Last Updated on March 5, 2021
Poland, often overlooked as a destination, has many beautiful cities and locations to visit. I probably didn’t appreciate most of them myself, until I moved away. Krakow and Warszawa seem to be winning in the popularity contest for those, who do decide to visit, but there is much more to see beyond those two.
Two of my most favorite cities in Poland are Wroclaw ( here ) and Poznan. Even though in different regions, both share two things in common : they are beautiful, full of history cities, and I have a special connection to both of them, as they are a huge part of my life growing up. Having family in both cities, I basically spent my life up to my 20s bouncing back and forth between the two, eventually ending up in one of them in college.
Poznan, the 5th largest city in the country, is located on the Warta river, in West central Poland. It’s also the biggest city in the Greater Poland region ( Wielkopolska ). Poznan has a vibrant student life, as there are many schools, universities and the third biggest university in the country ( Uniwersytet Adama Mickiewicza ). For over 95 years the city has been the host of the International Fair, that is the biggest not only in the country, but in all Eastern and Central Europe.
Typical for an old European city, there is no shortage of colorful old buildings, cobblestone streets and a picturesque main square, that along with the renaissance Town Hall is a heart of the city. One of the main attractions in the square is the goat clock up on tower of the Town Hall. Every day at 12 noon, two mechanical goats come out and start butting heads 12 times. Based on an old legend, this performance dates back to 1551. It’s almost like a smaller version of the astronomical clock in Prague ( here ). And just like that attraction, it might be underwhelming to some. The goat clock is something very popular in Poznan to witness, if you happen to pass through the market around noon, but I wouldn’t plan my day around it.
Getting to Poznan is easy, as it has both an airport and a major train station. Lawica airport is located about 7 km ( over 4 miles ) outside of the city, and is very well connected to the city center with buses and taxis. Train station Poznan Glowny, even though confusing to use with its new design, easily connects Poznan with other cities, not just within Poland. Since Poznan is rather close to Berlin, Germany, you can travel between the two cities in just 3 hours.