Housed in a magnificent neoclassical building the Library dominates Plac Wolności (Liberty Square). The latter, Poznań's largest square, was set out at the turn of the 18th century and bore the name Wilhelm Square, though during the days of the Duchy of Warsaw (1807-1813) it was renamed Napoleon Square. It acquired its present name in 1919.
The Library was founded in 1829 by Count Edward Raczyński, it was the first public library in Poland. Raczyński, who donated to it his family library collection, took a very personal interest in the library, taking care of all details related to its coming into being. When it opened its collection numbered 13,000 books. In 1945, during the Battle of Poznań, the Library and its collection of 186 thousand volumes was burnt. Only manuscipts and old prints which had been evacuated to the Raczynski estate in Obrzyck survived. Rebuilt, and now housing a collection of 1.6 million volumes, the Library is expanding into a new addition being built at the back of the original structure.
In front of the library stand the Well of Hygeia, the Greek Goddess of health. The mid 19th century sculpture was funded by Edward Raczyński to commemorate the installation of the city's water supply system. The visage of the goddess resembles that of Count Raczyński's wife, Constance.
There are many reasons to visit Poznan, the city that lies almost in the center of Poland, half way between Berlin and Warsaw - the capital of Poland.
Once you are in Poznan you will be very surprised by all its magic that it has to offer. When you visit its Old Market Square, you will be totally enchanted by its charming atmosphere. Just look at the pictures below and if you like them, I am sure you will fall in love with Poznan!
The Old Market Square in Poznan is called the Stary Rynek in Polish, in case you wanted to broaden your mind and learn some Polish. The Old Market Square is a large square, its sides measure approximately 140 meters (460 ft.). The square was originally laid out around 1253. There is a set of buildings in the central part of the square near the Old Town Hall (Ratusz).
This is what happens at the Old Town Hall daily at noon. It is an experience you cannot miss once you are in Poznan. The mechanized goats, after the striking of the clock and the playing of a traditional bugle bang their heads. You will be surprised how many people gather in front of the Old Town Hall every day.
Museum of Musical Instruments
Poznan's Museum of Musical Instruments is the first of its kind in Poland and only the third in Europe, as it was established in 1945-6. This is not only the place to go if you want to know what a phonofiddle or a jazz violin looks like, but also if you appreciate applied arts or elaborately decorated objects.
The museum's co-founder and first curator, Zdzislaw Szulc, was a collector and musical instrument specialist, and many of the instruments come from his collection. The exhibits are divided by sections, including a room of music boxes and gramophones, as well as rooms of pianos and organs, horns, winds, percussion instruments, guitars and string instruments, and a floor of folk instruments from different ages and cultures, from African drums to European folk violins and accordions.
Poznań Town Hall or Ratusz is a building in the city of Poznań in western Poland, located in the Old Market Square (Stary Rynek) in the centre of the Old Town neighbourhood. It served as the city's administrative building until 1939, and now houses a museum. The town hall was originally built in the late 13th century following the founding of the medieval city in 1253; it was rebuilt in roughly its present-day form, inmannerist style, with an ornate loggia, by Giovanni Battista di Quadro in 1550–1560. The display of mechanical fighting goats, played out daily at noon above the clock on the front wall of the building, is one of the city's main tourist attractions.
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