'''Greater Poland ''' (in Polish '''Wielkopolska''') is a lake district in west-central Poland in the Voivodship (province) Wielkopolskie Voivodship.
Regions
Climate
Climate in the Greater Poland is much milder than everage in Poland and much milder than expected by most of the visitors, who join Poland with siberian frosts. In fact : severe frosts (minus 10-15C) last in the region no more than 10-12 days yearly, there hasn't been for a few years a seriously lasting snow cover - it's mostly snow incovnenient from slegde, not to mention skiing. Spring is usually short, quickly turning into pretty warm summer. In June, July and August expect quite high temperatures (reaching even 30-32C) and periods of drought. Autumn can be both rainy and foggy (so suitable for guests from the UK) and sunny and mild (16-18C).
Cities
Gniezno ? one of the capitals in 10th ? 11th cent (together with Pozna? and Ostrow Lednicki) with the oldest archcathedral (from the year 1000), famous for its chapels and bronze Gniezno Door from 12th century, a modern and interactive Museum of the Beginnings of Poland, picturesquely situated between lakes
Go?uchow with a beautiful renessaince castle and the aurochs stockyard
Kalisz ? the oldest city in Poland, mentioned in Roman cronicles already in 2nd cent.
Klodawa - with the biggest operating salt mine in Poland
Kornik
Leszno
Lichen - with the largest church in Poland, the Sanctuary of Our Lady
Ostrow Lednicki ? remnants of the Duke_fs palace (palatium) and a fortress from the early history of Poland together with 2 preserved baptism bowls from 960s.
Pozna? ? the capital of the region, the 5th biggest city in Poland with history going back to the end of 9the century, full of monuments from all epoques, including the oldest polish church (and the oldest cathedral) from 960s, beautiful gothic ? renessaince ? baroque Old Town and bulings from the turn 19/20th cent erected by Prussians and creating so called Emperor_fs District. As well known as Poland_fs second biggest banking centre, famous for ist International Fairs and sport events.
Szamotu?y
Swarzedz with the only bee-keeping museum in Poland
W?growiec
Wolsztyn ? a town in south-western part of the region, world-famous for its working steam trains depot, which is the only opened one in Europe. Besides the town offers wonderful lakes, an open-air museum showing building from Greater Poland and a Robert Koch Museum (TC discovery), who lived for most of his life here.
Understand
Originally, during the first decades of the Polish state teh region was called "Poland" ("Polska" in polish; the name comes drom the word "pole" - a field, which means, that the tribe (Polans - in polish "Polanie") forming the Polish state was an agicultural one. The name was transferred into "Wielkopolska" - "Greater Poland" later on, during the reign of Przemysl II at the end of XIIIth century. Nevertheless the region was the craddle of Poland - here the first cities were founded, the first capitals : Gniezno, Poznan, Ostrow Lednicki are as well in Wielkopolska.
When in 1138 Poland was divided in duchies united by the rule of the senior, Greater Poland became on independent duchy, and vfew decades later there were two small states with capitals in Poznan and Kalisz - for most of the time Gniezno - the third biggest city in the region at that time belonged to the Kalisz duchy. Greater Poland was also a core of the restoring of the kingdom in 1295 and fro short time became again the capital of Poland, as the king Przemysl II origined from the Greater Poland branch of the Piast dynasty.
In the period between XVth and XVIIth centuries, when many war affected central and eastern Poland, the Greater Poland was an oasis of peace, that helped to grow and expand the cities and all the region. Most of Wielkopolska territories was incorporated into the Prussian state during the second Partition in 1793; the region was a part of Prussian state or German Empire till 1919, when a succesful Wielkopolska Uprising (27.12.1918 - June 1919) let join the reborn Poland. The region was occupied by Nazi German from mid-September 1939 till spring 1945. Now most of the historical territories of Wielkopolska belong to Wielkopolska voivodship (province), but some : to Kujawsko-Pomorskie and West Pomeranian Voivodship
Now the region is known for its high agicultural culture, for being (especially Poznan the business and fair heart of Poland and for many historical sights from both first co-capitals and other places.
Get in
By plane
The main (and in terms of passenger traffic) airport in the region is Poznan airport Lawica, situated very close (7 km {4 mi}) from the city centre, offering connections to more than 20 destinations across Europe, including e.g.: London, Frankfurt, Munich, Dublin, Rome, Oslo, Berlin, Stockholm, Malmo, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Edinburgh. If your region is '''not''' connected by plane with Poznan, you can try other airports in surrounding Polish regions: to Wroclaw (Breslau), Bydgoszcz or even Warsaw, which has very good train connection with Poznan.
Up-to-date flight schedule [http://airport-poznan.com.pl/en/destinations/timetable.html] at Poznan Lawica Airport.
