Poznań
Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
, today Poland's fifth largest city, is also one of the country's oldest cities, and was an important political and religious center in the early Polish state of the 10th century.
Poznań Cathedral
The Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul in Poznań is one of the oldest churches in Poland and the oldest Polish cathedral, dating from the 10th century. It is the oldest historical monument in Poznań. It stands on the island of ...
is the oldest church in the country, containing the tombs of the first Polish rulers, Duke
Mieszko I
Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was Duchy of Poland (966–1025), Duke of Poland from 960 until his death in 992 and the founder of the first unified History of Poland, Polish state, the Civitas Schinesghe. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was t ...
and King
Bolesław I Chrobry
Bolesław or Boleslav may refer to:
People
* Bolesław (given name) (also ''Boleslav'' or ''Boleslaus''), including a list of people with this name
Geography
* Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
* Bolesław, Olkusz Coun ...
.
Although the centre of national political power moved to
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
in the 11th century, and later to
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, Poznań remained an important regional center, being the chief city of the
Greater Poland
Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland.
The bound ...
(Wielkopolska) region. It came under
Prussian
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...
(later
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
) rule for most of the period from 1793 to 1918, during which it expanded significantly, and was also heavily
fortified
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lat ...
. The city resumed its role as a Polish
voivodeship
A voivodeship ( ) or voivodate is the area administered by a voivode (governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in ...
capital in the
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...
, and later, following the 1939–1945
Nazi German occupation, in the communist
Polish People's Republic
The Polish People's Republic (1952–1989), formerly the Republic of Poland (1947–1952), and also often simply known as Poland, was a country in Central Europe that existed as the predecessor of the modern-day democratic Republic of Poland. ...
. Since 1999 Poznań has been the capital of
Greater Poland Voivodeship
Greater Poland Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship, or province, in west-central Poland. The province is named after the region called Greater Poland (''Wielkopolska'' ). The modern province includes most of this historic re ...
.
Early times and Piast Poland (to 1138)
The first settlements in and near-by what is now Poznań can be traced to the late period of the
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
. Later various cultures developed there in the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
and
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
. Famous are the originally Bronze Age burial mounds at
Łęki Małe Łęki may refer to:
*Łęki, Brzesko County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship (south Poland)
*Łęki, Myślenice County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship (south Poland)
*Łęki, Łódź Voivodeship (central Poland)
*Łęki, Nowy Sącz County in Lesser Polan ...
, built between 2150 BC and 1800 BCE during the
Únětice Culture
The Únětice culture, Aunjetitz culture or Unetician culture (, , , ) is an archaeological culture at the start of the Central European European Bronze Age, Bronze Age, dated roughly to about 2300–1600BC. The eponymous site for this culture, t ...
. By the mid 20th century, nine mounds were still visible, and originally there were probably 14 mounds.
A recent study, based on a multi-proxy approach using cores from Lake Wonieść, has demonstrated the complex settlement history with changing intensities in the Poznań region throughout prehistory.
Around 5250 BCE, people attributed to the
Linear Pottery Culture
The Linear Pottery culture (LBK) is a major archaeological horizon of the European Neolithic period, flourishing . Derived from the German ''Linearbandkeramik'', it is also known as the Linear Band Ware, Linear Ware, Linear Ceramics or Incis ...
settled in the areas of
chernozem
Chernozem ( ),; also called black soil, regur soil or black cotton soil, is a black-colored soil containing a high percentage of humus (4% to 16%) and high percentages of phosphorus and ammonia compounds. Chernozem is very fertile soil and can ...
soil. A significant opening of the landscape took place during the Funnel Beaker Period from 3800 BCE. There are several boom and bust phases that correspond to archaeological complexes. For example, a boom phase appears in the records around 2150 BCE, when
Early Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
settlements began to appear and sites such as Bruszczewo and
Łęki Małe Łęki may refer to:
*Łęki, Brzesko County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship (south Poland)
*Łęki, Myślenice County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship (south Poland)
*Łęki, Łódź Voivodeship (central Poland)
*Łęki, Nowy Sącz County in Lesser Polan ...
were initiated. A bust phase appears around 1690-1640 BC, when the huge Bruszczewo settlement was abandoned.
Poznań began as a stronghold built in the 8th or 9th century AD between branches of the
Warta
The river Warta ( , ; ; ) rises in central Poland and meanders greatly through the Polish Plain in a north-westerly direction to flow into the Oder at Kostrzyn nad Odrą on Poland's border with Germany. About long, it the second-longest riv ...
and
Cybina
Cybina is a river in Greater Poland, a right affluent of Warta. It starts near village Iwno and after 43 km falls into the right branch of Warta, which is also called Cybina or Kanał Ulgi, in Poznań
Poznań ( ) is a city on the War ...
rivers, on what is now called
Ostrów Tumski ("Cathedral Island"). Various other settlements sprang up nearby on the islands and on both banks of the Warta. In the 10th century the tribe inhabiting the region, the
Polans, became dominant over other tribes in most of the area of today's Poland. Consequently, this
early Polish state, ruled by Duke
Mieszko I
Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was Duchy of Poland (966–1025), Duke of Poland from 960 until his death in 992 and the founder of the first unified History of Poland, Polish state, the Civitas Schinesghe. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was t ...
and his successors in the
Piast
The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of King Casimir III the Great.
Branches of ...
dynasty, was centred politically on Poznań and the neighbouring Polan strongholds, particularly
Gniezno
Gniezno (; ; ) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The city is the administrative seat of Gniezno County (''powiat'') ...
and
Giecz
Giecz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dominowo, within Środa Wielkopolska County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately north of Dominowo, north-east of Środa Wielkopolska, and east ...
. Archaeological research shows that in the late 10th century Poznań had a ducal palace (where the Church of Our Lady now stands, opposite the cathedral), with a chapel, possibly built for Mieszko's Christian wife
Dobrawa. The ceremony by which Mieszko converted to Christianity in 966, known as the
Baptism of Poland
The Christianization of Poland ( ) refers to the introduction and subsequent spread of Christianity in Poland. The impetus to the process was the Baptism of Poland ( ), the personal baptism of Mieszko I, the first ruler of the future Polish st ...
, is likely to have taken place at Poznań.
Following the conversion, in 968 Poland received its first missionary bishop,
Jordan
Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
, who is believed to have used Poznań as his seat. Construction began of
Poznań's cathedral. This was originally built in an early
Romanesque style, and as Poland's first cathedral had
St. Peter as its patron. The first rulers of Piast Poland – Mieszko I,
Bolesław I and
Mieszko II
Mieszko II Lambert (; c. 990 – 10/11 May 1034) was King of Poland from 1025 to 1031 and Duke from 1032 until his death.
