204 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp218–21 and pp222–5

The Neo-Renaissance façade of the National Museum

on his campaign to evangelize

the Prussians. On the summit,

two churches face each other

across a small square. One

is the Discalced Carmelites’

Church of St Joseph, built by

Cristoforo Bonadura the Elder

and Jan Catenaci between 1658

and 1667. It contains the tomb

of Mikołaj Jan Skrzetuski

on whom novel ist Henryk

Sienkiewicz based the hero

of his histor ical saga With

Fire and Sword (Ogniem i

Mieczem). The other is

the Gothic Church of

St Adalbert, forming a

pan theon with the same

func tion as the Pauline

Church on the Rock in

Cracow. The crypt contains

the remains of eminent

local fig ures, includ ing Józef

Wybicki, who wrote the

Polish national anthem.

E National Museum
al. Marcinkowskiego 9. Tel (061)
852 5969. # 9am–3pm Tue–Thu,
noon–9pm Fri, 11am–6pm Sat & Sun.
& free on Sat. http://www.mnp.art.pl
The National Museum
(Muzeum Narodowe) is
housed in what was originally
the Prussian Friedrich Museum
a Neo-Renaissance building
from 1900–1903. Its collec tions
of Polish paintings are among
the best in the coun try. They
include medieval art of the
12th to the 16th centuries and
17th- to 18th-century coffin
portraits. Canvases by Jacek
Malczewski are the best exam-
ples of painting by the Young
Poland Movement. The Gallery
of European Art con tains
works from various collec tions,
includ ing that belong ing to
Atanazy Raczyński, brother of
Count Edward Raczyński. The
most outstand ing paintings are
those by Dutch and Flemish
artists including Joos van Cleve
and Quentin Massys. Italian,
French and Spanish painters
are also represented.

Statue of Hygeia, Greek goddess of

health, the Raczyński Library

initiated by Count Edward

Raczyński in 1829. The aim

of this visionary aristocrat

was to turn Poznań into a

“New Athens”. The library

was to be a centre of culture.

Although the library’s architect

is unknown, it is thought

to have been built by the

French archi tects and

designers Charles Percier

and Pierre Fontaine.

A seated statue of Hygeia,

the ancient Greek goddess

of health, with the features

of Konstancja z Potockich,

Edward Raczyński’s wife,

was installed in front of the

library in 1906.

P Raczyński Library
pl. Wolności 19. Tel (061) 852

9442. 
      

      9am–7pm Mon–Fri.

      
      

      http://www.bracz.edu.pl
      Architecturally, Raczyński
      Library (Biblioteka Raczyński)
      is one of the most distin-
      guished build ings in the city.
      Its col umned façade combines
      gran deur with elegance, and
      it cannot be compared with
      any other building in Poznań.
      The idea for a library was

      
      

Ostrów Tumski

The oldest part of Poznań,

Ostrów Tumski was the site of

one of the first capital cities of

the Polish state in the 10th

century. Today, it is dom i-

nated by the Gothic towers of

Poznań Cathedral, which con-

tains many fine works of art.

Near the cathedral stands the

small Gothic Church of

St Mary (Kościół Najświętszej

Marii Panny), which was built

between 1431 and 1448 for

Bishop Andrzej Bniński by

Hanusz Prusz, a pupil of the

promi nent late medieval

archi tect Heinrich Brunsberg.

Down the road from the

St Adalbert’s Hill

This hill (Wzgórze św

Wojciecha) is believed to

be the spot where 1,000

years ago, St Adalbert gave

a sermon before setting off