Poznan: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Poznań (former German name: Posen, see also other names) is a city in west-central Poland with over 578,000 inhabitants (1999). Located by the Warta River, it is one of the oldest Polish cities, an important historical center and the capital of Greater Poland, the cradle of the Polish state, and Poland's capital in the mid-tenth century during the early Piast dynasty. Poznań's impressive cathedral is the earliest church in the country, containing the tombs of the first Polish rulers: duke Mieszko I and king Boleslaus the Brave.

Today the city is a vibrant center for trade, industry, and education. Poznań is Poland's 5th largest city and 4th biggest industrial center. It is also the administrative capital of the Greater Poland Voivodship.

Poznań
(Coat of Arms of Poznań) (Flag of Poznań)
Motto: none
Voivodship	Greater Poland Voivodship
Municipal government	Rada miasta Poznań
Mayor	Ryszard Grobelny
Area	261,3 km²
Latitude Longitude	52°17'34'' N - 52°30'27'' N 16°44'08'' E - 17°04'28'' E
Population  - total (2002)  - density	578 900 2215/km²
Area code	(+48) 61
Car registration marks	PO 0001 do PO 99999
Official site (in Polish)

Geography

Location

city area 261,3 km² (2002)
geographical location: 52°17'34N - 52°30'27N, 16°44'08E - 17°04'28E
highest point: Mt. Morasko 154 m asl
lowest point: Warta river valley: 60 m asl

Without the special characters, the name is sometimes also spelled Poznan in English, it is also referred to, in Polish language, as Stołeczne Miasto Poznań, German Haupt- und Residenzstadt Posen, Latin: Posnania, civitas Posnaniensis.

Earlist surviving reference to the city were by Thietmar in his chronicles: episcopus Poznaniensis ("Bishop of Poznań", 970) and ab urbe Poznani ("by" or "from the city Poznań", 1005).

Early spellings include: Posna and Posnan.

The name probably comes from a personal name Poznan and means the Poznan's town. It is also possible the name comes directly from the verb poznać which means "to know, to recognize".

Administrative division

Poznań metropolitan area, consisting of the autonomous towns of Poznań, Ostrów, Ostrówek, Środka, Chwaliszewo, Łacina, was integrated into one city in 1793–1800. Rapidly growing city was extended by the joining of the neighbouring villages of Grunwald, Łazarz, Górczyn, Jeżyce, Wilda, Winogrady, Piątkowo and Rataje. Today, Poznań is divided into 5 districts, which are further divided onto several dozens of neighbourhoods. The districts are:

• Poznań-Stare Miasto
• Poznań-Nowe Miasto
• Poznań-Jeżyce
• Poznań-Grunwald
• Poznań-Wilda

The annual Malta Theatre festival is probably the most characteristic cultural event of the city. Henryk Wieniawski Vilin Festival is held every 5 years. Annual claasical music festival is held in the city, on which the Basel Boys Choir took part several times. to be continued...

(in alphabethic order)

• Józef Brzeziński
• Hipolit Cegielski (1815-1868)
• Dezydery Chłapowski (1788-1848)
• August Cieszkowski (1814-1894)
• Antoni Czubiński, historian
• Franciszek Dobrowolski (1830-1896)
• Tytus Działyński (1796-1861)
• Ewaryt Estkowski (1820-1856)
• Maksymilian Jackowski (1815-1905)
• Stefan Jurga professor and rector of Poznan University
• Antoni Kraszewski (1797-1870)
• Antoni Krzyżanowski
• Gerard Labuda, (born 1916), historian
• Karol Libelt (1807-1875)
• Włodzimierz Łęcki, politician and writer
• Karol Marcinkowski (1800-1848)
• Władysław Markiewicz, historian
• Teofil Matecki (1810-1886)
• Maciej Mielzyński
• Andrzej Niegolewski (1787-1857)
• Władysław Niegolewski (1814-1880)
• Władysław Oleszczyński (1809-1866)
• Kazimierz Piwarski, (1903-1968), historian
• Janusz Pałubicki, politician
• Gustaw Potworowski (1800-1860)
• Edward Raczyński (1786-1845)
• Cyryl Ratajski (1875-1942), president of Poznan 1922-34
• Antoni Radziwiłł
• Michał Sczaniecki, historian
• Mateusz Sibilski, conductor
• Walery Stefański (1815-1877)
• Stefan Stuligrosz, conductor
• Roman Szymański (1840-1908)
• Lech Trzeciakowski, historian
• Teofil Walicki
• Zygmunt Wojciechowski, (1900-1955), historian, founder of Western Institute(Instutut Zachodni)
• Leon Wegner (1824-1877)
• Anna Wolf-Powęska, historian
• Tadeusz Zwiefka - popular TV journalist, former editor-in-chief of the Poznań regional TV center, and today a PO's Member of European Parliament.

Main article: Education in Poznań

Poznań is home to few state-owned universities and a number of smaller, mostly private-run colleges and institutions of higher education. Adam Mickiewicz University (abbreviated UAM) is one of the most influential and biggest universities in Poland.

• Poznan University of Technology
• Poznan University of Medical Sciences
• Adam Mickiewicz University
• Agricultural University of Poznan
• Poznan University of Economics
• Poznan University School of Phisical Education
• Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan
• Academy of Music in Poznan

Poznań has been an important trade centre since the Middle Ages. In 19th century however local heavy industry became to grow. Several major factories were founded, including the steel mill and railway factory of Hipolit Cegielski.

