Imperial Castle

On the verge of the 20th century Poznań was getting a new lease of life. The German government decided to completly change the role of the city: from a stronghold to an administrative and economic center. The new approach was called „die Hebungspolitik” which roughly translates as „the policy of rise”; „rise” meaning of course elevation of the living standards and importance of the city. The ultimate goal was to create an incentive for Prussian officials as well as oridinary German citzens to settle in Poznań and to establish permanent cultural domination of Germans in the city. Perhaps the most important element of this plan was the foundation of a new, representational district west of the Old Town inspired by the Viennese Ringstrasse and compromising of such buldings as government offices, banks, The Royal Academy, a new theather and a brand new imperial residence: Königlisches Residenzschloss.

Wilhelm's II passion for the Middle Ages isn't as well known as that of Ludwig II of Bavaria but there are reasons to suspect that his obsession with this historical period rivaled that of the infamous „Fairytale King”. Bearing that in mind, his choice of the Neo-Romanesque style as the most appropriate for the residence of a German monarch comes as rather unsuprising. So does the choice of the architect: Franz Schwechten, known also for Anhalter Bahnhof and Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche in Berlin, was already renowned for his revivalistic works; moreover Neo-Romanesque was his style of choice. The construction works began in 1905 and were completed within just five years. The western wing was devoted to the apartaments of the emperor and his family, while the west wing conteined the throne rooms and various govermental offices. Since the castle was built in the spirit of 'architecture parlande' ('speaking architecture') many of the details were modeled after those of famous buildings associated with Germanic monarchies, most notably the Palatine Chapel of Aachen which inspired the design of the windows in the Throne Room. However, one of the most well recognised elements of the castle is a fountain based on one from Patio de los Leones in Alhambra.

After Poznań was reclaimed by Poland in 1919 the castle was used by insitituions of the Polish Government (Ministry of the Former Prussian Partition and some of the faculties of the newly founded Adam Mickiewicz Uniwersity) and served as one of the presidential residences The Castle's architectural decoration and furnishings were mostly left unchanged in this period. This fact might seem suprising as the iconography was designed to glorify the German nation and contained some anti-Polish elements. It is speculated that the reason why this decoration was left intact was the fact that overcomplexity of the original iconographic programme has made it hard to comprehend. Ironically, the castle's interior was almost completly redesigned after the Nazi Germany assumed control of Poznań. The two biggest changes made in that period were the relocation of the main entrance and replacing the chapel with Hitler's cabinet. The latter was complete with a small balcony for the Fuhrer' s apperances during parades and rallies. According to a widespread urban legend underfloor heating was installed on the balcony, however no proof of existance of such installation was found during any of the renovation works. Another major change that occured during the war was the partial destruction of the highest condignation of the tower. After the war a decision was made to demolish this condignation altogether, so that the castle wouldn't influence the city's panorama as strongly as before (demolishing the whole castle was also considered).

Novadays the castle houses various cultural institutions and is the venue of some of the most interesting cultural events in the city.

(Ksenia)

Wielkopolska Uprising

Poland has a complicated history. Poles had to fight for freedom many times in more than 1000 years of their state's history. Unfortunately, there were only a few situations, when they won. One of them is Wielkopolska Uprising, which happened in 1918-1919.

In the 18th century there was a huge political and economical crisis in Poland. This central-european country was subordinated to Russia, one of a country's neighbour. Also other neighbours - Austria and Prussia were very strong countries. This three states decided to eliminate Poland and divide its territory between themselves.

Poles didn't have a country from 1795 to 1918, but the nation stood the test of time and using the help of the president Wilson after the First World War announced the independence. Originally, in 1918 Poland received small territory, but in 1919-1921 it was extending. This broadening of the borders was mainly caused by people who lived in Wielkopolska Region, which capital is Poznań.

They wanted to annex Greatpoland to new Poland and they needed to fight with German Empire, because the first decision was, that this region had to be a part of Germany. They were preparing for the Uprising for many years. It began in the 19th century, when Poles from German Empire cared about polish culture, business and education. The most important thing in these times was to bring up children in polish tradition and using polish language at homes.

During the First World War a lot of Poles fought in the armies of the countries, who occupied Poland since the 18th century. They got a lot of experience and knowledge about war. This fact turned out to be very helpful during the preparation for Wielkopolska Uprising. Polish organizations in Greatpoland also worked with e.g. teenagers, especially scouts, who wanted to fight in Wielkopolska Uprising.

The situation in 1918 was comfortable. German Empire and Austria-Hungary lost the war and Russia had a domestic problem with Bolshevism. Poles decided to announce independence on the 11th of November 1918. However, Greatpoland was still a part of Germany. It was time to begin Wielkopolska Uprising. An inflammatory spark of this event was Ignacy Jan Paderewski's visit in Poznań. He was a Polish pianist and politician, one of first polish prime ministers after the First World War.

Wielkopolska Uprising began on the 27th of December 1918. Soldiers very quickly overcame Poznań and the closest towns. The German army however, after first shock, fought better and better and there were some problems, especially near the borderlines. But finally the Greatpoland army won and this region became the part of Poland.

There are some interesting facts about Wielkopolska Uprising. First, Poles very quickly created an army of about 100 thousands soldiers. On the 6th of January 1919 insurrectionists captured Airport Ławica (today Henryk Wieniawski Poznań-Ławica Airport). On this airport, Germans had planes, which cost about 200 million German marks. And all of it became this battle’s war loot. In the opinions of some historians it was the biggest war loot in the history of polish army.

Wielkopolska Uprising was one of the most important historical events in the history of Poznań and Wielkopolska. There are many monuments, which commemorate it. In the most glamorous place of Poznań, the Old Market Square there is an interesting museum of Wielkopolska Uprising. Today, local authorities plan to make a film and a board game about it.