He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave but the eldest born from his third wife, Emnilda of Lusatia. He organized ...
– are buried beneath the cathedral.
Gniezno was created an
archbishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...
at the
Congress of Gniezno
The Congress of Gniezno (, or ''Gnesener Übereinkunft'') was an amicable meeting between the Polish Duke Bolesław I the Brave and Emperor Otto III, which took place at Gniezno in Poland on 11 March 1000. Scholars disagree over the details o ...
in 1000, by agreement between Bolesław I and Holy Roman Emperor
Otto III
Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was the Holy Roman emperor and King of Italy from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu.
Otto III was c ...
. However Jordan's successor
Unger
Unger is a surname literally meaning "Hungarian". It may refer to:
* (1898–1989), German writer, playwright and translator, brother of Wilhelm
* Andrew Unger (born 1979), Canadian writer
* Anna Unger, East German cross country skier
* Annette ...
remained as Bishop of Poznań independent of Gniezno, although it is not clear whether this continued to be a missionary bishopric subordinate to the Pope, or was attached to the
Bishopric of Magdeburg
The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Latin Catholic archdiocese (969–1552) and Prince-Archbishopric (1180–1680) of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River.
Planned since 955 and established in 967, the arch ...
.
With Mieszko II's death in 1034, which probably occurred in Poznań (and may have been the result of an aristocratic plot), the country entered a period of anarchy and
pagan reaction, which caused much devastation in the region. In 1038
Bretislaus I, Duke of Bohemia
Bretislav I (; 1002/1005 – 10 January 1055), known as the "Bohemian Achilles", of the Přemyslid dynasty, was Duke of Bohemia from 1034 until his death in 1055.
Youth
Bretislav was the son of Duke Oldřich and his low-born concubine Božena ...
invaded, sacking and destroying Poznań and Gniezno. When Poland's unity was restored by
Casimir the Restorer
Casimir I the Restorer (; 25 July 1016 – 19 March 1058), a member of the Piast dynasty, was the duke of Poland from 1040 until his death. Casimir was the son of Mieszko II Lambert and Richeza of Lotharingia. He is known as the Restorer because ...
in 1039, the capital was moved to
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
, which had been relatively undamaged by the troubles. Poznań and Gniezno were rebuilt, and in spite of the decline in the region's political importance, Poznań remained an important economic center.
In the period of fragmentation of Poland (1138–1320)
Under the
testament of Bolesław III, in 1138 Poland was divided into separate duchies under the late king's sons. Poznań and its surrounding region (though without Gniezno and
Kalisz
Kalisz () is a city in central Poland, and the second-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, with 97,905 residents (December 2021). It is the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of Gr ...
) became the domain of
Mieszko III the Old
Mieszko III ( 1122/25 – 13 March 1202), sometimes called the Old, was Duke of Greater Poland from 1138 and High Duke of Poland, with interruptions, from 1173 until his death.
He was the fourth and second surviving son of Duke Bolesław III W ...
, the first of the
Dukes of Greater Poland
The Duchy of Greater Poland was a District duchy, district principality in Greater Poland that was a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385), Kingdom of Poland. It was formed in 1138 from the territories of the Kingdom of Poland, following ...
. The period saw much turbulence and fighting among the dukes, with the duchies and their subdivisions (such as the duchies of Poznań, Gniezno and Kalisz) frequently changing hands. Mieszko was High Duke of all Poland at various times between 1173 and his death in 1202, by which time he had also gained control of Gniezno and Kalisz, thus making Poznań a centre of power in a region covering the whole of Greater Poland. However the instability would continue throughout the 13th century.
Poznań at this time was still essentially the stronghold on the cathedral island. However, by the end of the 12th century various trade and craft settlements had developed around it, including those of St. Gotard,
St. Martin and St. Adalbert (Wojciech) on the left bank of the Warta river, and
Śródka on the right bank. The name Śródka derived from the Wednesday markets which were held there (''środa'' is Polish for "Wednesday"). Beyond Śródka was the
Church of St. John (formerly of St. Michael), and beyond that a settlement which would become known as Komandoria (after the commander of the
Knights Hospitallers
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...
, to whom the church was granted in 1187).
The main arena of development, though, was the left bank. In about 1249, Duke
Przemysł I began constructing a residence and castle on what is now called Przemysł Hill – this would become the
Royal Castle. Przemysł also acquired the settlement of St. Gotard from the bishopric, in exchange for that of St. Adalbert, with the intention of founding a town there. In 1253 a charter was given by Przemysł (and his brother
Bolesław the Pious
Bolesław the Pious (1224/27 – 14 April 1279) was a Duke of Greater Poland during 1239–1247 (according to some historians during 1239–1241, sole Duke of Ujście), Duke of Kalisz during 1247–1249, Duke of Gniezno during 1249–1250, Duk ...
) for the founding of a town under
Magdeburg law
Magdeburg rights (, , ; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages gr ...
. The charter was issued to Thomas of
Gubin, who in the following years brought many German settlers to aid in the building. This city covered the area of Poznań's present-day
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
neighbourhood, centred on the Market Square (now ''Stary Rynek''). Under Duke
Przemysł II
Przemysł II ( also given in English and Latin language, Latin as ''Premyslas'' or ''Premislaus'' or in Polish as '; 14 October 1257 – 8 February 1296) was the Duke of Poznań from 1257–1279, of Greater Poland from 1279 to 1296, of Kraków fr ...
, the castle was strengthened and the new city surrounded with a
wall
A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or serves a decorative purpose. There are various types of walls, including border barriers between countries, brick wal ...
, integrated with the castle (which stood at the eastern end of the town).
Przemysł II was crowned king of Poland in 1295, and thus the castle became a royal residence. However, after the king's murder in
Rogoźno
Rogoźno is a town in Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship, about 40km north of Poznań. Its population is 10,959(2021). It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Rogoźno.
History
Rogoźno dates back to a Lechitic (p ...
the following year, the conflict and instability resumed. In 1314 Poznań finally came under the control of
Władysław I the Elbow-high Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to:
People Mononym
* Włodzis ...
, who was crowned king of a reunited Poland in 1320, bringing the period of fragmentation to an end.
In Poland and the Commonwealth (1320–1793)
In the reunited Poland (and later in the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
) Poznań became the seat of a
voivodeship
A voivodeship ( ) or voivodate is the area administered by a voivode (governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in ...
, although within the Greater Poland region
Kalisz
Kalisz () is a city in central Poland, and the second-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, with 97,905 residents (December 2021). It is the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of Gr ...
was initially of greater importance, lying on the route from
Silesia
Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
to
Toruń
Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...
and
Gdańsk
Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
. In 1331 Poznań withstood a siege by forces of
John of Bohemia
John of Bohemia, also called the Blind or of Luxembourg (; ; ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He is well known for having died while fighting ...
