Great Poland

Poznań (Posen), located on the Warta River approximately halfway between Berlin and Warsaw, is Poland's fifth-largest city with around 534,000 inhabitants. On Cathedral Island, Poland's first bishopric was established in 968; opposite, a city was founded from 1253 under Magdeburg Law. A university, trade fair, and vibrant restaurant scene characterize daily life today.The city's heart is the Old Market Square (Stary Rynek) with its Renaissance Town Hall and narrow merchant houses. East of this, beyond the Warta, are Cathedral Island (Ostrów Tumski) and its cathedral, plus the small Śródka district, linked to the island by a footbridge over the Cybina. West of the Old Town, the Imperial Quarter encircles the Imperial Castle, with the Jeżyce residential district (cafés, restaurants) beyond it.Poznań can be easily explored on foot in two to three days. Those with more time can combine the city with excursions into the Greater Poland region, for example, to Gniezno (Gnesen) or Kórnik Castle.

Breslau (Wrocław) is, with around 673,000 inhabitants, Poland's third-largest city and the capital of Lower Silesia. The city lies on the upper Oder River and spans about twelve islands, connected by 100 to 300 bridges, depending on how they are counted. Around the year 1000, a bishopric was founded here, and in 1261, Wrocław was granted Magdeburg Law. In 2016, it was a European Capital of Culture.The heart of the Old Town is the Market Square (Rynek) with its Gothic Town Hall, surrounded by burgher houses and churches. North of the Old Town, bridges lead to Cathedral Island (Ostrów Tumski), the oldest part of the city, featuring a cathedral and churches. To the east, in Scheitniger Park, stands the Centennial Hall, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2006.As you stroll through the city, you'll repeatedly encounter small bronze gnomes on house walls, lampposts, and stairs. The first figure commemorates the anti-communist Orange Alternative movement; meanwhile, there are now more than 1,000 of them. You should plan at least two to three days for your visit to the city.

Thorn (Toruń) is on the Vistula River in north-central Poland, sharing the capital role of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship with Bydgoszcz. The Teutonic Order founded the city in 1231; it received city rights in 1233 and later became an important member of the Hanseatic League. Nicolaus Copernicus was born here in 1473, lending his name to the university founded in 1945. The city has about 192,000 inhabitants. The medieval city, with its Brick Gothic, has been UNESCO World Heritage since 1997. It consists of three parts: the Old Town in the west with the Town Hall, St. John's Cathedral, and St. Mary's Church; the New Town in the east, established from 1264; and between them on the southern edge, the remains of the Teutonic Knights' Castle. The street network has largely remained unchanged since medieval times. In the evenings, you can meet up in the pubs and cellar bars around the Old Town Market. Toruń is also well-known for its gingerbread, the Toruński piernik.

Kuyavian-Pomeranian (Kujawsko-Pomorskie) is in north-central Poland, straddling the lower Vistula, with nearly 2 million residents. The voivodeship, formed in 1999, unites historic regions: Kuyavia, parts of Pomerelia, Chełmno Land, and Dobrzyń Land. Bydgoszcz is the Voivode's administrative seat; Parliament and Marshal's Office are in Toruń.The landscape includes numerous lakes like Gopło and vast forests, especially the Tuchola Forest (Bory Tucholskie). Culturally, Brick Gothic of Hanseatic towns on the Vistula and archaeological sites like Biskupin shape the region.

With around 640,000 inhabitants, Łódź is one of Poland's largest cities and the capital of its namesake voivodeship. Its ascent was driven by the textile industry: the first textile factory was established in 1826, by 1900 over 300,000 people lived in the city, and in 1904 approximately 70,000 workers were employed in 546 factories. From this period, industrialists' palaces and brick factories remain, and Polish, German, Jewish, and Russian traditions still shape the city's cuisine today. The backbone of the city is the Piotrkowska, a several-kilometer-long promenade featuring Art Nouveau facades, courtyards, and the entertainment complex OFF Piotrkowska. Izrael Poznański’s former factory was transformed into Manufaktura, housing museums, restaurants, and the ms2 art gallery; his palace stands right next to it. Księży Młyn is the workers' settlement built by industrialist Karl Scheibler, with brick houses and factory buildings. New cultural venues such as the former EC1 power plant, with its planetarium and film center, complement the industrial monuments. Large-format murals, many of which have been created since 2011 during the Urban Forms Foundation festival, have also earned Łódź the reputation of a city of murals.