Kazimiera Illakowiczowna Polish poet 1928

The Royal-Imperial Route in Poznań (, ) is a tourist walk running through the most important parts of the city and presenting the history, culture and identity of

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 ...

. The Route leads in a westward direction, from The Church of St. John Jerusalem behind the Wall to the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Florian. The Royal–Imperial Route in Poznań is an idea of a tourist product that would combine important places and historical monuments of the city. "The Royal – Imperial Route" axis provides cultural, artistic and educational events that integrate the activities of all parties concerned and are the platform for co-operation of various entities: public administration, culture and science institutions, representatives of the academic circle, and tourist organisations. That is why "The Royal–Imperial Route" is Poznań's first complete partner project in which the City Hall motivates the other parties to work for the development of cultural tourism of the city and region.

Thematic lines

*Route of history "Poland began here... – Poland began in Poznań...". The name of the theme recalls the words of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

, who reminded that the history of Christian Poland (and its statehood) began in Poznań, to some extent together with the European integration, or rather affiliation to the Mediterranean culture instead of Byzantine one. The thousand-year history inscribed in the areas of the old Poznań (from Ostrów Tumski to the Old Town) and the Polish state provide excellent material and inspiration to develop a tourist offer, which could be briefly described with the following sentence: in Poznań you travel to the beginnings of Poland – not only in the family context, but also in respect of the national identity. *Route of architecture monuments "That is how Poznań was built – Route of Work and Beauty". Different architectural styles in Poznań: from Romanesque to

Secession Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...

(

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

–

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 ...

– Parish Church–

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

), and transparent development of both the urban system and cultural content, allow to guide the tourist through successive stages (cultural layers) of the city, from which the history of people who worked and lived here can be traced over the centuries. *Artistic (Cultural) Route "Cultural inspirations – Route bustling with (cultural) life… – Entertainment/Cultural ROUTing". The artistic offer constitutes an important element of cultural tourism. Cultural programs affect the significance of the city on the map of cultural – city tourism marketing to a great extent. For that reason the elements of the integrated Tourist Product "Royal-Imperial Route in Poznań" involve many diversified product programs within this area. *Route of

Wielkopolska 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 ...

traditions "Not just potatoes with cottage cheese – Good Food and Fun". Emphasizing one's own local identity through presenting the customs, traditions or values to the public constitutes the only "resources" exploited for tourist purposes. Yet, presenting the tradition of Wielkopolska Region in Poznań will be a wonderful supplement to the cultural offer of the city, highlighting at the same time its genuine individual character and regionalism.

Historic reference

The name of The Royal-Imperial Route has its ground in the history of the city. "''Royal''" comes from the fact that

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 ...

's palatium served as a residence for the first

kings of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Royal elections in Poland, free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electab ...

, whose tombs are located in Poznań Cathedral's crypt. The cathedral is the place of burial of the following rulers: *

, (and his wife – Dobrawa), *

Bolesław I the Brave Bolesław I the Brave (17 June 1025), less often List of people known as the Great, known as Bolesław the Great, was Duke of Poland from 992 to 1025 and the first King of Poland in 1025. He was also Duke of Bohemia between 1003 and 1004 as Boles ...

, *

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 ...

, *

Casimir I 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 ...

, * Ladislaus Odonic, * Przemysł I, *

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 ...

, *

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 Royal Castle ''(Zamek Królewski)'', erected on Przemysł Hill ''(Góra Przemysła)'' at the end of the 13th century as the largest of its time in Poland, was where Polish as well as foreign kings were frequently received. *

Casimir III the Great Casimir III the Great (; 30 April 1310 – 5 November 1370) reigned as the King of Poland from 1333 to 1370. He also later became King of Ruthenia in 1340, retaining the title throughout the Galicia–Volhynia Wars. He was the last Polish king fr ...

, *

Louis I the Great Louis I, also Louis the Great (; ; ) or Louis the Hungarian (; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370. He was the first child of Charles I of Hungary and his wife ...

, * Jadwiga of Anjou, *

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. ...

, *

John I Albert John I Albert (; 27 December 1459 – 17 June 1501) was King of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Roy ...

