Best things to do in Poznań when it rains

Came to Poznań and got caught by the rain or wind? If you are looking for some indoor activities, we have you covered! Continue reading our article and get some ideas on how to enjoy our city despite the weather.

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1. Visit Enigma Cipher Centre

Recently opened Enigma Cipher Centre quickly became a favourite museum in Poznan both for locals and visitors. This deeply interactive place explains in a fun way how to code and decode a cipher. It also tells the story of three students of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań: Rejewski, Różycki and Zygalski, who were chosen to participate in a course of cryptology. After that course they were hired by the Polish Cipher Bureau and started to work on decoding Enigma, a coding machine used by the Nazis during World War II. Their research results handed to the British and French helped to end the war earlier and saved millions of lives! If you want to feel just for a moment like the famous cryptologists, visit the Enigma Cipher Center. It is located on the same spot where the Cipher Bureau working spaces once were, although the original building doesn’t exist anymore – it was destroyed during World War II. However, the one you are going to visit is also a historical place. It hosted the headquarters of the Polish United Workers’ Party, the only party we had during the communist times and later the Department of History of Adam Mickiewicz University. Check the availability of the tickets on their website or call them, since there are days when it gets pretty busy. To see it thoroughly, you need 2.5-3 hours. At the entrance you will get an audio guide available in Polish, English, German, Russian and Ukrainian that will explain the details of the exhibition.

Rejewski, Różycki and Zygalski who helped decoding Enigma - photo by Dominika Byglewska.

Enigma, a coding machine used by the Nazis during World War II. photo by Dominika Byglewska.

2. Check what’s going on in Centrum Kultury Zamek

Just opposite to the Enigma Cipher Center there is a castle you simply can’t miss. Once a summer residence of the last Emperor of Prussia, now home to a cultural centre that has the richest offer of all such institutions in Poznań. Concerts, theatre and dance shows, exhibitions, literature events are just a part of their activity. During summer they often organise film screenings in the courtyard. Inside the building there is a cinema operating all year round, a bookstore and a café. Every year in June crowds come to Ethno Port Festival during which artists from all over the world show their skills in singing, dancing etc. You can also spend time visiting the castle but don’t expect a lot of old furniture. The building changed its appearance quite a lot since its construction.

Centrum Kultury Zamek in Poznań. Photo by Aleksandra Paukszta.

3. Go to see a movie in Kino Muza

Operating continuously since 1908 Muza is one of the oldest cinemas in Europe and for many – the most iconic site in Poznań. Organising events such as Week of Spanish Movies, Cheap Thursdays, Post Pxrn Film Festival, Week of German Cinema, The Best of Etiuda & Anima, Blind Cinema, Millenium Docs Against Gravity or Dog Day Afternoon, Kino Muza presents the best movies from Poland and abroad, usually with subtitles. You will be guided to the cinema building on Św. Marcin street by a big neon, a replica of the one that shone here from the 60s to the 90s. In the courtyard you will find street art of Noriaki. Before entering, take a moment to think about the couple of cinema-goers that lived above the cinema. Maria and Bogdan Kalinowski met in 1973 and since then up to mid 2015 watched together 14 000 movies. Everybody who ever visited Kino Muza remembers them waiting for the screening. Since 2021 the City of Poznań organises Days of Poznań City-Goers to commemorate Mr and Mrs Kalinowski, there were also documentaries to tell the story of the couple.

Street art by Noriaki at Kino Muza.

4. Have fun in Termy Maltańskie

At the bank of the Malta Lake there is a place for all water lovers. No matter if you prefer to swim like Michael Phelps or Otylia Jędrzejczak, sit in a sauna or have fun at an aquapark, Termy Maltańskie has it all. There are two outdoor pools and a deep indoor pool where a TV programme Celebrity Splash was recorded in 2015. In the brine pool you will find water of 40°C known for healing purposes. Saunas and bathhouses will help you to chill before jumping on the turbo slide where you go down 60 km/h! Great to spend your day or at least half of it, it is best to be avoided during hot summer weekends when almost everybody in the city can’t wait to jump into the water!

5. Discover the rich culinary scene of Poznań

We could write at least 10 articles about the restaurants in Poznań, but now let us mention just a few good ones. Great Polish restaurant to check out is Na Winklu, if you want to try Greater Poland food treasures go to Pyra Bar or Hyćka, try Asian cuisine in Masiso or Khao San Street Food, pizza in Frontiera or Di Tempo. Every district in Poznań hides a great number of great restaurants. You just need to discover your favourite one! ☺

6. Admire the collection of National Museum of Poznań

With its many branches such as the Gallery of Paintings and Sculpture, Applied Arts Museum, Ethnographic Museum and so on, the National Museum of Poznań provides a lot of attractions every month. The branch in Aleje Marcinkowskiego hosts a collection of works of Polish most famous symbolic painter, Jacek Malczewski as well as a Monet painting, Pourville beach known for being stolen by a guy describing himself as an impressionist lover. He hid it for many years behind his wardrobe and it all came into light when he committed a crime of not paying alimony on time. Applied Arts Museum, the only museum of such type in Poland, presents objects from everyday life like pieces of furniture, decorations etc. Check the list of lectures or museum guided tours to make the most of your visit. Remember that on Mondays it is closed and on Tuesdays it is free for everybody.

National Museum in Poznań.

7. Spend some time among plants in Palmiarnia Poznańska

The biggest palm house in Poland and one of the biggest in Europe is a great place to be when it’s cold outside. Inside you can find more than 17 000 plants of 1000 different species from various climates such as subtropical, tropical, moderate or savannah. There are also 170 fish species from all over the world. The park surrounding Palmiarnia Poznańska was established as the first Botanical Garden of Poznań.

8. Go shopping and art-watching in Stary Browar

If you need new clothes, books or some food or just want to watch some art not necessarily in a museum, head to Stary Browar. Placed in the former brewery owned by the Hugger family, amazes everyone. A short walk through it will reveal passages created by Ryszard Kaja, sculptures by Igor Mitoraj, Piotr Kurka or Mr. In the courtyard one can find the biggest beer mug in the world appearing in the Guinness records list. Close to the vessel there is a room for exhibitions that happen quite often in Stary Browar, since the motto of the place is 50:50 – 50% of business and 50% of art.

Interior of Stary Browar in Poznań.

Exhibition of posters by Ryszard Kaja in Stary Browar, Poznań.

9. Feel like a local in Dom Tramwajarza

A beautiful building with Baroque revival decorations built in the 20s in the past integrated many generations of Poznań public transportation workers, now it integrates inhabitants of the hipster district of Jeżyce. Music workshops, concerts of niche, amazing bands, lectures on travel and many more happen every week at Dom Tramwajarza. Before the event you can grab a beer or a Georgian dish at the restaurant on the ground floor called Pan Gar.

Dom Tramwajarza in Poznań.

Written for you by Zuza Michalska