Poznań Imperial District Walking Tour: Prussian Architecture and 20th-Century History
History tour of Poznań’s Imperial District: we trace the Prussian-built quarter and 20th‑century power, identity and resistance, walking past the Imperial Castle, Opera, New Theater, the Monument to the cryptologists and the Monument to the Victims of June 1956.
Basic Information
Total time
1h 30m
Language
English, Polish (check the calendar for availability)
Price
„Pay what you wish” tours do not have a fixed price. It is up to you to evaluate your guide’s work and reward it. Some people give 10€, others 50€ depending on their satisfaction and abilities.
Meeting point
Cyryl Ratajski Square (Plac Cyryla Ratajskiego) Nearest public transport: Pl. Ratajskiego tram stop; 27 Grudnia – Teatr Polski tram stop
Additional info
☂︎ This tour is organised by Walkative Poznań guides. Look for the guide with the yellow umbrella.
♿️ Tour suitable for people with reduced mobility and strollers
❗Our tours run no matter the weather. High or low temperatures, rain or snow is not a reason for us to cancel our tours. We are always here for you. The only reason for cancellations are extreme weather conditions (like heavy storms…), guide's sudden sickness or no minimum number of people (5) to run the tour, but we will always let you know using the data you provided during registration for the tour.Booking rules
Booking is obligatory. Our pay as you wish tours are designed for individual travellers and small groups. We don’t accept parties of more than 7 people on them. If you travel in a party of 8 or more (school groups, bigger groups of friends etc.), please choose a paid option of 18€ per person or book a Private Tour. For more information on the latter, please contact us.
About the tour
As a result of the fall and partitions of the First Republic of Poland in the 18th century, Poznań became a border city of German Prussia. Transformed into a Fortress City and surrounded by mighty walls around which no new buildings were allowed to be erected, it could not develop. There was only one purpose of the city’s existence back then – to stop the Russian Empire. Only the liquidation of Festung Posen and the liberation of the areas occupied before by the forts allowed the city to bloom like a flower or… explode like a powder keg!
The monumental Imperial District, built in a post-fortified area at the beginning of the 20th century, is a phenomenon on a Polish scale. It was designed to raise the prestige of the city and make it one of the seats of the Prussian emperor. Wide and modern for those times, the streets are full of sumptuous public buildings, operas and theaters. The newly created district was to introduce Poznań to the 20th century as a modern city and be an impulse for further development. It also had its own political task – to overshadow the Polish Old Town with historicising and monumental German architecture. Therefore, in the heart of the District, there is a gigantic Imperial Castle, which is perhaps the most modern castle in Europe.
During the tour we will focus not only on monumental buildings, but we will also wander into charming, hidden courtyards. We will talk about Poznań’s struggle to keep its Polish identity at a time when Poland did not exist. We will also see the place where brilliant pre-war Polish cryptologists who decoded Enigma – the legendary German coding machine – worked, an achievement that significantly helped the Allies win the war. We will also talk about the tragic history of Poznań June 1956, when the whole city fought against the communist government for decent jobs and a better life. Of course, there will also be the central point of the district, i.e. the Imperial Castle itself, which is now an enormous cultural center. After all, we all know that being in Poznań and not seeing the Castle is like visiting Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. Or visit Poznań without watching the billy goats… 😊
Highlights
- 1
Imperial District
A monumental district built in the early 20th century to showcase German prestige in Poznań.
- 2
Imperial Castle
Europe's youngest imperial residence, built for German Emperor Wilhelm II, now a massive cultural centre.
- 3
Enigma Codebreakers
A monument honouring Polish cryptologists who broke the legendary German Enigma machine cipher before WWII.
- 4
June 1956 Uprising
Learn about the city's tragic fight against the communist government for decent jobs and a better life.
- 5
Festung Posen
The former Prussian fortress whose demolition allowed for the development and expansion of modern Poznań.
- 6
Opera House
One of the sumptuous public buildings designed to elevate the prestige of the Germanised city.
7Bałtyk Building
A distinctive contemporary skyscraper that serves as a showcase of Poznań's modern architecture.
Map
Cyryl Ratajski Square (Plac Cyryla Ratajskiego) Nearest public transport: Pl. Ratajskiego tram stop; 27 Grudnia – Teatr Polski tram stop
