Loading

Poznań - Bazylika archikatedralna Świętych Apostołów Piotra i Pawła

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.

-
The cathedral was originally built in the second half of the 10th century within the fortified settlement, which stood on an island, now called Ostrów Tumski. It was raised to the status of a cathedral in 968 when the first missionary bishop, Bishop Jordan, came to Poland. The pre-Romanesque church which was built at that time was about 48 meters in length.

This church survived for about 70 years, until the period of the pagan reaction and the raid of the Bohemian duke Bretislav I. The cathedral was rebuilt in the Romanesque style. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the church was rebuilt in the Gothic style. A fire in 1622 did such serious damage that the cathedral needed a complete renovation, which was carried out in the Baroque style. Another fire broke out in 1772 and the church was rebuilt in the Neo-Classical style.

The last of the great fires occurred in 1945, during the liberation of the city from the Germans. The damage was so serious that the conservators decided to return to the Gothic style, using as a base medieval relics revealed by the fire. The cathedral was reopened in 1956.
Visible by: Everyone
(more information)

More information

Visible by: Everyone

All rights reserved

Report this photo as inappropriate