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Microtourism around Poznań

Summer is ahead of us - a time for holiday relaxation. The coronavirus has stirred up quite a bit, however, we are not giving up and we are back in the game.  So slow down the pace, take a big breath and head out for micro-tours around Poznań!

What to do outside

The Garden Town - this is what some people call Puszczykowo near Poznań. Walking among the old villas hidden in the greenery, one can reach a place that will cause an understandable thrill. We are talking about the Arkady Fiedler Museum. Around the writer's and traveller's house there is an unusual garden where Krzysztof Columbus' sailing ship has anchored, and at each step you will be surprised by the sculptures - visitors from exotic lands.

Garden of Cultures and Tolerance, Arkady Fiedler's Museum and Literary Workshop in Puszczykowo (Photo by Piotr Basiński)Garden of Cultures and Tolerance, Arkady Fiedler's Museum and Literary Workshop in Puszczykowo (Photo by Piotr Basiński)

A visit to the Open-Air Museum of Beekeeping in Swarzędz is also an amazing experience - who would have thought that bees can live in a beehive in the shape of a teddy bear, a musician or... a peasant woman with a roller in her hand?

Bee hives in the Beekeeping Museum in Swarzędz (Photo by Marek Kaczmarczyk)Bee hives in the Beekeeping Museum in Swarzędz (Photo by Marek Kaczmarczyk)

The National Museum of Agriculture and Food Industry in Szreniawa will certainly be an attraction not only for the townspeople. You can spend the whole day there in peace and quiet, strolling through an extensive exhibition and learning more about the life of the historic Polish village. Amateurs of peace and quiet will surely appreciate the Wooden Churches Route around Zielonka Forest, which allows you to visit 12 charming rural sanctuaries.

Church in Rejowiec - Wooden Churches Route around Zielonka Forest (Photo by Archive of the Murowana Goślina Municipality Office)Church in Rejowiec - Wooden Churches Route around Zielonka Forest (Photo by Archive of the Murowana Goślina Municipality Office)

 

Kids in action

The virus has thwarted plans for a foreign vacation? Not a thing lost! Deli Park invites you for a family walk among prehistoric animals, giant insects and replicas of the world's most famous buildings.

Deli Park (Photo by Archive of the DELI Park)Deli Park (Photo by Archive of the DELI Park)

The little ones will find a similar opportunity to wander between the miniatures in the open-air museum of the Piast Route Miniatures in Pobiedziska. Among more than 30 copies of interesting buildings not only from Wielkopolska, there is also a place for statues of Slavic deities: the thunderous Perun, Swarog or Triglav. Right next to the open-air museum, there are the fortifications of Pobiedziska Stronghold. The fortress is famous for its collection of replicas of medieval siege machines, headed by a giant sling - the trebuchet.

Open-air Museum of the Piast Route Miniatures in Pobiedziska (Photo by Michał Adamczyk, Klaster Turystyczny "Szlak Piastowski w Wielkopolsce")Open-air Museum of the Piast Route Miniatures in Pobiedziska (Photo by Michał Adamczyk, Klaster Turystyczny "Szlak Piastowski w Wielkopolsce")

Small tourists are demanding, but grateful travel companions. They will surely appreciate not only the most popular attractions, but also curiosities: an insurgent mural in Buk - a painted history textbook, the statue of Dandy from Mosina (the locals will surely explain who he is) or a figure of a girl with matches, sitting under a historic street lamp in the old part of Śrem.

Insurgent mural in Buk (Photo by Archive of the Buk Municipality Office)Insurgent mural in Buk (Photo by Archive of the Buk Municipality Office)

 

Active in the outdoors

There is no shortage of places to spend time actively in the vicinity of Poznań. Specifics? Here you go! The Zielonka Forest with a network of off-road trails is a real Mecca for cyclists.Canoeing enthusiasts have at their disposal the lazy Warta River, the wild Wełna River or the Zielonka Forest Canoeing Route.

Zielonka Forest Canoeing Route (Photo by Archive of Sports and Recreation Community Centre in Pobiedziska)Zielonka Forest Canoeing Route (Photo by Archive of Sports and Recreation Community Centre in Pobiedziska)

For lovers of  nordic walking, there are marked trails in the Noteć Forest, the Wielkopolski National Park, the Promno Landscape Park and the Zielątkowo area. There are also places for runners, fans of horseback riding, sailing, wakeboarding or simply sunbathing.