. With the start of the
Jagiellonian
The Jagiellonian ( ) or Jagellonian dynasty ( ; ; ), otherwise the Jagiellon dynasty (), the House of Jagiellon (), or simply the Jagiellons (; ; ), was the name assumed by a cadet branch of the Lithuanian ducal dynasty of Gediminids upon recep ...
period Poznań began to grow in importance, as it lay on the trading route from
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
and
Ruthenia
''Ruthenia'' is an exonym, originally used in Medieval Latin, as one of several terms for Rus'. Originally, the term ''Rus' land'' referred to a triangular area, which mainly corresponds to the tribe of Polans in Dnieper Ukraine. ''Ruthenia' ...
to western Europe. King
Władysław II Jagiełło
Jogaila (; 1 June 1434), later Władysław II Jagiełło (),Other names include (; ) (see also Names and titles of Władysław II Jagiełło) was Grand Duke of Lithuania beginning in 1377 and starting in 1386, becoming King of Poland as well. ...
granted and confirmed numerous privileges on the city, which continued to grow in importance under his successors. Most of the surrounding settlements on the left-bank of the Warta belonged to the city, while the cathedral island (Ostrów Tumski) and the right bank formed the bishop's possessions. Separate town rights were bestowed on Ostrów Tumski sometime before 1335,
Śródka in 1425 (its western end, Ostrówek, would form a separate town), and Chwaliszewo (then a separate island) in 1444.
The city also suffered from frequent epidemics of disease, which slowed the growth of the population. It also suffered a number of fires (particularly in 1386, 1447, 1459, 1464, 1536 and 1590), which increased the popularity of brick over wood as a building material. Floods were another frequent problem. The city's fortifications were strengthened from 1431 onwards, with the addition of
wall tower
A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with defensive walls such as curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of ...
s, a tall observation tower and a second line of walls, a
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...
being created between the two lines.
The city had a significant
Jew
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish community, which had probably existed since the mid 13th century, although the first documentary record of them dates from 1367, by which time Poznań already had a
synagogue
A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
. The Jewish quarter was in the north-east of the walled city, around the street called ''ulica Żydowska'' ("Jewish Street"), known as ''ul. Tkacka'' ("Weavers' Street") before the 15th century.
The
Lubrański Academy
The Lubrański Academy ( Polish: ''Akademia Lubrańskiego''; Latin: ''Collegium Lubranscianum'') was a university college that was established in 1518 in Poznań by Bishop Jan Lubrański. It was the first school with university aspirations in Pozn ...
was founded in Poznań in 1519, Poland's second institution of higher education after the
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...
, although it did not have the right to award
academic degree
An academic degree is a qualification awarded to a student upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions often offer degrees at various levels, usually divided into und ...
s.
In 1536 the city suffered a major fire. The
town hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
was one of the buildings affected; the damage led to a major redesign and reconstruction of the building in 1550–1560, under the direction of
Giovanni Battista di Quadro.
In 1549 it is recorded that there were 550 houses belonging to the townspeople, 86 belonging to Jews, about 30 belonging to nobles and a similar number belonging to clergy. Many craftsmen by that time had moved to the settlements outside the city walls, leading to an increase in the number of residential buildings in the city. However many of the nobles' and clergy's possessions, both within and outside the walls, had the status of ''
jurydyka
Jurydyka (plural: jurydyki, improperly: jurydykas), is a legal entity in the Polish legal system from bygone centuries (originating from Latin: ''iurisdictio'', jurisdiction), denoting a privately owned tract of land within a larger municipality, ...
'', which placed them outside the control of the city and thus reduced the city's revenues and power. The Jewish quarter was also self-governing. It is estimated that the conurbation's population in this period was approximately 20,000, of which 8,000 lived within the city walls. However the population was subject to large fluctuations due to fires, floods and outbreaks of disease.
At the end of the 16th century Poznań was a major centre for the fur and leather trade, particularly in skins coming from
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
and
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
.

During the
free election
An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated s ...
period in Poland, Poznań, as one of the most influential cities of the state, enjoyed voting rights.
Attempts were made to introduce
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
to the city in the second half of the 16th century, but this involved mainly the nobility, the bulk of the population remaining
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
. The largest Protestant congregation, the German-speaking Lutherans, numbered 2,300 to 2,400 at the end of the century, of whom only about 600 lived within the city walls. The Catholic Church's
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...
efforts included the founding of a
Jesuits' College in the city in 1571, under the rectorship of
Jakub Wujek
Jakub Wujek (1541 – 27 April 1597) was a Polish Jesuit, religious writer, Doctor of Theology, Vice-Chancellor of the Vilnius Academy and translator of the Bible into Polish.
He is well-known for his translation of the Bible into Polish: the ...
. This institution gained the right to award
academic degree
An academic degree is a qualification awarded to a student upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions often offer degrees at various levels, usually divided into und ...
s in 1611, and existed until the abolition of the order and merger with the Lubrański Academy in 1780.
From the second half of the 17th century Poznań, like Poland as a whole, suffered from a series of invasions and other disasters. The city was occupied by a Swedish army in 1655 during the
Second Northern War
The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of ...
, replaced by
Brandenburg
Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...
ians in 1656 (the Swedes burned the suburbs when they left). The Brandenburgian garrison surrendered after a two-month siege in 1657, which left the city devastated. There were also many deaths from
plague during this time. In the
Third Northern War
In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter ...
Poznań was again occupied by a Swedish army, from 1703–1709, and became the main centre of the pro-Swedish movement in the country. After 1709 the city was occupied by
Saxon
The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
forces, who looted much property; there were also further outbreaks of plague until 1711. The city was captured by forces of the
Tarnogród Confederation
The Tarnogród Confederation was a confederation of szlachta in Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, in the years 1715–1716. It was formed on 26 November 1715 in Tarnogród by nobility angered by illegal taxation, levied for Saxon forces operating i ...
in 1716, which led to further plundering. Russian forces arrived in the region in the same year (remaining until 1719), but accepted payment not to enter the city.

A fire of 16 March 1717 spread from the Jewish quarter to the whole of the city; alleged failure of the Jews to allow fire-fighting efforts led to
anti-Semitic
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
sentiment. King
August II
Augustus II the Strong (12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733), was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1697 to 1706 and from 1709 until his death in 1733. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the H ...
was unwilling to assist the rebuilding of the city after these disasters; in 1728 30% of houses remained in disrepair. In 1733–1735 the city again suffered from the frequent presence of military forces during the
War of the Polish Succession
The War of the Polish Succession (; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a civil war in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth over the succession to Augustus II the Strong, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of ...
