The city lies on the Warta river. It is the capital of Wielkopolska Voivodeship and the see of the Archdiocese of Poznań. An important point on the Piast Trail.

The residents of the medieval Poznań used to draw water from the wells located in the four corners of the Market Square. In the 16th century the wells were decorated with wooden carvings of animals.

In the following century the wells became ornamented with stone images of mythological characters: Mars, Jupiter, Neptune and Apollo. The fountain of Proserpine, located in front of the town hall, is another form of an artistically ornamented town well. The fountain depicting a mythological scene of the kidnapping of Proserpine by Pluto was made in the years 1758-1766 by Augustyn Schoeps. One of the legends of Poznań has it that the fountain was made by a sculptor's journeyman as a punishment for too close relations with his master's wife.

The other three fountains located in the Market Square are contemporary works of the artists from Poznań: Marian Konieczny - The Fountain of Apollo, Marcin Sobczak - The Fountain of Neptune and Rafal Nowak - The Fountain of Mars.