Poznań - Zamek Królewski

Long before the Christianization of Poland Poznań was an important cultural and political center of the Western Polans. It consisted of a fortified stronghold between the Warta and Cybina rivers. Mieszko I, the first historically recorded ruler of the West Polans and of the early Polish state which they dominated, built one of his main headquarters in Poznań. Mieszko's baptism in 966, seen as a defining moment in the Christianization of the Polish state, may have taken place in Poznań.

Following the baptism, construction began of Poznań's cathedral, the first in Poland. It became the place of burial of the early Piast monarchs, among them Mieszko I, Boleslaus I, Mieszko II Lambert, and Casimir I.

In 1038, Duke Bretislaus I of Bohemia sacked and destroyed both Poznań and Gniezno. In 1138, by the testament of Boleslaus III, Poland was divided into separate duchies under the late king's sons, and Poznań and its surroundings became the domain of Mieszko III the Old.

In 1249, Duke Przemysł I began constructing the Royal Castle on a hill on the left bank of the Warta. Then in 1253, Przemysł issued a charter for the founding of a town under Magdeburg law, between the castle and the river. A large number of German settlers were brought to aid in the building and settlement of the city, which was surrounded by a defensive wall, integrated with the castle.

Poznan was a major center for the fur trade by the late 16th century. Suburban settlements developed around the city walls, on the river islands, and on the right bank, however, the city's development was hampered by regular major fires and floods.

In the 17th century and the 18th, Poznań was affected by a series of wars, attendant military occupations, lootings, and destruction – the Northern Wars, the War of the Polish Succession, and the Seven Years' War. It was also hit by outbreaks of plague, and by floods, particularly that of 1736, which destroyed most of the suburban buildings. The population declined from 20,000 around 1600 to 6,000 around 1730, and Bambergian and Dutch settlers were brought in to rebuild the devastated suburbs.

In 1793, in the Second Partition of Poland, Poznań came under the control of the Kingdom of Prussia.

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Construction of the castle was probably started by Przemysł I in 1249. The first building was a habitable tower made of bricks and the rest of the hill was surrounded by a rampart with a palisade. A small ducal residence was incorporated into the system of city walls in the late 13th century. Przemysł II, hoping for the reunification of Poland decided to build a larger castle, more proper for a king. In 1295 Przemysł indeed became king of Poland, but he was assassinated a year later. In 1337, the Royal Castle in Poznań was the largest in the Polish Kingdom. The castle consisted of the tower built by Przemysł I and a huge building with three levels and a basement.

The castle was partially destroyed during the Great Northern War in 1700-1721 and fell into disrepair. Parts were restored in the late 18th century but were destroyed again during WWII in 1945. Today´s Royal Castle is a reconstruction attempt of the late medieval state, built between 2012 and 2016



Poznań,
Posen,
Warta,
Cybina,
Piast,
"Mieszko I",
"Bretislaus I of Bohemia",
"Przemysł I",
"War of the Polish Succession",
deluge,
plague,
Prussia,
"Zamek Królewski",
"Royal Castle",
Lourdes,
Polen,
Poland,
Polska