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (Casimir Andrew Jagiellon; ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447 until his death in 1492. He was one of the most active Polish-Lithuanian rulers; under ...

, *

Sigismund I the Old Sigismund I the Old (, ; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was List of Polish monarchs, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the son of Casimir IV of P ...

, *

Henry of Valois Henry of Valois may refer to: *Henry II of France (1519–1559), King of France *Henry III of France (1551–1589), King of France and Poland See also *Henri Valois Henri Valois (; September 10, 1603, in Paris – May 7, 1676, in Paris) or ...

, *

Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Re ...

, *

John II Casimir Vasa John II Casimir Vasa (; ; 22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1648 to his abdication in 1668 as well as a claimant to the throne of Sweden from 1648 to 1660. He was the first son of Sigis ...

. Poznań was also an emperors' city: * The first emperor to visit the city was

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 ...

on his way to

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'') ...

, where in 1000 (AD), together with the Polish sovereign,

Bolesław the Brave 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 Co ...

, he offered prayers to God at the tomb of St. Adalbert, who is now the patron saint of the European Union.

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

Frederick I Frederick I or Friedrich I may refer to: * Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht. * Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978) * Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105) * Frederick I ...

(Barbarossa) and

John of Luxembourg 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 fightin ...

all attempted to take Poznań. Two Tsars,

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

and

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...

, also paid state visits to the city. * In 1806,

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

moved into the

Jesuit College The Jesuits (Society of Jesus) in the Catholic Church have founded and managed a number of educational institutions, including the notable secondary schools, colleges, and university, universities listed here. Some of these universities are in t ...

for few weeks, from where he commanded his army. * The German Kaiser

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 ...

awarded Poznań the status of "imperial-residence city". The castle erected for the Kaiser in 1910 was the last imperial residence built in Europe.

Description of the route

The route shows how the city has changed and developed through the centuries and is as follows:

Lake Malta Lake Malta, known also as the Maltański Reservoir,Gołdyn R., Kozak A., Kostka K. 1994. Causes of changes in the water quality of the restored Maltański Reservoir in Poznań. In: Gołdyn R. (ed.) Protection of the water of the catchment area of ...

– Church of St. John of Jerusalem behind the Wall – Śródka – Bishop Jordan Bridge – Ostrów Tumski (the Cathedral Island) – Chrobry Bridge – Chwaliszewo – Old Market Square – Paderewskiego Street – Wolności Square – 27 Grudnia Street – Fredry Street – Theatre Bridge – Dąbrowskiego Street – Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Florian.

Attractions and monuments

Church of St. John of Jerusalem Outside the Walls The Church of Saint John of Jerusalem outside the walls () is a Roman Catholic parish church in the city of Poznań in western Poland. The original church on this site was built at the end of the 11th century, making it one of the oldest churche ...

* Lake Malta with its sport and recreation centre * The Maltanka Station of the narrow-gauge train in Malta Park * Church of St. Casimir and the monastery of the Reformers * Church of St. Margaret, the Martyr * Former Philippine Monastery * Bishop Jordan Bridge * Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul * Archbishop's Palace * Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Summo * Psalm Singers Houses * Archdiocese Museum, Lubrański Academy Building * Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus and Mother of God the Comforter (Jesuit Church) * The Former Synagogue * Workshop and Museum of Józef I. Kraszewski * Church of the Holy Mary, the Helper of the Faithful, Salesian Society (Catherines nuns) * "Na Piętrze" Stage (Estrada Poznańska) * City Walls * St. Adalberts Church with the Crypt of the Eminent Wielkopolskans * The Citadel, Armaments Museum and Museum of the Poznań Army (formerly: the Winiary Fort) * Church of the most Precious Blood of Christ * City Hall – Museum /of the History of Poznań * Weighhouse * Bamber Woman Well * Merchant Tenement Houses * Wielkopolska Military Museum * Arsenal Municipal Gallery * The Guardhouse – Museum of the Wielkopolska Uprising 1918–1919 * Działyński Palace * Henryk Sienkiewicz Literature Museum * Mielżyński Palace * Museum of Musical Instruments * Former Royal Castle (now houses Museum of Applied Arts) * Church of St. Anthony of Padua and Conventual Franciscan Monastery (in the cellars: a model of historic Poznań, and a model of the Piast State) * Archaeology Museum (the former Górka Palace) * The Ballet School andseat of the Polish Dance Theatre, Poznań Ballet (former

