GREATER POLAND (WIELKOPOLSKA)

Greater Poland (Wielkopolska)  is a  historical region in western and central Poland, occupying the basins of the Warta, part of the middle Oder and the lower Vistula.

It is the country's oldest province, dotted with monuments from the formative years of the Polish state. Although not as popular with visitors as the Tatras or Masuria, the region has plenty of attractions, its cities, towns and villages abounding with treasures: old manor houses and stately homes once belonging to eminent noble families, magnificent mansions and castles, churches, open-air museums of traditional folk architecture, and archaeological parks.

The region's capital is Poznan, a historic city which attracts the biggest crowds of tourists (as well as visitors to the international trade fairs). This is where the Piast Route begins, which covers the places that were the political and ecclesiastical centres of Poland under its first royal dynasty a thousand years ago. Other towns worth seeing are Kórnik near Poznan, with a splendid castle and grounds; Gniezno, Poland's first capital; and Biskupin, with a reconstructed fortified Iron Age village discovered in the early 20th century. And if you seek nature rather than mementoes of the past, you'll find both lakes and forests here, along with a variety of opportunities for relaxation.

The name "Wielkopolska" (Greater Poland) appeared only in the 14th-15th century as a Polonised form of the Latin Polonia Maior meaning the most ancient part of the Polish state. Before that, the area, inhabited by the Polanie, was simply known as "the land of the Polanian tribe". The fortified settlements of Kruszwica and Gniezno were built between the 7th and 10th century AD, soon followed by PoznaÅ„ and Kalisz. Greater Poland was the central part of the principality ruled from Gniezno by Duke Mieszko I and King Boleslaus the Brave (Boleslaw Chrobry). Political ascendancy came to an end for Greater Poland in the mid-11th century, when Casimir the Restorer (Kazimierz Odnowiciel) moved the capital to Cracow.

The subsequent centuries saw both spells of fortune and misfortune. Situated on important trading routes, Poznan flourished and grew into one of Europe's major cities. The 17th and 18th centuries were a period of wars, destruction and decline of many Greater Polish towns. Then came the Partitions, with over a century of Prussian rule and brutal Germanisation, brought to a close in 1918-19 by the Greater Polish Uprising, the only successful insurrection in Poland's history. After the First World War almost the whole of Greater Poland returned to the restored Polish state. During the Second World War Greater Poland was incorporated directly into the Third Reich and renamed "Warthegau"; its Polish population was deported and massacred. In 1945 Greater Poland returned to Poland.

NATURE: LAKES, OAKS AND THE WARTA RIVER

The Greater Polish landscape is dominated by vast flat fields that you will appreciate if you like quiet, open countryside. There are no significant elevations and the highest hill, Kobyla Góra near Ostrzeszowo, is just 284 m a.s.l.; the lowest point (29 m) is in the western part of the Noteć Valley.

The Barycz River that flows across the flat fields of Greater Poland has the lowest gradient in Poland (0.037º - compared with the Vistula's 1.01º). The two main rivers are the Warta and Noteć, both running westwards through broad valleys. The biggest concentration of lakes is in the northern part of the region (the Greater Polish Lake District) while the largest forest is the vast pine Puszcza Notecka (Noteć Forest), north-west of PoznaÅ„, between the Warta and Noteć.

A Greater Polish rural landscape
Photo: J. Morek/FORUM, www.poland.gov.pl

The most interesting and valuable landscapes in Greater Poland are protected by two national parks: the 7584-hectare Wielkopolska (Greater Polish) National Park established in 1957 and Poland's newest national park, set up on 1 July 2001, the 7955-hectare Ujœcie Warty (Warta Confluence) National Park.

The Greater Polish National Park, south of PoznaÅ„, acts as the city's "green lungs", being very much what the Puszcza Kampinoska is for Warsaw. Most of the Park is covered by forests, predominantly pine or pine and oak, with some oak groves and patches of oak and hornbeam woodland. Over a thousand species of vascular plants live here as well as many mosses, lichens and algae. The Park is also a good place to see some rare but easily recognised plants such as the Turk's cap lily, nenufar, liverwort, anemone, and lily of the valley. There's even an Ice Age relic, the twin-flower.