. This was followed by a flood of 1736, which destroyed almost all of the suburban buildings. In 1719–1753 Poznań absorbed several waves of rural settlers from
Bamberg
Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...
(''
Bambrzy
Bambers, also known as Poznań Bambergians, are Poles who are partly descended from Germans who moved from the area of Bamberg (Upper Franconia, Germany) to villages surrounding Poznań, Poland. They settled in villages which had been destroyed d ...
''), invited by the city authorities to rebuild the devastated suburbs. There were also significant groups of Dutch settlers (''
Olędrzy'').
In spite of Poland's non-involvement, Poznań was affected by the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
, because of its strategic location. Russian and
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
n troops alternately occupied the city from 1758 until 1763. There was much looting of property by the occupiers, and during the time of Prussian control the townspeople were forced to sell goods at vastly reduced prices or for counterfeit money. The city received no assistance from the Polish government of
August III
Augustus III (; – "the Saxon"; ; 17 October 1696 5 October 1763) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire where he was known as Frederick Augustus II ().
He w ...
during these events, and the election of
Stanisław August Poniatowski
Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, and as Stanisław August Poniatowski (), was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuani ...
to the throne in 1764 was widely welcomed. However Poznań again suffered military occupation and conflict during the events involving the
Bar Confederation
The Bar Confederation (; 1768–1772) was an association of Polish nobles (''szlachta'') formed at the fortress of Bar, Ukraine, Bar in Podolia (now Ukraine), in 1768 to defend the internal and external independence of the Polish–Lithuanian C ...
, with Russian troops occupying the city in 1768–1769, followed by confederate troops in 1769–1770, Russians again in 1770–1771, Prussians in 1771–1773 (withdrawing after the
First Partition of Poland
The First Partition of Poland took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that eventually ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The growth of power in the Russian Empire threatened the Kingdom of Prussia an ...
had been ratified), and Russian troops again in 1773–1775.
Various Polish
Crown Army
The Crown Army (Polish language, Polish: ''Armia koronna'') was the Ground warfare, land Military branch, service branch of the Military of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, military forces of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland in the Polish� ...
units were stationed in the city at various times, including the Prince Frederick Mounted Regiment, 1st, 7th and 9th Polish Infantry Regiments and the 2nd Polish Artillery Brigade.
In 1778 a "Committee of Good Order" ''(Komisja Dobrego Porządku)'' was established in Poznań (a type of body introduced by acts of the
Sejm
The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...
in 1764 and 1768, to oversee the restoration of the kingdom's cities). Poznań's committee was headed by
Kazimierz Raczyński
Kazimierz (; ; ) is a historical district of Kraków and Kraków Old Town, Poland. From its inception in the 14th century to the early 19th century, Kazimierz was an independent city, a royal city of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom, located south ...
, a former general,
starosta
Starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', ) is a community elder in some Slavic lands.
The Slavic root of "starost" translates as "senior". Since the Middle Ages, it has designated an official in a leadersh ...
of Wielkopolska and crown official. One of its first acts was to take an inventory, which showed that within the city walls there were 390 residential buildings (80% of them brick-built), and 57 public buildings (including the three main gates and around 30 wall towers). There were also 8
abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
s, 9 Catholic churches, a Protestant congregation and a synagogue. The Committee organized repairs and improvements to buildings, construction of buildings on unbuilt land, the building of a new wall, improvements to streets, and the removal of
mills
Mills is the plural form of mill, but may also refer to:
As a name
* Mills (surname), a common family name of English or Gaelic origin
* Mills (given name)
*Mills, a fictional British secret agent in a trilogy by writer Manning O'Brine
Places U ...
from the river to make it navigable. It also reformed the city government and attempted (with partial success) to bring the ''
jurydyki'' under the city's control.
In the events leading to the
Second Partition of Poland
The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of partitions of Poland, three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition (politics), partition occurred i ...
, Poznań was occupied by a Prussian army on 31 January 1793. On 10 June an order was given that all Polish offices of government were to cease their activity by 4 July. Thus Poznań (or ''Posen'', as it was known in German), along with all of
Greater Poland
Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland.
The bound ...
, came under the control of Prussia.
In the Prussian Partition for the first time (1793–1807)

According to Prussian figures compiled in 1794, there were 4,738 people living within the city walls, as well as another 2,355 in the formerly independent Jewish quarter. There were also 640 in the St. Wojciech settlement, 2,344 in
St. Martin's, 329 in
Śródka, 255 in Ostrówek (the western part of Śródka, with separate town rights), 1,052 in Chwaliszewo, 126 in Piotrowo, 304 on Ostrów Tumski, and 425 in the abbeys. Taking account of other settlements not listed, this puts the total population of the conurbation at around 15,000. It is estimated that about 70% of the population was Polish, 20% Jewish, and about 10% German (particularly settlers living in the suburbs).
Poznań became part of the province of
South Prussia
South Prussia (; ) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1793 to 1807 created out of territory annexed in the Second Partition of Poland.
History
South Prussia was created out of territory annexed in the Second Partition of Poland and i ...
(serving as the provincial capital until 1795, when
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
was added in the
Third Partition). The Prussian authorities aimed to integrate the conurbation into a single unit. In 1796 the settlements belonging to the Church (which resisted integration) were confiscated, and in 1797 the settlements of St. Wojciech (north of the walled city) and St. Martin (to the west) were incorporated into the city. These were followed in 1800 by the island settlements of Chwaliszewo and Zagórze (on Ostrów Tumski), and Śródka, Ostrówek and Zawady on the right bank.
By this time the city covered and had a population of close to 19,000, as well as a
garrison
A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters.
A garrison is usually in a city ...
of 2,500. The old city walls were now redundant militarily and came to be taken down and the moats filled in, enabling new building as the city expanded. Major new streets and squares included the grand avenue of ''Wilhelms Strasse'' (today's ''Aleje Marcinkowskiego'') to the west of the old town, ''Wilhelms Platz'' (today's ''Plac Wolności'') adjacent to it, ''Königs Platz'' (today's ''Plac Cyryla Ratajskiego'') further to the west, and ''Gerber Strasse'' (today's ''ul. Garbary'') east of the old town. A fire of 1803 caused significant damage in the old town, and led to wider streets being marked out. In 1804 a theatre (the ''Arkadia'' building) was erected on Wilhelms Platz, serving mainly to show German plays. It was designed by architect
David Gilly
David Gilly (7 January 1748 – 5 May 1808) was a German architect and architecture tutor in Prussia, known as the father of the architect Friedrich Gilly.
Life
Born in Schwedt, Gilly was the son of a French-born Huguenot immigrant named Jacques ...
, who also oversaw other development projects in the city.
