POLAND 205

P Former Kaiser District

After the Second Partition of

Poland in 1793, Poznań came

under Prussian rule. In the sec -

ond half of the 19th century,

Prussia heightened its policy

of Germanization in the

region. One of its instru ments

was the German Union of the

Eastern Marches (Deutscher

Ostmarkenverein), which the

Poles called the “Hakata” colo-

nization com mission from the

acronym of the initials of its

founders. When the city’s ring

of 19th-century fortifi cations

was demolished, a decision

was made to use the space

for gov ern ment buildings.

Designed by German town

planner Josef Stübben, the

buildings were built between

1903 and 1914 and today stand

amidst gardens, avenues and

the royal academy. Dominating

the scene is the Kaiserhaus

Castle by Franz Schwechten,

although little sur vives of its

original splen dour. Renamed

the Zamek, it now houses

the Zamek Cultural Centre.

The Monument to the Victims

of June 1956, which stands

beside it in Plac Mickiewicza,

takes the form of two large

crosses. It was unveiled in

1981 to commemorate the

victims of the Poznań’s

Workers’ Uprising in 1956.

Protected oak trees, Raczyński

Palace grounds

Monument to the Victims of

June 1956

Raczyński Palace 5

Palac Raczyńskich

330 km (205 miles) W of Warsaw.

Palace Museum Tel (061) 813 8030.

# Nov–Apr: 10am–4pm Tue–Sat,

10am–6pm Sun; May to Oct: 10am–

6pm Tue–Sun. ¢ Mon. & free on

Sat. 8 http://www.free.art.pl/rogalin

Located in the village of

Rogalin, Raczyński Palace is

one of the most magnificent

buildings in the region. The

seat of many Polish nobles, it

was begun around 1770 for

Kazimierz Raczyński, Palatine

of Wielkopolska and Grand

Marshal of the Crown.

Although designed in the

Baroque style, architectural

ornamentation was aban-

doned during con struction.

The main building, however,

retains its late Baroque solid-

ity. Between 1782 and 1783,

colon nades were added and

com ple men ted by annexes in

the classic Palladian style. A

draw ing room and grand stair-

case designed by royal archi-

tect Jan Chrystian Kamsetzer

were added between 1788 and

1789. A pavilion built between
      1909 and 1912 contains a col-
      lec tion of Polish and European
      paint ings dating from about
      1850 to the early 20th century,
      including works by Jacek
      Malczewski and Jan Matejko.
      The grounds contain formal
      gardens as well as one of the
      largest areas of pro tected oak
      woodland in Europe. The
      palace’s Mausoleum Chapel,
      designed in the style of a
      Classical temple, contains the
      tombs of members of the
      Raczyński family.

church is the Lubrański
Academy, the first institute of
higher education to be estab-
lished in Poznań. Founded in
1518 by Bishop Jan Lubrański,
it acquired its greatest renown
in the early 16th century.
Among its alumni was Jan
Struś, a physician dur ing
the Polish Renaissance.
In the gardens on the other
side of ulica KI Podsadzego
stand a number of charming
houses, one of which
holds the collections of the
Archdiocese Museum. The late
Gothic Psalter, built around
1520 by Bishop Lubrański, is
distinguished for its stepped
and recessed gables.

E Archdiocese Museum
ul. Lubrańskiego 1. Tel (061) 852

6195. 
      

      10am–5pm Tue–Fri,

      
      

      9am–3pm Sat. ¢ public hols. & 8
      The outstanding collection
      of religious art on display in
      the Archdiocese Museum
      (Muzeum Archidiecezjalne)
      includes medieval painting
      and sculpture, pieces of
      Gothic embroidery and some
      fine kontusz (silk sashes).
      The most important pieces
      are the Madonna of Ołobok,
      a Gothic-Romanesque statue
      dating from around 1310–29,
      and a fascinating group of
      coffin por traits, painted on
      metal plates.

      
      

R Poznań Cathedral
Ostrów Tumski 17. Tel (061) 852

9642. 
      

      Mar–Oct: 9am–6pm Mon–

      
      

      Sat, 2–6pm Sun; Nov–Feb: 9am–4pm
      Mon–Sat, 2–6pm Sun.
      In 966, shortly after Poland
      adopted Christianity, a pre-
      Romanesque basilica was built
      on this site and Poland’s first
      rulers were buried here.
      Between 1034 and 1038, the
      basilica was destroyed during
      pagan upris ings, but it was
      rebuilt in the Romanesque
      style. It was remodelled in the
      Gothic and Baroque periods,
      and after suffering war damage
      was restored to its Gothic
      form. Vestiges of the pre-
      Romanesque and Romanesque
      churches can be seen in the
      crypt. Among the highlights of
      the interior is Golden Chapel,
      built between 1834 and 1841.
      Here lie the tombs of two of
      Poland’s first rulers, Mieszko I
      and Bołesław II the Bold,

      
      

whose statues were carved by

Chrystian Rauch. The 16th-

century tomb of Bishop

Benedykt Izdbieński is the

work of Jan Michałowicz of

Urzędow, the celebrated sculp -

tor of the Polish Renaissance.