By train
Region has very good connections with most other polish regions as well as some cities abroad. Its main (what doesn't mean, that's the only one) rail junction is Poznan, offering many inter-city and international connections:
Berlin : 4 times a day BWE (Berlin-Warsaw-Express) train - travel time ca 3 hrs and one overnight express from Berlin to Warsaw calling in Pila - good for those travelling to the north of the region
Kiev : 1 daily, ca 22 hrs
Munich, Amsterdam, Basel, Koeln, Innsbruck : 1 EuroNight train daily
Warsaw : more than 15 daily, a little bit less on weekend days, mostly InterCity, EuroCity or express trains (ca 3 hrs)
Szczecin : 10-12 daily (only fast and express trains) (2hrs10) and two accelerated trains (2hrs30)
seaside resorts : Ko?obrzeg / Koszalin / S?upsk : up to 8 daily (in summer season), including 2 slow trains (appr. 5hrs)
Gdansk (calling at Gniezno, Inowroc?aw, Bydgoszcz) : 6-8 daily (only fast trains - appr. 5hrs30) + 2 slow trains to Bydgoszcz (appr. 3hrs)
Olsztyn (calling at Gniezno, Torun) : 3 daily (only fast trains - 5hrs)
Lodz : 6 daily, mostly slow trains (4hrs30)
Krakow (Cracow) (mostly calling at Wroc?aw, Opole, Katowice) : up to 10 daily (7hrs), including 4 going further to Przemy?l (appr. 11hrs)
Katowice - up to 12 daily (a bit more than 5hrs)
Wroc?aw (calling at Leszno) : more than 20 daily. A great choice of slow, accelerated, fast and express trains (from 2 to 3 hrs)
mountain resorts in Sudety Mountains : Szklarska Por?ba : up to 4 daily, Kudowa Zdroj - as well 4 daily (6 hrs)
famous mountain resort in Tatra Mountains - Zakopane - 2 overnight trains in summer and winter season (10 hrs)
Get around
By train
Trains are the basic mean of transport in the region. The main i and the most important junction is of course Poznan, but regional centres : Leszno, Ostrow Wielkopolski and Pila offer as well many good connections. The most important line in the region is the one from Warsaw via Konin, Wrzesnia, Poznan toward the western border and further to Berlin. Other lines playing great role in the transport system are :
Szczecin (Stettin) - Poznan - Leszno - Wroc?aw (Breslau)
from the seaside (Kolobrzeg - Kolberg, Koszalin, Slupsk via Pila - Pozna? - Jarocin - Ostrow Wielkopolski i further to southern Poland to Katowice (Katowitz) or to Lodz via Kalisz
from Three-City (Gdansk - Danzig, Sopot, Gdynia) and from Olsztyn (Allenstein) via Inowroc?aw - Gniezno do Poznania
from Bydgoszcz via Pila to Krzyz and further via Gorzow Wielkopolskie (Landsberg) to Berlin
from Ostrow Wielkopolski along the southernmost parts of the region to Leszno and further to Glogow
The network of main lines is supplemented by local ones with several connections daily :
Pila - Walcz (6)
Pila - Zlotow - Chojnice (5 to 6)
Poznan - W?growiec - Go?a?cz (7 to 9)
Pozna? - Grodzisk Wielkopolski - Wolsztyn (8 to 10)
Gniezno - Wrze?nia - Jarocin - Krotoszyn (and further Wroc?aw) (3 to 5)
Jarocin - Leszno (4)
Ostrow Wielkopolski - Krotoszyn - Leszno (5 to 8)
Leszno - Wolsztyn (5 to 7)
so-called coal-magistral in the easternmost parts of Wielkopolska, but - as it joins not-touristic places - is play very little role for travellers.
Several trains on the routes from Wolsztyn to Poznan (departures from Wolsztyn appr. 5:30 and appr. 11:30, and from Poznan appr. 9:30 and 15:30) and from Wolsztyn to Leszno (departure from Wolsztyn appr. 6:00, back from Leszno appr. 15:30) are served - as the only ones in Poland - by steam locomotives. (Departures are given "appr." because of frequent timetable changes, which are the result of many track-works, especially in the Poznan juction).
It's essential to mention as well about narrow-gauged railways - some of them are used only for weekend and tourist traffic, but in the region we have the first independent from the nationl carrier (PKP) and private line : 23-km section from Stare Bojanowo (on the Poznan-Wroc?aw line) via Smigiel to Wielichowo. Every day more than 10 trains run on the route. Timetable : [http://www.skpl.kalisz.pl] (the carrier's - SKPL's - trains run as well on the other lines in the region : see below). As well narrow-gauged trains run on the following routes :
?roda Wielkopolska - Zaniemy?l
Pleszew - Pleszew Miasto (SKPL)
Opatowek - Turek (SKPL)
Gniezno - Witkowo
Bialosliwie region (nearby Pila)
a small part of the Kro?niewice Commuter Line crosses Wielkopolska region (SKPL)
See
The pearls of the region are firts co-capitals (plural!!) of Poland from Xth-XIth cent with many monument referring to the beginnings of the Polish State :
Two most important centres of the first Poland : Gniezno and Pozna?
other, which used to be very important in early middle ages, nowadays - small villages : Giecz (40 kms eastwards from Pozna?) and Ostrow Lednicki ? on the way from Pozna? to Gniezno.