The dense woodland is the habitat of many animals. The easiest to spot is the deer, roe deer, wild boar and - if you're lucky - otter and beaver. The Park is at an intersection of spring and autumn flyways. The migrating bean geese and white-fronted geese stay overnight on Lake GÅ„reckie. The bird species in danger of extinction that you may see here include the skylark and turtle dove; there are also cranes, ravens and goshawks.

The great multitude of postglacial landforms is a characteristic of this Park. The retreating Scandinavian glacier that once covered the northern and central part of Poland left  countless channels, hills, frontal-moraine mounds, ground-moraine flats, kames and eskers here. Despite its small size, the Park has as many as 11 lakes of various shapes, the most scenic of them being Lake Góreckie. Almost all of the ribbon lakes and the surrounding woods are strictly protected.

Nearby is Rogalin with a renowned oak park.

Facts

Europe's largest group of old oak trees is situated near Rogalin, in a park established in the late 18th century. There are 945 of them in the cluster, including 46 dead trees. The most ancient are over 590 years old and the best-known are the three trees in the western part of the park named after the legendary Slav brothers Lech, Czech and Rus, progenitors of the Polish, Czech and Russian nations. Lech's circumference is 6.8 m and height is 19.5 m; Czech's vital statistics are respectively almost 7.5 m and 23 m (it's the tallest of the three, but, sadly, dead); and Rus's are nearly  9 m and 19.5 m.

The Ujœcie Warty (Warta Confluence) National Park encompasses the lower stretch of the  River Warta near its confluence with the Oder. The river bisects the Park into the KostrzyÅ„ Retention Reservoir (KostrzyÅ„ski Zbiornik Retencyjny) area in the south,  and the North Polder. The landscape of the Park is made up of water-logged, periodically inundated meadows, willow bushes, channels, old river beds and -  a prettty rare sight - roads and causeways.

The Park (the 23rd in Poland) was established to protect one of the biggest bird sanctuaries in Europe. Hundreds of hectares of inaccessible, regularly flooded meadows make an ideal refuge for mainly mud and water birds. Some 245 species live here, including swans, ruffs, gulls, terns, a few species of ducks and grebes, cormorants and geese. According to BirdLife International's classification, as many as 26 species protected in the Ujœcie Warty National Park are in danger of extinction, among them the crane, bittern, black-tailed godwit, corn crake and black tern.

During the autumn passage up to 200,000 birds spend nights on the confluence of the Warta and Oder. The most spectacular view is in the morning, when they fly off into the meadows, and in the evening, when they return, their huge flocks virtually blotting out the sky. Apart from common species, sometimes you may spot a rare, exotic traveller here, like the Squacco heron, Canada goose, barnacle goose, or bar-headed goose.

Mammals are also well represented, mainly by amphibious species like the otter, beaver, and American mink; there are also muskrats, raccoon dogs, martens and ermines. The waters abound with fish: the pike, pike perch, eel, and most carp species as well as as crayfish.

As the Park has just been created, opportunities to visit it are rather limited. For the time being the best idea is to walk or - in the northern part - cycle along the dirt roads lining the Warta banks. Accommodation in this area is surprisingly easy to find, ranging from municipal hotels to agrotourist farms whose number is quickly growing. The region's other highlights  are a safari park at Œwierkocin, and a garden of the senses.

Facts

In Chyrzyno, next to the Park headquarters, you'll encounter the fascinating Natural Garden of the Senses. As the name implies, it allows you to experience nature with all your senses. To this end, a few imaginative nature walks have been created. In the Garden of the Senses, plants are divided into several sections - those with an intensive smell, intriguing taste, and strange texture. Nearby is the Butterfly Garden, with plants that attract butterflies. The most exciting is the Path of the Senses, which you have to cross barefoot and blindfolded, guessing what you are treading on (sand, moss, cones, stones, etc.). Other walks show birds' nesting boxes and  you find out about various fish species. The Be An Indian Walk offers you an opportunity to learn how to recognise the tracks of local birds and mammals.

