AN EXCURSION OUT OF TOWN – GETTING TO KNOW WIELKOPOLSKA, A REGION OF CASTLES AND PALACES

Wielkopolska province, of which Poznań is capital, has no shortage of historic castles and palaces. South of Poznań is the classicist palace in Rogalin, surrounded by a beautiful park. It includes a museum of home interiors and a painting gallery. Old furniture and fittings have survived in nearby Kórnik, which houses a collection of national mementos and is surrounded by a marvellous arboretum with an abundance of exotic species of trees and shrubs.

Poznań has its own original cuisine. The primary dishes are made from potatoes, which Poznań residents truly love, so much so that they even have their own local name for them – pyry. Delicacies include plendze – potato pancakes, usually served with sugar or jam, and pyry with gzik – potatoes cooked in their skins and served hot on platters. The essential addition is gzik – cottage cheese mixed with cream, onion, salt and spices. When butter is added to a potato with gzik, it melts on the hot potato, creating an unforgettable taste.