In the Duchy of Warsaw (1807–1815)
Following France's successes against Prussia in the
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
, Napoleon sent Polish generals
Jan Henryk Dąbrowski
Jan Henryk Dąbrowski (; also known as Johann Heinrich Dąbrowski (Dombrowski) in German and Jean Henri Dombrowski in French; 2 August 1755 – 6 June 1818) was a Polish general and statesman, widely respected after his death for his patri ...
and
Józef Wybicki
Józef Rufin Wybicki (; 29 September 1747 – 10 March 1822) was a Polish nobleman, jurist, poet, political and military activist of Kashubian descent. He is best remembered as the author of "" (), which was adopted as the Polish national anthe ...
to raise a Polish army to take control of South Prussia, in what was called the
Greater Poland Uprising of 1806
Greater Poland uprising of 1806 was a Polish military insurrection which occurred in the region of Wielkopolska, also known as Greater Poland, against the occupying Prussian forces after the Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1 ...
. On 1–2 November Prussian forces and many officials withdrew from Poznań, leaving Dąbrowski and Wybicki to enter the city on 3 November 1806. The city became a base for continued military action, and Napoleon himself stayed there (at the former Jesuit College) between 27 November and 12 December. In 1806, the Polish 11th Infantry Regiment was formed in Poznań. The following year Poznań became part of the semi-independent
Duchy of Warsaw
The Duchy of Warsaw (; ; ), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a First French Empire, French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars. It initially comprised the ethnical ...
, and served as the capital of an administrative area called
Poznań Department.
In 1812 Napoleon's armies again passed through Poznań, this time in retreat following defeat in Russia, and Napoleon stayed in the city (in secret) on 12 December. The last French troops left on 12 February 1813, and Russian troops entered the city the same day, beginning an occupation which lasted until 1815. In that year, as agreed at the
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...
, Poznań and its region again came under Prussian control.
In the Prussian Partition for the second time (1815–1918)
In 1815 the official population of Poznań was 23,854. The city became the capital of the
Grand Duchy of Posen
The Grand Duchy of Posen (; ) was part of the Kingdom of Prussia, created from Prussian Partition, territories annexed by Prussia after the Partitions of Poland, and formally established following the Congress of Vienna in 1815. On 9 February 1 ...
, which in theory enjoyed limited autonomy, with the rights of the Poles respected, although in practice efforts at
Germanization
Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, German people, people, and German culture, culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nati ...
were undertaken. Poznań was the seat of the royal governor, Duke
Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł Antoni is a Catalan, Polish, and Slovene given name and a surname used in the eastern part of Spain, Poland and Slovenia. As a Catalan given name it is a variant of the male names Anton and Antonio. As a Polish given name it is a variant of the f ...
. Urban development continued, including the marking out of more streets in the newer "upper town" and its integration with the old town, and demolition of the walls and gates of the old town (several churches were also demolished). Plans were also made for a new line of fortifications around the expanded city, including the
Fort Winiary citadel in the north (now the ''Cytadela'' park). Construction work on this project began in 1828 and continued for several decades (for details, see ''
Poznań Fortress
Poznań Fortress, known in German as Festung Posen (Polish: ''Twierdza Poznań'') was a set of fortifications in the city of Poznań (German: ''Posen'') in western Poland, built under Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian rule in the 19th and early 20th c ...
''). Military barracks and training grounds were created in the north of the city.
In 1828, the city was visited by composer
Fryderyk Chopin
The Fryderyk is the annual award in Polish music. Its name refers to the original Polish spelling variant of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin's first name. Its status in the Polish public can be compared to the US Grammy and British BRIT Awar ...
.
Among projects financed by Poles in Poznań, the
Raczyński Library
The Raczyński Library ( Polish: ''Biblioteka Raczyńskich w Poznaniu'') is a public library founded by Count Edward Raczyński in Poznań. The library's building was erected in 1822–1828 with the financial support of Edward Raczyński Found ...
, financed by
Edward Raczyński, was completed in 1828. German poet
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...
was most impressed when he visited the site of the library's construction in August 1822, though Edward Raczyński, in fear of rejection, could not disclose to the Prussian authorities he intended to house a Polish public library there until February 1829, when he sent the Prussian king the statute of its foundation and organization and on 24 January 1830
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III (; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved ...
did approve it. After the death of the library's founder and then his son, Roger the Prussian authorities made effort to Germanize the Raczyński Library, but these efforts were not fully successful. An important centre of Polish culture in Poznań would be the Bazar hotel on Wilhelms Strasse, built in 1841 by a company set up by
Karol Marcinkowski
Karol Marcinkowski (23 June 1800 in Posen, Kingdom of Prussia, today Poznań in Poland–6 November 1846) was a Polish physician, social activist in the Greater Poland region (also called the Grand Duchy of Posen), supporter of the basic educa ...
and other Poles. Also in 1841 Marcinkowski and Maciej
Mielzynski founded the ''Towarzystwo Naukowej Pomocy dla Młodzieży Wielkiego Księstwa Poznańskiego'' ("
"), which provided academic scholarships for poor Poles. Raczyński also funded the city's first system of water supply pipes (built of wood, from 1840).
Hipolit Cegielski set up his first metal goods shop in the Bazar hotel building in 1846 – the
Cegielski company would develop into one of Poznań's largest industrial concerns (since 1919 occupying plants south of
Wilda district).

In the 1830s the idea was raised of building a railway to
Frankfurt an der Oder
Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Marchian dialects, Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With a ...
(which was already connected to
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
). However the Prussian authorities feared that this might be exploited by Russia in case of war; they were also dissatisfied that the project was being promoted by the Polish-dominated provincial parliament. Approval for a railway was finally given in 1846, but running north to
Stargard
Stargard (; 1945: ''Starogród'', 1950–2016: ''Stargard Szczeciński''; or ''Stargard an der Ihna''; ) is a city in northwestern Poland, located in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. In 2021 it was inhabited by 67,293 people. It is situated on ...
, and the concession was given to a Prussian company. The railway opened on 10 August 1848. The station was in
Jeżyce (on the site now occupied by the zoo and the adjacent tram depot). It later gained connections to
Breslau (today Wrocław) (1856), Berlin (1870),
Inowrocław
Inowrocław (; , ) is a city in central Poland with a total population of 68,101 (as of December 2022). It is situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is one of the largest and most historically significant cities within the historic re ...
and
Bromberg (today Bydgoszcz) (1872), and
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...
(1875). The station on its present site, south-west of the city centre, was built in 1879. A direct line to Warsaw would not be opened until 1921.