Other bigger cities worth spending and least few hours in each are :
Kalisz
Ko?o
Leszno
Wolsztyn
Konin
Smaller towns with interesting monuments, events and traditions :
Kornik (18 kms south-east from Poznan) wit a neogothic castle with wonderful interions and furniture and a dendrological park and - last bu not least - with an extremely precious Library with manuscripts dating back to XIIIth centuy
Rogalin (16 kms to the south from the city) with a baroque-klasicistic palace and its famous paiting collection of Raczynski family, horse cabs and very famous oaks (in total : more than 500), including three well-knows trees : Lech, Czech i Rus.
Puszczykowo (15 kms to the south very easily accessible by train) - a very interesting travel museum of a polish traveller Arkady Fedler, the seat of the management of Greater-Poland National Park with a nature museum.
Swarz?dz (just out of the city limits to the east, toward Warsaw) - a small city famous for the unique in Poland (and one of few in Europe) bee-keeping open-air museums.
Nowy Tomysl with the biggest basket of the world and the Basketry Museum
Szamotuly - a town 35kms NW of Poznan with an incredible Icon Museum, Halszka Tower and collegiate church
In Greater Poland it's worth sometimes to drive out of main roads to see e.g. :
palaces in Dobrzyca, ?mie?ow, Go?uchow or Antonin
Szreniawa (15 kms to the south-west) - famous for the Agriculture Museum and the Bierbaums-family viewing tower
Kazimierz Biskupi near by Konin with an old romanesque church
K?odawa with the biggest working salt mine in Poland
Tarnowo Pa?uckie with the oldest wooden church in the country
We?na with a unique water mills museum situated on a popular canoe trail along We?na river
Another thing interesting for history-lovers can be the Greater-Poland part of the Cistersian Route. In the region the main places on the route are : W?growiec, Lekno (where the first cistersian monastery on polish territorries was erected), Owinska - all three north-east of Pozna? and Przemet, Obra and Wielen in the south-west part of the region, nearby Wolsztyn. Another monastery was placed in Lad - 70 kms east of Poznan, just next to motorway A2.
Another thing interesting for history-lovers can be the Greater-Poland part of the Cistersian Route. In the region the main places on the route are : Wagrowiec, Lekno (where the first cistersian monastery on polish territorries was erected), Owinska - all three north-east of Poznan and Przemet, Obra and Wielen in the south-west part of the region, nearby Wolsztyn. Another monastery was placed in Lad - 70 kms east of Poznan, just next to motorway A2. More info about Cistersian in Greater Poland (in English) : [http://szlakcysterski.org/?zmien_jezyk=en]
Do
Greater Poland has a lot to offer for all train-lovers. First : the regions owes the steam-engine depot in Wolsztyn, which is the only one operating in Poland. More : daily there are several regular courses (so not tourist trains) from Wolsztyn to Pozna? aln Leszno. More (in English) : [http://www.parowozowniawolsztyn.pl/home/lang/en]
Besides the region offers the biggest number of operating narrow gauge railways :
Stare Bojanowo - Smigiel - Wielichowo (SKPL)
Sroda Wielkopolska - Zaniemysl
Pleszew - Pleszew Miasto (SKPL)
Opatowek - Turek (SKPL)
Gniezno - Witkowo [http://www.gkw.gniezno.pl]
and nearby Bialosliwie (Pi?a region) mailto:zarzad@twkp.most.org.pl
The railways marked above are owned by SKPL company, which is the first private rail operator in Poland. More informations (Polish only) can be found :[http://www.skpl.kalisz.pl/main.shtml]. Both SKPL and other operators can organise (on request) special trains for groups.
Another thing to do is active tourism, which is very easy to do in the region. Greater Poland is known very well for its network of cycle trails :
The One-Hundred-Lakes Trails leading from Pozna? north west to the Miedzychod-Sierakow Lake District
The Piast Trails from Pozna? through Ostrow Lednicki, Gniezno to Mogilno and to Kruszwica in the neighbouring Kujawy region.
The trans-wielkopolska trail from the northernmost parts of the region nortf of Pila to Pozna?
The trans-wielkopolska trail from Pozna?, through Jarocin, Go?uchow, Kalisz to picturesque Ostrzeszow Hills in the south of Greater Poland
The Nobility trail ? linking many preserved palaces of nobility families in the central and southern parts of the region, starting in Mosina (18km south of Pozna?) leadind south through Leszno to Rawicz
The Amber trail ? linking touristic places in the east of Wielkopolska from Kalisz to Konin
The Warta trail ? from Pozna? more or less exactly along Warta river to the south and east, ending in Ko?o
Eat
Drink
Contact