Poznań
Town Hall in Poznan
February 20, 2005
Poznan looked great, but we had little time so had to sacrifice the cathedral and
Ostrów Tumski. This was disappointing, but we made the most of the trip and ran
frantically around the city.
The Rynek was incredible; I think perhaps the best in Poland that I’ve seen except
for one really ugly building, which didn't entirely fit in. All the buildings were
unique and the lighting was perfect. The city had a great atmosphere and there seemed
to be students everywhere. The town hall was among the best I’ve seen and is renowned
as one of the best in Europe; there are two goats that come out at noon everyday
and bash heads 12 times at noon.
We left the Rynek and headed west to the castle ruins then off to the German district.
After the second partition of Poland by the Prussians Kaiser Wilhelm II built himself
a castle here, a large grey stoned building that looked like a cartoon in a fantasy
children's book. Nearby was the opera house, philharmonic, and a monument to
the workers’ strike of 1956. We passed through the incredibly modern outskirts of
town, showing us why this is the country’s second economic center and caught our
train out of town.