Poznan

The name Poznań likely derives from the Polish verb poznać, meaning "to meet" or "to know," designating the area as a meeting place. The earliest known references to Poznań are found in the chronicles of Thietmar of Merseburg: episcopus Posnaniensis ("bishop of Poznań", in 970) and ab urbe Posnani ("from the city of Poznań", in 1005). The city's name is documented in the Latin nominative case as Posnania in 1236, and as Poznania in 1247. The phrase in Poznan appears in 1146 and 1244. The city's full official name is Stołeczne Miasto Poznań (The Capital City of Poznań), owing to its role as a centre of political power in the early Polish state under the Piast dynasty. In German, Poznań is known as Posen; it was officially named Haupt- und Residenzstadt Posen (Capital and Residence City of Posen) between 20 August 1910 and 28 November 1918. …

For centuries before the Christianization of Poland (an event that essentially is credited as the creation of the very first Polish state, the Duchy of Poland), Poznań was an important cultural and political centre of the Western Polans. It consisted of a fortified stronghold between the Warta and Cybina rivers on what is now Ostrów Tumski. Mieszko I, the first historically recorded ruler of the West Polans and of the early Polish state which they dominated, built one of his main gords in Poznań. Mieszko's baptism in AD 966, seen as a defining moment in the Christianization of the Polish state, may have taken place in Poznań. Following the baptism, construction began of Poznań's cathedral, the first in Poland. Poznań was the main seat of the first missionary bishop sent to Poland, Bishop Jordan. …

Poznań covers an area of 261.91 km2 (101.1 sq mi), and has coordinates in the range 52°17'34''–52°30'27''N, 16°44'08''–17°04'28''E. Its highest point, with an altitude of 157 m (515 ft), is the summit of Morasko hill within the Morasko meteorite nature reserve in the north of the city. The lowest altitude is 60 m (197 ft), in the Warta valley. Poznań's main river is the Warta, which flows through the city from south to north. As it approaches the city centre it divides into two branches, flowing west and east of Ostrów Tumski Cathedral island, and meeting again further north. The smaller Cybina river flows through eastern Poznań to meet the east branch of the Warta, which is also called Cybina – its northern section was originally a continuation of that river, while its southern section has been artificially widened to form a main stream of the Warta. …

The relocation of Poznań from the right to the left bank of the Warta River occurred in the mid-13th century, during the height of the Gothic architecture. This significant urban shift led to the preservation of numerous Gothic structures, both religious and secular, on both sides of the Warta River, within the area of the former chartered town. The Gothic style in Poznań flourished from approximately the mid-13th century to the end of the 15th century. The Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul on Ostrów Tumski is considered the most important Gothic sacred building in Poznań. Its current form emerged following a 14th–15th century reconstruction that replaced an earlier pre-Romanesque and Romanesque church. …

Poznań has been an important trade centre since the Middle Ages. Starting in the 19th century, local heavy industry began to grow. Several major factories were built, including the Hipolit Cegielski's steel mill and railway factory, popularly called Ceglorz. Nowadays, Poznań is one of the major trade centres in Poland. It is regarded as the second most prosperous city in Poland after its capital Warsaw. The city of Poznań produced PLN 31.8 billion of Poland's gross domestic product in 2006. Many European companies have established their Polish headquarters in Poznań or in nearby towns such as Tarnowo Podgórne and Swarzędz. Most foreign investors are German (36%) and Dutch companies (14%). …

The main Poznań railway station is called Poznań Główny, and is located just southwest of the city centre. There are also the smaller East Poznań and Poznań Garbary stations northeast of the centre, and a number of other stations on the outskirts of the city. The main east–west A2 motorway runs south of the city centre connecting it with Berlin in the west and Łódż and Warsaw in the east, serving also as a centre bypass. Other main roads run in the direction of Warsaw, Bydgoszcz, Wągrowiec, Oborniki, Katowice, Wrocław, Buk and Berlin. The Poznań Metropolitan Railway is a commuter railway serving the Poznań metropolitan area and surrounding places. The city has an international airport Poznań-Ławica. As of March 2013, flights could be flown from it to 25 airports located mainly in Western European countries. …