The city lies on the Warta river. It is the capital of Wielkopolska Voivodeship and the see of the Archdiocese of Poznań. It is an important point on the Piast Trail.
Poznań was granted its city rights in 1253. The marketplace and town hall were the centre points of the medieval city. The original Gothic town hall was built of wood around 1300 and destroyed by fire in 1536 (parts of the original building are kept in the basement).
Giovanni Battista di Quadro, an architect from Lugano, rebuilt the town hall in the renaissance style. This building still exists and is considered the finest example of renaissance architecture north of the Alps. Arcades, attics, portraits of Polish rulers from the Piast and Jagiełło dynasties and decorations related to town hall functions adorn the facades. The last accounts for the personifications of virtues like love, moderation and compassion. The Great Hall with its original renaissance decoration is also the work of Quadro. The Latin inscription Hoc Opus Artificis Joannis Baptistae (This is the work of Giovanni Battista) on the southern elevation is Quadro’s calling card.
A clock was placed in the structure once it was rebuilt. There is a legend that when the clock on the tower was unveiled, two billy goats destined for roasting ran out and started butting each other in front of the assembled crowd. To commemorate the event, a mechanism to set a pair of head-butting billy goats in motion was ordered from master craftsman Bartłomiej of Gubin. A crowd assembles in front of the town hall to watch this curious spectacle every day at noon. This is accompanied by a bugle call that commemorates the legendary salvation of the city by the crow king.
A new tower with a classicist dome crowned with the royal eagle was added during the subsequent renovation (1782-1784).
The town hall currently houses the Museum of the History of the City of Poznań.
There is a Proserpina fountain to the right of the town hall entrance and a pillory to the left which cannot help but grab your attention.
For more information:
Skuratowicz Jan, Ratusz poznański, Poznań 2003.