Polish sentiment against the partitioning powers led to two insurrections, each known as a "Greater Poland Uprising" (''powstanie wielkopolskie''). The
1846 uprising was easily defeated, the insurgents being tried in Berlin the following year. The
1848 uprising initially enjoyed greater success, as it was supported by the German National Assembly which had come into being through the
Spring of Nations
The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...
revolutions, being seen as a force against possible Russian intervention. However this support was lost when the insurrection was seen to be directed against Germans in the region, and this uprising too was ultimately unsuccessful. The
Polish National Committee was founded and based in the city. Following these events the Duchy lost its residual autonomy, being "degraded" to the
Province of Posen
The Province of Posen (; ) was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1848 to 1920, occupying most of the historical Greater Poland. The province was established following the Greater Poland Uprising (1848), Poznań Uprisi ...
(''Provinz Posen''), although the Prussian kings continued to use the title Grand Duke of Posen. With Prussia, the province became part of the united
German Empire
The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
in 1871.
Polish national poet
Juliusz Słowacki
Juliusz Słowacki (; ; ; 4 September 1809 – 3 April 1849) was a Polish Romantic poet. He is considered one of the " Three Bards" of Polish literature — a major figure in the Polish Romantic period, and the father of modern Polish drama. Hi ...
stayed in Poznań from 11 April to 9 May 1848, when he departed to
Wrocław
Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
. Słowacki first met
Karol Libelt
Karol Libelt (8 April 1807, Poznań, South Prussia – 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 ...
in Poznań. The first obituary of
Fryderyk Chopin
The Fryderyk is the annual award in Polish music. Its name refers to the original Polish spelling variant of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin's first name. Its status in the Polish public can be compared to the US Grammy and British BRIT Awar ...
, by poet
Cyprian Norwid
Cyprian Kamil Norwid (; – 23 May 1883) was a Polish poet, dramatist, painter, sculptor, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the four most important Polish Romanticism, Polish Romantic poets, though scholars still debate whether he is ...
, and the composer's first biography, by Marceli Szulc, were published in Poznań in 1849 and 1873, respectively.
Polish social and academic organizations continued to be set up, including the
Central Economic Society for the Grand Duchy of Poznań
The Central Economic Society for the Grand Duchy of Poznań () was a social-economic organization of Poland, Polish landowners in the Greater Poland region (at this time called the Grand Duchy of Poznan, Grand Duchy of Poznań) established at a mee ...
(1861) to promote modern agriculture, the
Poznań Society of Friends of Learning
The Poznań Society of Friends of Learning or Poznań Society for the Advancement of Arts and Sciences (, ''PTPN'') is a learned society in Poznań, Poland, established in 1857, by scholars and scientists in all branches of learning. It has be ...
(1875), and the
People's Libraries Society
People's Libraries Society ( (TCL)) was an educational society established in 1880 for the Prussian partition of Poland (active in the regions of Greater Poland or the Grand Duchy of Poznan, Pomerania, West Prussia, Kashubia and Silesia). Its ma ...
(1880). In 1873–1875 a Polish theatre was built by public subscription (''Teatr Polski'', still functioning today). The authorities, however, continued efforts to Germanize the region, including through the activities of the
Prussian Settlement Commission
The Prussian Settlement Commission, officially known as the Royal Prussian Settlement Commission in the Provinces West Prussia and Posen (; ) was a Prussian government commission that operated between 1886 and 1924, but actively only until 1918.Et ...
, founded in 1886. Germans accounted for 38% of the city's population (20,000 out of 53,000) in 1867 – by 1910 their number would rise to 50,000, though this represented a smaller percentage of the total population of the city (whose boundaries had significantly expanded in the meantime). As the population increased the proportion of Jews in the city also fell: from 20.5% in 1831 to 13.3% in 1867 and 3.6% in 1910 (a total of about 5,000).
A gasworks was built on Grobla in 1853–1856, enabling the first gas streetlights to be installed in 1858 (this form of lighting would continue in use until the early 1960s). Grobla was also the site of the city's first modern waterworks (1866) and major electricity works (1904). Sewers began to be installed on a large scale at the end of the 19th century.

To strengthen the city's defences, in the second stage of the ''
Festung Posen'' scheme, an outer ring of forts was built to encircle the city. The nine original forts were built starting in 1876, and nine intermediate forts were built between them from 1887. Poznań was by now a major military post, headquarters of the German Fifth Army Corps. However much of the original inner ring of fortifications was now redundant and could be taken down, enabling the city to expand more freely, particularly to the west. Near the old Berlin Gate a series of imposing buildings was constructed, including the neo-Romanesque
imperial palace (now called ''Zamek''), completed in 1910, which lent the city the status of a royal residence. The other buildings included the opera house, a post office headquarters (''Oberpostdirektion''), the railway board headquarters, a Royal Academy, and the headquarters of the Settlement Commission, where teachers and clerics were trained. (The last two are now university buildings: ''Collegium Minus'' of
Adam Mickiewicz University
Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam).
According to Christianity, Adam si ...
, and ''Collegium Maius'', occupied mainly by
Poznań Medical University.)
Serious floods (reaching the Old Market) occurred in 1855, 1888 and 1889. In 1889 Emperor
Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...
visited the city to inspect the flood damage, and appointed a committee to take steps to prevent further such disasters. The small river branch called the ''Zgniła Warta'' ("rotten Warta") flowing west of Grobla (on the line of today's ''ul. Mostowa'') was filled in, as was a stream following into it (today's ''ul. Łąkowa''). It was also planned to divert the main stream of the Warta to flow east of Chwaliszewo (in what was then a flood relief channel), but this plan would not be realized until 1968 (further major floods would occur in 1924 and 1940).
Poznań gained its first electric
tram
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
s in 1898 (horse-drawn trams had operated since 1880, running from the new rail station to the Old Market Square, and later to the cathedral; see ''
Tramways in Poznań''). The first motor cars were seen on the city's streets in 1901, and the first taxis in 1905.
In 1902 Wilhelm II visited the city to give speeches and unveil a statue of
Frederick Frederick may refer to:
People
* Frederick (given name), the name
Given name
Nobility
= Anhalt-Harzgerode =
* Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670)
= Austria =
* Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...
. Poles protested his visit by leaving the city or shuttering homes.
The Polish management of Wilhelm's hotel even left the building undecorated. While the ethnic Germans received Wilhelm with praise, only one hereditary Polish noble met the emperor.
It was during this visit that Wilhelm called for the expansion of the city and the removal of some military fortifications. Wilhelm also gave a speech to attempt alleviate the ethnic conflicts in the region, but observers noted that the populace was unconvinced.
In 1896 the right-bank suburbs of Piotrowo and Berdychowo became part of the city. The city borders were then expanded significantly westwards in 1900, to include the former villages of Łazarz, Górczyn,
Jeżyce and
Wilda. Sołacz was added in 1907. Poznań now covered an area of . In 1911–1913 the St. Roch road bridge was built across the Warta close to Berdychowo (a bridge had previously stood there until 1771).
