Poznań - the city that has to forgive me

Wow! I can’t believe how nice this city is!

This is literally what I’ve been saying to my friends each time I visited it in last few years.

And there’s a good reason behind it.

I USED TO HATE POZNAŃ!

I always regarded it somehow snobbish, self-righteous and with hang-ups. Their constant moaning about Warsaw and how bad and clumsy warszawiaks* are. Their belief that Poznań is the best city in Poland (or at least the most developed). Their vain boasting about how much there was going on in the city of fighting goats**. Showing off even with the tramways. And the football club… the one I really supported and that disappointed me so many times.

I didn’t know many poznaniaks*** but the ones I had met were enough to despise the place that once was a cradle of the whole Polish nation and culture.

Up until most of my friends moved out there to study at Politechnika Poznańska (the Poznań University of Technology - yes, I do have some really clever friends).

SO WHAT CHANGED?

I started listening to those guys. I asked them to show me around. I listened to their excited talks and walked the streets in the heart of Wielkopolska**** with my eyes wide open. First I noticed the potential. Loads of it. Old Prussian tenement buildings, medieval old town square, and the bold modern architecture, with the emblematic Stary Browar shopping mall, being absolutely astonishing piece of a well-thought and inspiring design. And what’s more there was something of a feel-good vibe each time I visited the place.

THE WAY TO MAN’S HEART IS THROUGH HIS STOMACH

And I don’t want to talk only about the legendary, yummy, delicious Rogale Marcińskie that are made uniquely in Poznań, traditionally on the 11th November. These are types of sweet croissants stuffed with white poppy seeds and bathed in sugar icing. I honestly adore them! But one can’t have their whole diet consisting of only Rogale Marcińskie (sadly).

Luckily for me my friends and girlfriend are culinary pundits, maybe not professionals but they do know what they’re talking about when they talk food. (here you can read my review of the Fat Bob Burger largely inspired by the knowledge of one of my good pals) Soon I started to discover the wide array of pubs, restaurants, fast foods, hypster joints, and posh sushi spots. My girlfriend is a huge fan of the Tylko u nas/ U dziadka place where you can eat the most authentic Polish cuisine and stuff the hole with huge schabowy***** portions. I have had some great burgers in Chi Chi 4U that even my not-so-burger-eating parents honestly enjoyed. Some other time I went to have a diner in one of the most original restaurants and coffee shops I have ever stepped into. Cafe La Ruina and the restaurant Raj are run by a couple who are absolutely fixated about traveling and photography. Inside of their restaurant you’ll find a real mix of different inspirations, souvenirs, flags and furniture. Heck! There’s even a cinema theatre in the back of Raj! And what’s more important the owners show real dedication and passion for their work: they believe that the authenticity is the key and they do try to take you away to some distant countries each time you order one of their dishes. As if a plate could be a teleport. On the other hand, I will never forget the pulled pork burger made by Wyczesane Porki I had right after the great concert of Taco Hemingway. And there is more and more and more in this city… the hidden culinary treasures of Poznań seem to be endless (at least for those who have never lived there). Even pubs like the legendary Pijalnia Wódki i Piwa and Proletaryat are real fun. With somehow disturbing and ironic sculpture of Lenin in their exhibition. My girlfriend always points out yet another brilliant spot where she likes to eat, which makes me almost beg her to be taken to each and everyone of them. I’ve got even my list ready, and the places like Pyra Bar, Bar a boo, Frontiera, Gołe Baby are only examples.

MAKE ME WET

This is where I have to be immensely grateful to my beloved cousin. It is her, who’s taken me to the artificial Malta lake in the heart of Poznań. She’d been working there for the whole summer and for me she became a proof that this city allows you to excel in any passion you think of! She’d been jumping there and sliding on a wakeboard for only few months and her level really impressed me. I wanted to try it as well and… well I was swept off my feet (figuratively and literally). I decided to give it a go in September, gullibly hoping that the wakeboard winch will be a merciful device for the newcomers. After all, how hard could it be? Well it turned out to be very hard and the freezing cold water punched the breath out of my lungs! I was absolutely shocked! But yet it was a great fun! And it turned out that around the Poznań Malta Lake one can try loads of different sports like skiing (even in the summer), rowing or ice skating. And if you don’t really fancy taking a risk of losing the precious degrees from your body temperature, you’re perfectly safe in Termy Maltańskie (pools).

I NEED SOME CULTURE

Everyone does, and when it comes to culture Poznań definitely doesn’t disappoint. In fact, I’d say it is one of the best culture spots on the map of Poland. First of all you have loads of museums to visit and it is well worth doing that to understand the pride of its inhabitants. One learns some respect to their love for freedom and patriotic attitude. There is also a good place for art here, with some great exhibitions all over the place. I happened to see Frida Kahlo’s works in the Culture Centre Zamek. But to be honest you don’t have to go anywhere, because the street-art in Poznań is staring at you with big hungry eyes. One eye exactly, and these are the characteristic spray-painted one-eyed figures sprinkled all over the city and painted by Noriaki. ****** Theatres like Teatr Nowy, Teatr Wielki and Teatr Muzyczny can surprise you with bold interpretations, talented actors and fascinating plays. And if you wanted to use the difficult Polish language as an excuse not to go there, then I’m really sorry, but very often they offer subtitles in English, so even those who don’t know our beautiful tongue can enjoy their shows. And if the staged drama or museums are not really your thing then you can switch to music.

I CAN’T HEAR YOU NOW! I’M LISTENING TO POZNAŃ

When it comes to music Poznań can be shockingly good. I’m not talking here about the big names coming around now and then to give a stadium-sized show. The concerts on a stage sponsored by the Żywiec******** beer brand are a perfect spot to check out top Polish arits. Nevertheless, I was even more amazed by the independent music clubs and festivals that show the spirit of people living here. If you savour jazz then come over to the place that left me shivering and enjoy the Malta Jazz Festival*********. If you’re more into electronic music then definitely go to some of the local clubs like Schron or LAB and… well the night is young but it will definitely be too short, cause some of the stuff they launch is beyond brilliant.

SO WHAT’S THE LESSON?

I ended up adoring Poznań to the point I genuinely consider it one of the best places to live in Poland. My hatred evaporated when I had a chance to enjoy the city the way people here can do.

So it all boils down to one essential thing: once you’re somewhere the perception of the surroundings depends as much on the people that are guiding you through it as the place itself.

I got lucky with Poznań and had a chance to change my opinion.

*warszawiak - a person who lives in Warsaw

**the city of fighting goats - a rather metaphorical way of calling Poznań, which was inspired by the two fighting goats that everyday can be seen on the Poznań’s town hall tower, these two goats are a symbol of the city.

***poznaniak - a person who lives in Poznań

****Wielkopolska - the region in the Centre-West of Poland its capital is Poznań

*****schabowy - probably the most popular Polish dish and an emblematic symbol of Polish cuisine (at least for most of Poles). A pork loin covered in breadcrumbs and fried until golden.

******you can find Noriaki’s Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/Noriaki-344964722199806/

*******Żywiec - a polish brand of beer, I will write more about beer in Poland so stay tuned!

*********check out the website of Malta Jazz Festival http://maltajazzfestival.org to know more about it.

*disclaimer*

I am really sorry but I managed to lose some of the pictures of Poznań I was taking and I ended up left with the not so impressive ones.

Photo gallery