Stopping to visit Poznan’s Old Market Square

My first time to any Polish city, outside of Warsaw, was Poznan. Being interested in history, I thought the birthplace of Poland was a good place to start. The first sight I visited was the oldest cathedral in Poland built in the 10^th century. The cathedral is located a few miles outside the center of Poznan on the Ostrów Tumski island between two branches of the river Warta and the Cybina rivers.

Poznan is thought to have been settled during the 8^th century. By the 10^th century the Polens became the dominant tribe in the area of modern Poland. Poznan became the capital of this nascent country ruled by Duke Mieszko father of the Piast dynasty.

Mieszko as imagined by Jan Matejko in the 19th century – Public Domain

On the 14^th of April 966 Duke Mieszko converted to Christianity and chose to be baptized. Much of his court followed his lead in what later became known as the Baptism Of Poland. Historians see this event as the start  of the Christianization of Poland and the beginning of a Polish state.

Poznan Old Market Square

Marking the center of old town in Poznan is the Old Market Square or Sarty Rynek in Polish. This pretty square with its beautiful renaissance town hall,  has been described as the glory of Poznan.

The square is defined by medieval and renaissance houses on about 500 feet (150 meters) on each side. In the center of the square stand The Town Hall, Merchants houses as well as several municipal structures of the middle ages. Wandering around the square you can find a pillory, guardhouse as well as a fountain and weighing house.

The Town hall that we see today is a far cry from the founding structure constructed in the late 13^th century. First mentioned in latin texts in 1310, as Domus Consulum it was apparently a one story building acting as administration for the town.

During its history it was extended upon and towers added until in 1536 a major fire damaged it irreparably. As a result, the city council asked Giovanni Battista di Quadro to rebuilt it completely. Di Quaddro extendend the builing, added stories and the three story loggia. It was Giovanni Battista di Quadro who designed the Great Hall which was used as city court.

The Great Hall, – Picture By Andrzej Otrębski CC BY-SA 3.0

However, Most importantly for tourists it was he that had the clock and goats added in 1551. In the following centuries, the building suffered the usual tests of time. Tragically, the clock tower and goat mechanism were destroyed in 1675 in a fire, after a lightning strike.

Damaged again in 1725, by a hurricane, the Town hall was in need of a major renovation. In 1781, Bonawentura Solari started work on the renovation during which he redesigned the tower giving it the look we know today. However, it took until 1913 for the goats to return to the tower.

Looking at the Town Hall today, we see the restored appearance it had circa 1784, after a loving renovation in 2002. This last work, in many ways, corrected the sins of several repairs and fixes that needed to be done after the hall was damaged during the final months of the second world war.

The Facade

The Loggia is adorned with frescoes of warnings to the judges in Latin. Medallions depict famous figures form ancient history, Spartacus, Homer, Virgil, Archimedes and many others.

On the ground floor, in the arcades, female figures represent the virtues; Patience, Prudence, Charity, Justice, Faith, Hope, Courage and Temperance. In addition, Cleopatra is represented with snakes around her arms, as well as Lucretia with a spear to her chest.

Above the Loggia you can see rulers of the Jagiellonian Dynasty. It was under this dynasty that Poznan received many of its city rights and became an important stop on the trade routes between Poland and Lithuania.

The Goats

At 12 noon the clock strikes and the ‘hejnal’ a traditional bugle call is played. Then the goats come out of the tower and butt heads, to the delight of the waiting tourists.

There are, of course, legends in relation to the goats and bugle call.

The first is the tale of a cook that burnt a roast deer while preparing a banquet for the rulers of the city. Having burnt the roast he ran to a field nearby and stole two goats that he wanted to cook instead. However, the goats escaped, running up the tower and eventually fighting on top. This, of course, drew a crowd. Tradition has it that the rulers were so amused that they pardoned the cook and the goats as well as having the mechanical goats installed in the tower.

A second tale tells of Bolko, the trumpeters son who took care of a crow with a broken wing. One night after the crow was well again a gnome wearing a cape and crown appeared to Bolko and thanked him for his kindness. The gnome gave him a trumpet telling him to blow a call when he was in need of aid. Many years passed and Bolko became the town trumpeter as his father had been before him. One day an army came to attack Poznan. Remembering his gift, Bolko ran to the tower and played the hejnal. Before the call was over, a dark cloud of crows attacked the approaching army and forced it into retreat.

Merchant houses

Located in the center of the square, beside the town hall is this colorful row of ‘Merchants Houses’. These houses, built around the end of the 15^th Century, replaced market stalls selling candles and torches as well as salted herring.

The row gets its name, not only, from the merchant tradition but also from the herring and three palm coat of arms of the merchants guild to be seen on number 17. The last house in the row is known as the house of scribes or the chancellery where the city scribe lived and worked.

It is only appropriate that the Merchants Houses are still used as originally intended. To this day, the arcades in are home to artists, restaurants and shops that help willing tourists to contribute to the local economy.

Fara Church Poznan CC BY-SA 3.0

Parish Church – Poznan Fara

Not far from the old town square is a the Roman Catholic Basilica simply known as Fara. This church is second only in importance to the cathedral of Poznan and can be seen as the best example of Barouque architecture in Poland.

Fara Church Interior CC BY-SA 3.0

Built from 1651 to 1701 the church houses a beautiful alter designed by Pompeo Ferrari circa 1850 as well as an organ built by Frederick Ladegast in 1876. Be warned! The organ is protected by a local celebrity, a ghost of the lady that donated a large sum for its construction. Apparently, she can often be see in a difficult to access alcove on the balcony beside the organ.

St Martins Croissant
Picture By Radomil – Own work, GFDL 1.2

St Martins Croissant

Poznan has one very tasty tradition, The St Martins Croissant. The croissants are available traditionally on the 11^th of November. However, holidays aside, you can find them in some of the official pastry shops in town all year round

The tale I was told to explain the pastry was that in 1891 the priest of St Martins parish asked his congregation to do something for the poor of the parish as the patron saint would do. Józef Mezler a baker present at the sermon convinced his employer to help revive an old tradition.

On November 11^th, they produced a sweet pastry filled with poppy seeds, vanilla, figs, dates, raisins and cream shaped in a half moon like a horseshoe. Residents that could afford to pay were asked to pay while the poor received them for free.

Although the original tradition dates back to pre-Christian times, the polish church adopted it and linked it to St Martin. The tradition continues to this day.