Interwar period
Following Germany's defeat in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
Polish independence seemed assured, but it was not clear whether
Greater Poland
Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland.
The bound ...
would become part of the new state of Poland. A speech given in Poznań by
Ignacy Paderewski
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (; r 1859– 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist, composer and statesman who was a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the nation's prime minister and foreign minister during which time he signed the Tre ...
on December 27, 1918 ignited the
Greater Poland Uprising of 1918–1919, in which Polish troops attempted to take control of the region from Germany. The uprising was largely successful, and in the
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
peace treaty (signed June 28, 1919) most of the region was granted to Poland, with Poznań as the capital of the newly formed Poznań Voivodeship within the
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...
. Many German inhabitants left to live within the new German borders, partly because of discrimination. Germans made up 5.5% of the city's population in 1921, and 2.6% in 1931 (after the expansion of the city's boundaries).
In 1919 Poznań University was opened, taking over the buildings of the
Prussian Settlement Commission
The Prussian Settlement Commission, officially known as the Royal Prussian Settlement Commission in the Provinces West Prussia and Posen (; ) was a Prussian government commission that operated between 1886 and 1924, but actively only until 1918.Et ...
and Royal Academy. In 1921 Poznań first hosted trade fairs, which from 1925 became the Poznań International Fairs. From 16 May to 30 September 1929 the fairs site became the venue for a major National Exhibition (''Powszechna Wystawa Krajowa'', popularly ''PeWuKa''), held to mark ten years of Polish independence. The exhibition attracted around 4.5 million visitors. The Pan-Slavic Congress of Singers was held as part of the exhibition's opening days.
In the interwar period the city's borders were expanded to include Główna, Komandoria, Rataje, Poznań, Rataje, Starołęka, Dębiec, Szeląg and Winogrady (including the Poznań Citadel, Citadel) in 1925, and Golęcin and Podolany, Poznań, Podolany in 1933. The city's area was now .
World War II
Poznań was invaded by German troops on 10 September 1939, during the invasion of Poland, which started World War II. On 12 September, the ''Einsatzkommando, Einsatzkommando 1'' and ''Einsatzgruppen, Einsatzgruppe VI'' paramilitary death squads entered the city to commit various Nazi crimes against the Polish nation, crimes against the population. Already in September, the occupiers carried out mass arrests and first massacres of local Poles, including at nearby Zdziechowa. The Germans also carried out mass searches of Polish institutions and libraries, and closed down Polish organizations, press and cultural institutions. Poznań was made the headquarters of the central district of the ''Selbstschutz'', which task was to commit atrocities against Poles during the German invasion of Poland. On 8 October 1939, Poznań was annexed by Germany, and was included into a newly formed province called initially ''Reichsgau Posen'', and later Reichsgau Wartheland (''Warthe'' being the German name for the
Warta
The river Warta ( , ; ; ) rises in central Poland and meanders greatly through the Polish Plain in a north-westerly direction to flow into the Oder at Kostrzyn nad Odrą on Poland's border with Germany. About long, it the second-longest riv ...
river). The governor (''Gauleiter'') was Arthur Greiser, who would be hanged for crimes against humanity after the war. Ernst Damzog was appointed the police inspector for both ''Sicherheitspolizei'' and ''Sicherheitsdienst'' in German-occupied Poznań.
During the Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), German occupation, many people were murdered, executed, tortured or detained in inhumane conditions, particularly at the notorious Fort VII concentration camp, set up in one of the late 19th-century defensive forts, and later at the camp in Żabikowo, Luboń, Żabikowo. In October 1939, the German police and ''Selbstschutz'' also carried out mass arrests of local priests (see ''Nazi persecution of the Catholic Church in Poland''). Over 3,400 Polish prisoners of Fort VII, including college students, women and nuns, were massacred in nearby Dopiewiec and Dębienko. Several local Polish school principals and teachers were also murdered in the Mauthausen concentration camp. Mentally ill patients from the local municipal hospital were gassed in Fort VII, as part of ''Aktion T4''.
Some 100,000 inhabitants were Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany, expelled to the General Government in the more-eastern part of German-occupied Poland. The aim of German policy was gradual extermination of Polish and Jewish population in the region, with the victims of German campaign estimated at 460,000. Many others were sent to Germany as Forced labour under German rule during World War II, forced labour or conscripted into the German army. Poznań was the seat the German Central Bureau for Resettlement (UWZ, ''Umwandererzentralstelle''), a special German institution established in November 1939 to coordinate the expulsion of Poles from occupied Polish territories. Poznań's Jewish population, which had numbered 2,000 in 1939, was largely murdered in the Holocaust. Property belonging to expelled or murdered Poles and Jews was often given to Volksdeutsche resettled from Baltic States, Eastern Europe and central Germany. Figures for 1944 show 94,000 Germans living in Poznań.
Poles were subjected to forced labour also in the city itself, and from 1941, the German labor office in Poznań demanded that Polish children as young as 12 register for work, but it is known that even ten-year-old children were forced to work. In 1943, the Germans also carried out deportations of Kidnapping of ethnic Polish children by Nazi Germany, kidnapped Polish children from Poznań to a camp for Polish children in Łódź, which was nicknamed "little Auschwitz" due to its terrible conditions.
From 1940 to 1945, the Germans operated the Stalag XXI-D German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II, prisoner-of-war camp for Allies of World War II, Allied POWs in Poznań.
The Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish resistance movement was active in the city. Several organizations were formed in Poznań, including ''Tajna Polska Organizacja Wojskowa'' (Secret Polish Military Organization), ' (Poznań Military Organization), ' (National Fighting Organization), ''Ojczyzna'' (Homeland) and ''Komitet Niesienia Pomocy'' (Relief Committee), with some later merged into larger structures. Regional branches of the nationwide Union of Armed Struggle, Bataliony Chłopskie, Gray Ranks and ' organizations were also founded. Activities included Education in Poland during World War II, secret Polish schooling, printing and distribution of underground Polish press, sabotage actions, military trainings, espionage of German activity, providing aid to people in need, preparations for a planned uprising, and facilitating escapes of British prisoners of war from Stalag XXI-D. In June 1940, the Bureau of the Government Delegation for Poland for Polish territories annexed by Germany was founded, and in July 1940, even an underground Polish parliament was established in Poznań. The Germans cracked down on Polish resistance several times, with many Poles either executed or tortured and killed in prisons and concentration camps. In February 1943, a flying unit of the Union of Armed Struggle and Home Army carried out an operation to burn down Wehrmacht warehouses in the local river port, an action deemed one of the most spectacular in the region.