Greater Poland also has some nature reserves and natural landscape parks. The most valuable stretch of the central Warta Valley is protected by the Warta Natural Landscape Park. The river flows through a valley cut by an ice-marginal stream, with high and rather steep banks. These neighbour on regularly inundated meadows, pastures and crop fields, all providing shelter for birds - for this reason, in 1995 the Park was put on the list of Globally Important Bird Areas.

The undulating area between the Warta and Noteć Rivers is occupied by the Puszcza Notecka (Noteć Forest), one of Poland's most extensive afforested areas (135,000 hectares). The predominant pinewood forms a 100 km belt over a sandy area with arched banks and high dunes created by winds.

SITES AND CITIES: FORTIFIED VILLAGES AND ANCIENT SETTLEMENTS

Poznań: quiet architecture and busy fairs

Picturesque and appealing to visitors, PoznaÅ„ can easily compete with other historic cities in Poland like Cracow, GdaÅ„sk, or ToruÅ„. It has all that contributes to a special atmosphere: a charming Old City, fine architecture, delightful nooks, bustling student hangouts and a profusion of pubs, clubs and cafés offering you all kinds of night entertainment.

PoznaÅ„ is the region's biggest city. A thousand years ago it was one of the main centres on the map of the emerging Polish state, as the royal seat and a cathedral town. The oldest part of the city is Ostrów Tumski, an island on the Warta River. When you go over the bridge linking it with the rest of the city, you seem to be crossing an immaterial border separating this place off from the busy and bustling modern PoznaÅ„. The island holds the 13th-15th century Cathedral, built on the site of an Early Romanesque church (late 9th century). It is here that Poland's first princes, Duke Mieszko I and King Boleslaus I, are buried.

But the heart of PoznaÅ„ is its Stary Rynek (the market-place in the Old City). Enclosed by old, mostly 15th-century town houses with restored façades and brightly illuminated at night, it is the city's showcase. Crowded and busy at almost any time of the day, it has always been a place for commerce. The houses around the market-place are occupied by offices and banks neighbouring on restaurants and cafés that stay open until the wee hours of the morning. The adjoining streets are lined with antique shops, galleries and craft shops.

The most outstanding building in the market-place is the Town Hall, which aspires to the title of most beautiful secular Renaissance edifice in Central Europe. Erected in the mid-16th century, it replaced an older building from the late 13th century; only the 61-m tower is a later addition (its 17th-century predecessor was 90 m high). At night the Town Hall is brightly illuminated. Every noon, tourists gather outside to see the famous clockwork goats that butt their horns together. The first pair of these metal animals appeared in 1551; the most recent ones were installed in 1993.

Another of PoznaÅ„'s big attractions  is Lake MaltaÅ„skie - an artificial 65-ha reservoir with a renowned water-sports centre (it has one of Europe's best regatta tracks and in 1990 it played host to the World Championships in Canoeing). Nearby is the all-year-round Malta-Ski centre, a toboggan run and - inevitably - a bathing place. Just a few steps away is the New Zoo (PoznaÅ„ is the only city in Poland that boasts two zoos), one of the biggest and prettiest in the country, priding itself on keeping the animals in conditions similar to their natural habitat.

Facts

Some 5,000 years ago the area of today's Poznań was hit by pieces of a huge meteorite. Traces of the impact can be seen in the Meteorite Reserve on the slopes of Góra Moraska. Hidden in the fine oak and hornbeam forest, there are seven circular craters; the biggest of them is 60 m wide and 12 m deep.

The city is also the place of the Poznań International Fairs held here since 1921. Throughout the year the site (450,000 sq m) hosts dozens of specialist trade fairs, attended by thousands of exhibitors from all the major industries and drawing about half a million visitors. Some of these expositions are ranked among the leading events of this kind in Europe.

Gniezno: Poland's first capital

Gniezno is a special place on Poland's map. Almost all of its historic buildings date back to the early years of Polish statehood. The first settlement on this site was set up in the 8th century. Archaeologists believe that it might have been a place where the Slav goddess Niya was worshipped. The settlement quickly grew into a formidable stronghold with three adjacent villages, which under the first Piasts was the biggest town in Greater Poland  Its wooden and earthwork ramparts were 10 metres high.