Nowadays Poznań is one of the major centres of trade with Germany. Many Western-European companies started their Polish branches there or in the nearby localities of Tarnowo Podgórne and Swarzędz.

For a list of major Poznań-based corporations see Major corporations in Poznań

• Lech Poznań - men football team (Polish Champion: 1983, 1984, 1990, 1992 and 1993; Polish Cup winner 1982, 1984, 1988 and 2004; Polish SuperCup winner 1990, 1992, 2004)
• Warta Poznań - men's football team (3rd league in season 2003/2004).
• Stary Browar AZS Poznań - women's basketball team playing in Sharp Torell Basket Liga: 2nd place in 2003/2004 season.
• AZS AWF Poznań - women's volleyball team playing in Polish Seria A Women's Volleyball League: 8th place in 2003/2004 season.

Municipal politics

Since 1989 (the end of the communist era), Poznań municipality and metro area have invested heavily in infrastructure, especially transportation and improved public administration. This has effected in a massive investment from foreign companies in Poznań itself, as well as in communities west and south of Poznań (namely, Kornik and Tarnowo Podgorne).

Most foreign investors are German and Dutch companies (see "Major corporations" above), with a few others. Investors are mostly from the food processing, furniture, automotive and transport & logistics industries. Foreign companies are primarely attracted by low labour costs, but also by the relatively good road and railway networks in the vicinity, good vocational skills of workers (heritage of the communist era) and relatively liberal employment laws. As compared with Germany, there are far fewer restrictions, e.g. on shop opening hours.

Worth noticing is also the positive attitude of public administration towards investments, and less annoying "red tape" than elsewhere in Poland.

Investment into transportation was mostly in the public transport area. While number of cars grew at least twice since 1989, the policy of improving public transport gave good effects. Limiting car access to the city centre, building new tram lines and investing in new rolling stock (such as modern Combino trams by Siemens and Solaris low-floor buses) actually increased ridership. This is a notable success, even considering that Polish society possesses about half of "old EU" purchasing power and thus not everybody can own a car.

Future investments into transportation include the construction of a "third ring road" around the city, and the completion of A2 (E30) highway towards Berlin. In the public transport area (and non-car transportation), further investment must be made into the development bicycle paths (and the linking of presently existing ones), and an attempt is presently made of developping Karlsruhe-style light rail system for commuters. All that is made more complicated (and more expensive) by the heavy neglect of transportation thruought communist era.

Poznań constituency

Members of Sejm elected from Poznań constituency

• Andrzej Aumiller, SLD-UP
• Waldy Dzikowski, PO
• Maciej Giertych, LPR
• Anna Górna-Kubacka, SLD-UP
• Marcin Libicki, PiS
• Krystyna Łybacka, SLD-UP
• Joanna Nowiak, SLD-UP
• Sylwia Pusz, SLD-UP
• Małgorzata Stryjska, PiS
• Michał Stuligrosz, PO

Members of European Parliament elected from Poznań constituency

• Filip Kaczmarek, PO
• Jan Kułakowski, UW
• Marcin Libicki, PiS
• Jan Masiel, Samoobrona
• Marek Siwiec, SLD-UP
• Witold Tomczak, LPR

Main article: History of Poznań, see also: History of Poland

Historical summary:

Poznań it is one of the oldest Polish cities, an important historical center and the capital of Greater Poland, the cradle of the Polish state, and Poland's capital in the mid-tenth century during the early Piast dynasty. Poznań's impressive cathedral is the earliest church in the country, containing the tombs of the first Polish rulers: duke Mieszko I and king Boleslaus the Brave. Poznań was the capital city of Greater Poland region and one of the biggest Polish cities. Lubrański Academy, second Polish university was established in 1519.

Poznan was in years 1815-1919 the capital of the Grand Duchy of Poznan in personal union with the Kingdom of Prussia, but it was not part of Germany. In year 1871 it was unilateraly annexed by the newly created German Empire, despite the protests of the Polish parliamentarians. Poznan was also occupied by the Nazi Germany during World War II (1939-45).

Historical population

• collective work, Poznań. Dzieje, ludzie kultura, Poznań 1953
• K. Malinowski (red.), Dziesięć wieków Poznania, t.1, Dzieje społeczno-gospodarcze, Poznań 1956
• collective work, Poznań, Poznań 1958
• collective work, Poznań. Zarys historii, Poznań 1963
• Cz. Łuczak, Życie społeczno-gospodarcze w Poznaniu 1815-1918, Poznań 1965
• J. Topolski (red.), Poznań. Zarys dziejów, Poznań 1973
• Zygmunt Boras, Książęta Piastowscy Wielkopolski, Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, Poznań 1983
• Jerzy Topolskiego (red.), Dzieje Poznania,Wydawnictwo PWN, Warszawa - Poznań 1988
• Alfred Kaniecki, Dzieje miasta wodą pisane, Wydawnictwo Aquarius, Poznań 1993
• Witold Maisel (red.), Przywileje miasta Poznania XIII-XVIII wieku. Privilegia civitatis Posnaniensis saeculorum XIII-XVIII. Władze Miasta Poznania, Poznańskie Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk, Wydawnictwa Żródłowe Komisji Historycznej, Tom XXIV, Wydawnictwo PTPN, Poznań 1994
• Wojciech Stankowski, Wielkopolska, Wydawnictwo WSiP, Warszawa 1999