POLAND : POZNAN - History
The city of Poznan already existed before
Christianity came to Poland. In 968 however, it became the first Polish
episcopal see and a nucleus of the Polish state. The town flourished as
a European trade center during the 15th and 16th centuries That growth
increased when the Teutonic Knights departed Poland, and again when the
Hanseatic League declined. But like the rest of the nation, Poznan then
suffered terribly with the Swedish invasions in the mid-17th century,
and then lost its Polish name completely when incorporated into Prussia
under the Partitions.
It remained in Poland until the second partition (1793), when it passed
to Prussia. Poznan was included in the grand duchy of Warsaw in 1807,
again passed to Prussia in 1815. Despite Prussian efforts to germanize
the city (the German name was : Posen), the population continued to
consider itself Polish and acted on that belief near the end of WWI. In
1918, Poznan rose up and forced out theGerman rulers, voting with their
arms to reinstate Poznan as a Polish city.
In World War II it was annexed to Germany, and thousands of Poles were
expelled. The city is a Roman Catholic see (created 1821) and has a
university (founded 1919). Since 1922 it has been the site of an annual
international spring fair. . The fair became so successful (partially
due to Poznan's fortunate location on the road which begins in Paris and
ends in Moscow, hitting all the major capitals in between). In 1956 a
workers' strike at a metallurgical plant in Poznan spread to other
cities and led to changes in the high-ranking leadership of the Polish
Communist party.
©
- Copyright hotels-world.com Travel Info / hotels-europe.com
|
