Metravel city quest
City Poznan: free walking route “Poznań quest: goats and the Old Market Square” along the sights. 9 points. Approximately 2 h. Quests and legends - straight
Historians still argue about exactly where Poland began. Now you are going to walk through that place yourself. In 966, Duke Mieszko I was baptised, and a stretch of pagan forest suddenly became a state; no one knows for certain where that baptismal font stood (Ostrów Lednicki is the most common suggestion), but Mieszko established his first cathedral right here, on an island in the Warta. That island has not gone anywhere — it is waiting for you at the end of the route.
We will begin at the other end of this story, by the Imperial Castle, the city's youngest “crown”: from here, you will walk a thousand years back to the cradle of Poland. Along the way, on the town hall tower in the Old Market Square, live 2 stubborn heroes who, according to legend, once nearly left the city without its festive dinner. Keep them in mind right to the end — they are your guides to Poznań. Head to the Imperial Castle.
The route points in order — what these places are and why they are interesting. Tasks and answers stay inside the quest.
Let's start with the youngest chapter in this thousand-year story. The Imperial Castle was built in 1905–1910 to a design by Franz Schwechten for Kaiser Wilhelm II: the last royal residence built in Europe, a stern Neo-Romanesque mass intended to overawe with imperial might.
At the foot of the steps to the castle's main entrance stands a three-sided metal obelisk about 4 metres high. It is a monument to three Poznań mathematicians — Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski.
On the way to the Old Town stands the Bazar — a large city building where a hotel stood alongside shops and meeting halls. On its outer wall, on the Paderewskiego street side, hangs a plaque with a portrait of Hipolit Cegielski, a former teacher whose new venture began right here.
From the Bazar, head further east into the Old Town towards Fara, and it feels as if you have entered another world. The Jesuits spent half a century building this church, starting in the mid-17th century, and achieved what they wanted.
An optional stop — a recommendation rather than a riddle. There is a place near the route that is worth a small detour.
Here it is — the town hall rebuilt in the 1550s by the Italian Giovanni Battista Quadro, who turned it into a Renaissance jewel box with a 3-tier loggia. Every noon, a crowd would gather beneath the tower: little doors opened high above, a trumpeter played the hejnał, and 2 mechanical goats butted horns 12 times.
Now for the tastiest stop on the route. The Poznań Croissant Museum is tucked away in a historic townhouse on the Old Market Square.
An optional stop for enjoyment rather than riddles. The best discoveries when travelling often happen over a cup of coffee.
Now to the heart of the whole story. Cross over to Cathedral Island, that very island in the middle of the river.
This route is part of Metravel city quests. Below are the other quests in this city and cities with quests nearby.