) * Bishop Stanisław's Collegiate Parish Church and former Jesuit College (now: Poznań Town Hall) * All Saints' Church * Ethnography Museum (the former

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

) * Museum of the Poznań Bambers * Lamplighter Statue * Church of St. Francis Seraphic and Franciscan Monastery (Monastery of the Friars Minor) * Church of Corpus Christi * The Old Brewery Shopping, Art and Business Centre * Muzyczny Theatre * Statue of Stary Marych * St. Martin's Church * Bazar Hotel * National Gallery – Gallery of Paintings and Sculpture *

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 ...

* Arkadia, seat of the Theatre of the Eighth Day and the City Information Centre *

Poznań University 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 ...

Library * Polski Theatre * Okrąglak Building * Poznań Society for the Friends of the Sciences * Church of the Holy Saviour * Collegium Maius (former Colonization Commission building) * Stanisław Moniuszko Grand (Wielki) Theatre * Former Imperial Castle (now houses Zamek ("Castle") Cultural Centre) * Monuments to Poznań Uprising of June 1956 and Adam Mickiewicz * Adam Mickiewicz University, Collegium Minus and University Auditorium (concert hall of the Tadeusz Szeligowski Philharmonic Society of Poznań) * New Auditorium (Aula Nova) *

Palm House Palm house is a term sometimes used for large and high heated display greenhouses that specialise in growing arecaceae, palms and other tropical and subtropical plants. In Victorian era, Victorian Britain, several ornate glass and iron palm house ...

* Old Zoo * Residence and Workshop of

Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna (6 August 1892 – 16 February 1983) was a Polish poet, prose writer, playwright and translator. She was one of the most acclaimed and celebrated poets during Poland's interwar period. Life and work She was born o ...

* Nowy Theatre * Art-nouveau town houses, Roosevelt Street * Art-nouveau and timberframe buildings, Dąbrowskiego Street * Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Florian

The full list of partners

The Royal–Imperial Route Programme is based on partnership on many levels. The Programme involves Full Partners, Associated Partners and additionally Auxiliary Partners are invited to the individual projects (e.g. schools, auxiliary self-governments, NGOs). All these institutions inform one another about their actions, projects and initiatives related to the Strategy. The Mayor of Poznań controls the proper implementation of the Strategy's provisions. All works related to the implementation of the Strategy are co-ordinated by the Programme Office which operates within the structures of the Poznań City Hall. * "Zamek" Cultural Centre * Estrada Poznańska Stage *

Poznań Philharmonic Tadeusz Szeligowski Poznań Philharmonic is a regional cultural institution founded in 1947 on the initiative of Tadeusz Szeligowski as the State Philharmonic in Poznań; one of the two philharmonics in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. History The ...

* Polish Dance Theatre – Poznań Ballet * Animation Theatre * Nowy Theatre * Eighth Day Theatre * Polski Theatre * Wielki Theatre * "Arsenal" Municipal Gallery * Archaeological Museum *

National Museum in Poznań The National Museum in Poznań (), Poland, abbreviated MNP, is a state-owned cultural institution and one of the largest museums in Poland. It houses a rich collection of Culture of Poland#Art, Polish painting from the 16th century on, and a coll ...

* Wielkopolska Museum of the Struggle for Independence * State Archive in Poznań *

* Metropolitan Curia * University of Economics * University of Medical Sciences *

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute ...

* Academy of Music * The Adam Mickiewicz University

References

* Dorota Matyaszczyk, Poznań, The Royal-Imperial Route, tourist guidebook, Wydawnictwo Miejskie, Poznań 2008, , * Konsorcjum PART S.A. i RES Management, Development Strategy of The National Tourist Product "The Royal – Imperial Route In Poznań", Poznań 2005

External links

The Royal-Imperial Route on www.poznan.pl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poznan Royal-Imperial Route Poznań Tourist attractions in Poznań