Poznań is the fifth largest city in the country and is located in the western part of Poland in the "Wielkopolska" district. The historic city is a labyrinth of cobbled streets grouped around the old market, the mediaeval "Stary Rynek", a tourist centre with bars, cafés and restaurants, and in the middle the impressive Renaissance-style town hall. Just like in other Polish cities such as Warsaw and Krakow, many of these mediaeval houses in the centre have been beautifully restored after being demolished during World War II, bringing back the old atmosphere.
But there is still Soviet brutalist-style architecture, such as the intense ugliness of the old train station and some hotels that make you feel like a prisoner in a KGB ward. But the pre-communist concrete is fast disappearing and being replaced by twenty-first century structures of steel and glass.
In a city where one in four inhabitants is a student, you have to do your best to get bored. There are plenty of open-air concerts in the summer, lots of cultural events and interesting sights, and an overdose of sun in the summer. But there is also plenty of rain to compensate. The annual Warkocz Magdaleny Festival always takes place in the courtyard of a church just a few minutes' walk from the Stary Rynek.
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