Legend has it that Gniezno was founded by Lech who was wandering over the countryside with his two brothers, Czech and Rus, to find a suitable place for settlement. One day they came to a valley overlooking a lake, with an enormous oak tree featuring the nest (gniazdo) of a white eagle on its top. Lech was so bewitched by the beautiful spot that he chose it for his capital. From the 10th century on it was one of the Polish state's major administrative centres; in 1025 Boleslaus the Brave was crowned first King of Poland in  Gniezno Cathedral (four of his successors were also crowned here).

The town has been long known in Europe for its shrine of St Adalbert the Martyr, attracting thousands of pilgrims, among them the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, who visited Gniezno in 1000. In 1994 the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments awarded Gniezno the title of St Adalbert's City. On 23 April, St. Adalbert's Day, a religious procession with the Saint's relics passes through the streets of Gniezno, and a traditional fair is held in the market-place.

Facts

St Adalbert's tomb has always been a matter of contention between the Poles and Czechs. When Prince Bøetislav II of Bohemia sacked the Cathedral, he allegedly stole the Saint's relics and carried them off to Prague. But the Poles maintain that Bøetislav did not take the body of the real Adalbert, which had been  safely stowed away. Today the Saint has two tombs, one in Gniezno and another in Prague.

The most important historic buildings in Gniezno, including the Cathedral - one of the best-known churches in Poland - stand on Wzgórze Lecha (Lech's Hill). The first church on this site was built by Duke Mieszko I in 996. In 999 St Adalbert's body was buried here - today the silver sarcophagus with the Saint's relics can be seen in the chancel. This is where the coronations took place. In the Cathedral crypt you can see the archaeological remains of the subsequent churches that replaced the one erected by Mieszko I. The current structure dates back to the early 14th century. It is a Gothic triple-nave basilica with 14 side-chapels and two towers that are at their most impressive at night, when the Cathedral close is beautifully illuminated.

The Cathedral's other renowned possession is the bronze Gniezno Door, at the old main entrance in the south nave, regarded as one of the finest examples of Romanesque art in Europe. Over three metres high and with its wings of different sizes, the double door was made around 1175 by local artists who depicted the life of St Adalbert in 18 bas-reliefs. Not less stunning is the Gothic portal with the scene of the Last Judgement.

The area around Gniezno is just as interesting. Nearby you can visit the Lednica Landscape Park which protects both nature and numerous archaeological sites and ethnographic installations. This Park houses the Greater Polish Ethnographic Park, one of the biggest open-air museums in Poland. Here you can see original farmsteads and dwory (Polish gentry cottages) from the 17th-19th century, making up a compact village with an oval common at the centre. A few houses contain traditional workshops: a shoemaker's, wheelwright's, and leatherworker's; there's also a large inn. The gardens, farmyards, and orchards surrounding the cottages enhance the authenticity of the village. The museum is especially pretty in summer, with traditional country mallows in bloom and trees laden with ripening fruit. A knoll near the lake is topped by a cluster of windmills with original machinery. Every year the museum holds a variety of exciting events, such as the Live Museum in June, when local farmers tend the livestock, their wives bustle about doing housework, and folk craftsmen are busy in their workshops.

Kórnik: stately residence and grounds

Kórnik is one of the most frequently visited places in Greater Poland. Tourists come to see the impressive stately home and arboretum. Situated just 20 km from PoznaÅ„, Kórnik is becoming increasingly popular as a dormitory town. Its wholesome climate and scenic landscapes are an incentive to scholarship, and Kórnik has several research stations managed by the Polish Academy of Sciences.

First mentioned in a document of 1362 (as Cornik), the borough was an estate belonging to one or other of the Greater Polish lords. The residence is a bona fide castle complete with a ghost, a White Lady who reputedly haunts it at night. Is is not a defensive structure, though, but a romantic castle rebuilt in the 19th century in the Mock Gothic style that was in vogue at that time. The residence is outstanding for its beauty, catching your eye with the impressive north façade that you see first; equally adorned is the south elevation (overlooking the grounds). The castle is surrounded by a moat with a Neo-Gothic bridge over it.