Fruity Beach in Zborowo (Photo by Archive of Sports and Recreation Community Centre in Dopiewo)Fruity Beach in Zborowo (Photo by Archive of Sports and Recreation Community Centre in Dopiewo)

The Mosina Handcar Railway, jokingly called the mobile gym on the tracks, deserves special attention.

Mosina Handcar Railway (Photo by Archive of the Mosina Handcar Railway)Mosina Handcar Railway (Photo by Archive of the Mosina Handcar Railway)

 

Nature treasures

Rogalin Oaks - the most famous trees in Wielkopolska. Walking through the picturesque palace park in Rogalin you can visit Rus, the oldest oak in Poland. Next to it stand its younger brothers - Lech and Czech, and a trip to the charming riparian forests on the Warta River allows you to meet other age-old giants - reportedly there are over 1400 of them there!

Rogalin Oaks (Photo by Piotr Łysakowski)Rogalin Oaks (Photo by Piotr Łysakowski)

Another attraction from the "must-see" group is the Kórnik Arboretum: the oldest in Poland, one of the largest tree collections and the "home" of the oldest mud cypress - an unusual swamp tree.  Fans of more intimate places will find the Arboretum in Zielonka, hidden in the heart of the forest of the same name. Wielkopolski National Park is a real forest classic. It owes its well-deserved fame to such places as the path from Osowa Góra through Napoleon's Well to the charming Kociołek Lake or the picturesque route along Lake Góreckie.

Wielkopolski National Park (Photo by Piotr Łysakowski)Wielkopolski National Park (Photo by Piotr Łysakowski)

If you like to stroll by the water, don't miss Kórnik and Śrem. The Wisława Szymborska Promenade on Kórnickie Lake offers a pier with a viewing platform, a rotating map of the sky and a unique bench of the Nobel Prize winner. The Śrem boulevard tempts you to stroll along the banks of the Warta river alongside the figures of the town's distinguished inhabitants and relax in the garden by the local museum. You can also take walks in the beautiful natural surroundings a little closer to Poznan. On the outskirts of the city there is the Łysy Młyn - a forest education centre in the historic mill (a photo in the white-tailed eagle's nest is a must) and the unique Morasko Meteorite Reserve - a site of a cosmic crash.

Warta Boardwalk in Śrem (Photo by Tomasz Jurgielewicz)Warta Boardwalk in Śrem (Photo by Tomasz Jurgielewicz)

 

For a rainy day

Bad weather? Not a problem! Around Poznań we can easily find places where you can spend an attractive and safe rainy day. For starters, there is the Rogalin Palace Museum and the local gallery with a collection of over 250 paintings. The walls are full of paintings by Malczewski, Wyspiański and Wyczółkowski, well-known Polish painters, there is no shortage of foreign masters, and the cherry on top of it all is the famous "Virgin of Orleans" by Matejko - a picture bigger than many ... apartments.

Painting Gallery in the Rogalin Museum (Photo by Movlab Studio)Painting Gallery in the Rogalin Museum (Photo by Movlab Studio)

In the castle in Kórnik the epidemic brought a revolution - for the first time in forever the iconic museum slippers disappeared! Luckily, the other parts remain unchanged - the impressive interiors of the Górków and Działyński residences, with the impressive Mauritanian Hall at the forefront, and the White Lady, the most famous Polish spirit, is lurking in the corridors.

Castle in Kórnik (Photo by Zdzisław Nowakowski)Castle in Kórnik (Photo by Zdzisław Nowakowski)

Swarzędz is called the capital of the Polish furniture industry. Is it right - you can find out about this by looking at the Swarzędz Centre for History and Art.

Swarzędz Centre for History and Art (Photo by Jakub Pindych)Swarzędz Centre for History and Art (Photo by Jakub Pindych)

In Uzarzewo, the local Museum of Natural History allows you to stand eye to eye with the rhinoceros and other legends of the African Big Five without fearing for your life.  Or see the collection of fabulously colourful parrots. Or meet the world's bravest animal, and no, it is not a lion, although it also resides in Africa...

The African Big Five in the Museum of Natural History in Uzarzewo (Photo by Piotr Basiński)The African Big Five in the Museum of Natural History in Uzarzewo (Photo by Piotr Basiński)

Text: Piotr Basiński

 

Main photo: Milena Kuleczka

Poznań in Bocuse d'Or 2020

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