzikiem). Poznań. It is a city worth discovering. A convenient connection is by train and plane.

Any talk of Poznań inevitably begins with a mention of its Renaissance Town Hall – understandably considered the most beautiful north of the Alps, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more exquisite example anywhere. Among its extraordinary features, you’ll find charming billy-goat figures who pop out to butt heads at noon! Poznań has several other drawcards, of course, including Poland’s only painting by Monet and the delicious sweet treat known as St. Martin croissants. Make no mistake, this 1,000-year-old city on the River Warta has much to be proud of – it even has its own local dialect.

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you’re going to love the croissants. Although they’re sold by many cake shops throughout the country, only the Wielkopolska (Greater Poland) region actually has the right to bake them. Why? Because the European Commission has listed them as a Protected Geographical Indicator. It should also list them as deliciously moreish! Made from Danish pastry dough according to a very strict recipe, the main filling ingredient is white poppy seeds and they’re often topped with icing. To give you an idea of its importance, there actually exists an interactive Poznań Croissant Museum. Here you can learn the story of just how this baked goodie became the sweet symbol of the Wielkopolska province, by watching an animated cartoon version of the “croissant history of Poznań”, which is presented under the polychromed wooden ceiling of a Renaissance tenement in the Old Town Market Square. Before you ask, yes, of course you get to taste the famous croissants – you can even take part in making them if you fancy it. The museum resounds with the local Poznań dialect, which, although not heard much on the streets today, was extremely popular during the 19th Century. A mixture of Wielkopolska dialect and German, it is a legacy of the times of the Prussian partition, but also the Bamberg settlers who accepted an invitation to Poznań some 300 years ago.

Special thanks to the Polish Tourism Organisation and Visit Poznan for the background information!