THE CRADLE OF POLAND AND ITS TRADE CENTER

Poznań's residents are very proud of their royal ancestry and the city's over 1,000-year-old history. It's best to start a sightseeing trip around Poznań from the oldest part of the city – Ostrów Tumski, where the cathedral stands today. At one time the castle of Prince Mieszko I and his son Bolesław the Brave, crowned the first king of Poland in 1025, stood in this part of the city. Their sarcophaguses are in the Golden Chapel of the cathedral. The first church in the area was built in 968, two years after the symbolic baptism of Poland, through which Mieszko I led Poland into the sphere of Western Christianity. The Archdiocese Museum is worth visiting and houses gold cups and monstrances from Wielkopolska churches as well as paintings by Leon Wyczółkowski, Poland's only painting by Anthony van Dyck and a gallery of medieval sculpture.

Poznań's city centre is occupied by the Old Town Square in the middle of which stands a Renaissance town hall. It houses the Historical Museum of Poznań with rich collection of old documents and everyday life artifacts. Everyday at noon the doors of the town hall clock tower open and two metal goats appear and butt their horns together 12 times. The Royal Castle, next to the Market Square, was the seat of Przemysł II, the last Polish king to rule from Poznań, and was subsequently modified many times. The part of the building reconstructed after the war houses the Museum of Applied Art. Not far from the Old Market Square stands the impressive Baroque old parish church, which captivates visitors not only with its beautiful interior but also its historic organ. The city is famous for organ music and its boys' choirs, including the Polish Nightingales.