The 19th-century interiors have survived with hardly any alterations. Its exquisite floors (no two look alike) were made from several kinds of wood laid in decorative patterns. The rooms contain antique furniture in various fashions and styles favoured by the masters of Kórnik. The highlight is the Moorish Hall with a precious collection of armour and firearms, both Polish and Oriental. If you like paintings, you will enjoy the works by great Polish and foreign artists including Artur Grottger, Jean Norblin and Marcello Bacciarelli as well as Old Polish portraits and European miniatures. The museum also has a collection of coins and displays of archaeology, natural history and ethnography (with exhibits from Australia, Polynesia and Madagascar).

One place you can't miss is the adjacent 30-hectare arboretum - Poland's biggest and oldest collection of trees and shrubs (over 3,000 species from Europe, Asia and the Americas), established in the early 19th century. Among the oldest specimens is a 30m beech about 200 years old. Near the entrance you can see one of  Poland's oldest  and most impressive maindenhair trees (about 150 years). The best time to visit the arboretum is in the spring, when the magnolias are in bloom, or in the autumn, when the leaves turn red and gold.

Biskupin: a fortified  Iron Age village

Before 1933 the inhabitants of Biskupin had no idea that their village would be ranked among the top tourist attractions in Poland. Then one day a farmer began to dig turf on a peninsula jutting into Lake BiskupiÅ„skie and a passing-by local teacher accidentally found the remains of an ancient settlement. The discovery turned out to be one of the most sensational in the history of Polish archaeology.

Biskupin Archaeological Park.
Photo: L. Zandecki, www.poland.gov.pl

Painstaking archaeological excavations have revealed that the peninsula was once an island occupied by a fortified village built between 750 and 400 BC by a tribe of the Lusatian Culture. It was a fairly big settlement with a population of up to 1,200. They lived by farming, livestock breeding and fishing. Intensive trade contacts also developed - not far off ran the famous Amber Road that linked the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas. Most probably the settlement was destroyed by the Scythians, although excavations show that the area remained inhabited until the 11th century AD.

Covered by marshy deposits and turf, the  floors of the houses and streets were hidden under water for centuries and well protected from atmospheric influence. This allowed the lower parts of the Early Iron Age settlement to survive intact for about 2,400 years.

Part of the village has been reconstructed as faithfully as possible to what it must have been like originally. It is Europe's oldest defensive village surrounded by marshes. It was connected with the mainland by a 120m wooden bridge leading to a massive gateway with a watchtower. The whole island was encircled by 6m-high fortifications built of wood, stone and earthworks. Inside, 13 parallel rows of houses were laid out with walkways between them and one circular street running along the defensive wall. Each of the streets was paved with oak and pine logs. Altogether, there were some 100 big houses measuring on average about 80 sq metres and divided into living quarters, with a stone stove and one large bed for all the inhabitants (up to 10 people) in each dwelling, with a barn where livestock was kept. The roofs were thatched with reeds.

But Biskupin has more to show than just the buildings. There are stables with Polish horses, red lowland cattle, sheep and goats. The fields nearby contain crop plants known 2,700 years ago: emmer and einkorn wheat, millet, barley, broad beans, lentils, and false flax. Next to the horse paddock you can watch bread-baking and a potter's wheel and kiln at work, and traditional methods of producing birch tar and wood tar in special furnaces. These farming and crafting shows are part of an experimental archaeology project being developed at Biskupin.

Every September Biskupin attracts thousands of visitors who want to see how their ancestors lived thousands of years ago. The village plays host to Poland's biggest archaeological festival. The event provides an opportunity to learn to make clay pots, shoot with a bow and crossbow, light a fire without matches, plait baskets, taste traditional food, sail in a dugout, or take a bath in a wooden washtub. Those interested in archaeology can see how to reconstruct a pot from a few broken sherds or how to determine the age of a piece of wood.

Source: www.poland.gov.pl