The cities of Wielkopolska – the tradition and the present...
Poznań is the capital of the region, the fifth largest Polish city with about 561,000 residents. The city was founded in 1251 and since then it has grown rapidly. Currently, Poznań is an important centre of communication, economy, science and culture. Thanks to the trade fairs which have been organized in the city for 80 years, Poznań also holds an important place in the Polish and international trade. After the changes brought upon in the year 1989, Poznań has also developed into an important centre of finance and banking services. In the city’s surroundings, an urban agglomeration is growing, offering services form the area of housing, as well as industry, services and craft.
Gniezno (69,000 residents) is located to the north-east of Poznań. This city is inseparably linked with the beginnings of the Polish State. It was the first capital of Poland. It was here that in the year 1000 the German Emperor Otto III met with Prince Boleslav the Brave. This meeting went down in history as the ‘Gniezno convention’. Today the city is the main point on the tourist ‘Piast Trail’. Tourists visit the city mainly to see the gothic cathedral, in which the grave of St. Adalbert is located. Present-day Gniezno is also an industrial centre.
Wielkopolska also boasts the oldest city in Poland. It is Kalisz with over 1800 years of documented history. It is the second largest city in the region (with 108,000 residents), located on the Prosna river. Kalisz is a centre of light and food industry, specializing in the food concentrates which are well known throughout the country. The city is also an important cultural centre in Wielkopolska.
The neighbouring Ostrów Wielkopolski (with around 72,000 residents) is an industrial city, located at the junction of railroads joining Poznań with Łódź and Katowice. The city’s industry specializes in the manufacture of train cars, vehicle parts and industrial devices.
Konin (with around 80,000 residents) is the largest urban centre in eastern Wielkopolska. The city has grown rapidly after the World War II thanks to the deposits of brown coal found in the area (it is excavated in open-pit mines). The coal is utilized mainly by two large power plants. Aluminium works, the only one operating in Poland, have been built near one of these power plants. In the field of culture, Konin is known foremost for its children festival of song and dance. The areas north of the city, full of lakes, host popular recreational sites. A mine and a power plant are also located near the city of Turek, which is also well-known for its food and textile industry manufacturing plants. The city of Koło, located nearby on the Warta River, is a centre of food industry and a location of the manufacturer of popular sanitary ceramics.
Piła (with around 75,000 residents) is the capital of northern Wielkopolska. It is a large industrial city located on the Gwda river and a centre of prospecting for oil and natural gas. Also, a modern printing industry has recently developed in the area. The city of Chodzież, located nearby, is a well-known centre of tableware manufacturing. The areas lying to the north and north-east of Piła, offering beautiful landscapes, are full of popular recreational places, especially attractive for those, who like canoeing.
Leszno (with around 64,000 residents) is the main city of south-western Wielkopolska. It is home to many types of industries, the most important being the manufacturers of construction elements and the food industry. In Leszno there is also a centre for sailplane sports of an international importance. In the city’s surroundings, and its two neighbouring towns of Gostyń and Rawicz, there is the region’s largest concentration of historical sites, mostly of great historical value.