The Nazi authorities made further significant expansions to the city boundaries in 1940–42, incorporating most of the territory of today's city, thus almost tripling its size to . They also replaced Polish names for districts with German ones (sometimes newly invented). The Polish names were restored after the war, but the expanded city boundaries were retained.
As the Soviet Red Army advanced into Poland in January 1945, Poznań was declared a ''German WWII strongholds, Festung'', meaning that it was to be defended at all costs. Greiser himself fled, but evacuation of civilians was forbidden until January 20. Soviet forces reached the city on January 25 and, following nine days of artillery bombardment, began their ground assault on February 18, aided by some Polish civilians and a unit of the 2nd Polish Army. On the night of February 22, the German commander, Ernst Gomell, committed suicide, and the following morning the remaining garrison surrendered. The struggle left over 55% of the city destroyed, including over 90% of the Old Town. For more details, see Battle of Poznań (1945).
Since 1945

Many Germans had fled the region as the Soviets advanced; the post-war expulsion of Germans from Poland after World War II, expulsions of Germans from Polish territory in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement (and emigration of remaining Jews) left Poznań with an almost uniformly ethnically Polish population, which totalled 268,000 in 1946. During the early post-war years much of the city was rebuilt from ruins. The city again became the capital of Poznań Voivodeship, now within the communist People's Republic of Poland. In 1950 the size of the voivodeship was reduced, and the city of Poznań itself was given separate voivodeship status.
In 1949, the 1572 Posnania asteroid was discovered at the Poznań Observatory, and later named after the city.
In June 1956, workers at the city's Cegielski locomotive factory, the largest factory in Poland, demanded talks with Prime Minister Józef Cyrankiewicz to protest at low wages, lack of overtime pay, tax changes and food shortages. The government refused to talk, and after a series of strikes, on June 28 a workers' protest march was fired on by the authorities. The situation escalated; crowds ransacked the communist party headquarters and attacked the secret police headquarters, where they were repulsed by police fire. According to official figures, 67 people were killed; hundreds more were injured or arrested. The riots continued for two days until being quelled by the army. These protests are seen as an early expression of resistance to communist rule in Poland. For more details, see Poznań 1956 protests.
From the 1960s onwards intensive housing development took place, consisting mainly of Panelak, pre-fabricated concrete blocks of flats. The largest areas of such development were Rataje, Poznań, Rataje and Winogrady. Later Piątkowo, Poznań, Piątkowo, which came within the city boundaries in 1974, would be used for similar large-scale building.
A major infrastructural change in the city centre, completed in the late 1960s, was the rerouting of the river
Warta
The river Warta ( , ; ; ) rises in central Poland and meanders greatly through the Polish Plain in a north-westerly direction to flow into the Oder at Kostrzyn nad Odrą on Poland's border with Germany. About long, it the second-longest riv ...
so that its main stream flowed in the former relief channel east of Chwaliszewo (as had been planned following the floods of 1889); a right branch was also created linking with the
Cybina
Cybina is a river in Greater Poland, a right affluent of Warta. It starts near village Iwno and after 43 km falls into the right branch of Warta, which is also called Cybina or Kanał Ulgi, in Poznań
Poznań ( ) is a city on the War ...
across the former Berdychowo dam (''Tama Berdychowska''), thus making Ostrów Tumski a true island between the two branches. The former main stream west of Chwaliszewo was filled in and the land reclaimed, and a new main road was built crossing the island, with bridges across both river branches, leading to
Śródka (where significant demolition took place south of the main square).
In the administrative reforms of 1975, Poznań ceased to be a city with separate
voivodeship
A voivodeship ( ) or voivodate is the area administered by a voivode (governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in ...
status, and became the capital of a much smaller Poznań Voivodeship.
Following the early successes of the Solidarity (Polish trade union), Solidarity movement, in 1981 a monument to the events and victims of June 1956 was erected on Adam Mickiewicz Square, with Lech Wałęsa attending. In 1983 Pope John Paul II visited Poznań.
In 1987 the most recent expansion of the city's boundaries took place, with the addition of new areas mainly to the north, including Morasko, Radojewo and Kiekrz.
Following the fall of communism, the first free local government elections took place in 1990. A second papal visit took place in 1997. In 1998 a Weimar triangle meeting took place in Poznań between German chancellor Helmut Kohl, French president Jacques Chirac and Polish president Aleksander Kwaśniewski.
In 1997 transport communication between the northern estates of Winogrady and Piątkowo and the city centre was greatly improved with the opening of the Poznań fast tram route (''Poznański Szybki Tramwaj'', popularly ''Pestka''). Poznań gained its first motorway connection in 2003 (part of the A2 autostrada (Poland), A2 ''autostrada'' running south of the city in the directions of Warsaw and Berlin).
With the Polish local government reforms of 1999, Poznań again became the capital of a larger voivodeship, now called
Greater Poland Voivodeship
Greater Poland Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship, or province, in west-central Poland. The province is named after the region called Greater Poland (''Wielkopolska'' ). The modern province includes most of this historic re ...
. It also became the seat of a ''powiat'' ("Poznań County"), although the city itself acquired separate powiat status.

In 2006 Poland's first F-16 Fighting Falcons arrived in Poznań. They are stationed at the 31st Air Base in Nowe Miasto, Poznań, Krzesiny in the south-east of the city.
Poznań continues to host regular trade fairs and international events, usually at the Poznań International Fair site. In December 2008 it hosted the 2008 United Nations Climate Change Conference, United Nations Climate Change Conference. Poznań was also one of the host cities for the EuroBasket 2009 and 2012 European Football Championship.
In 2015, a medieval treasure, including 350 coins and 8,000 fragments of clay vessels, was discovered during archaeological excavations in the Old Town.
See also
*History of Poland
*Historical population of Poznań
Polish text of Poznań's founding charter* Timeline of Poznań history
* Museum of the History of Poznań
Notes
References
* K. Malinowski (ed.), ''X wieków Poznania'', Poznań/Warsaw 1956
* Czesław Łuczak, ''Życie społeczno-gospodarcze w Poznaniu 1815–1918'', Poznań 1965
* Lech Trzeciakowski, ''W dziewiętnastowiecznym Poznaniu'', Poznań 1987
* A. Skałkowski, ''Bazar Poznański. Zarys stuletnich dziejów (1838–1938)'', Poznań 1938
* ''Wielkopolski Słownik Biograficzny'', 2nd edition, Warsaw/Poznań 1983
* ''Dzieje Poznania 1253–2003'', ed. Dariusz Jaworski, ''Gazeta Wyborcza'' special supplement, 2003
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of Poznan
History of Poznań,