Last night in Poznan

After a long frustrating day, but quite a successful week, I've decided that I'm going to get the first train to Warsaw in the morning so that I can see a little bit of Warsaw before I go home. I had visions of day trip to Gdansk and Krakow, but Poland's too big for day trips, and work was such that I could never risk getting stranded.

So I wander into town for the last time and get a few photos which I had missed on previous trips. Ironically, this is the night where I meet almost everyone from the conference who I am acquainted with and get no less than 6 offers of dinner. Its about 8.30pm, and I know that after one beer I'll be there for the night. I sacrifice beer for Warsaw 6 times, while at the back of my mind think I might be taking this travelling thing a little far.

This blog isn't up to much - it points out a few landmarks which I didn't mention before.

One of the first notable sights I saw in Poznan - but took until tonight to photo is the Kaiserhaus. Our guide at the social dinner described this as " a house built by a German emperor". A better description would be a house built for Kaiser Wilhelm II. As in "The" Kaiser - starter of world war I, grandson of Queen Victoria and winner of Jeremy Beadle look-alike contests. So not some German Emperor - a pretty important European historical figure. Maybe British history is biased, the poles probably know of more German Kaisers - I can only name one.(Well Wilhelm I - but I think that's cheating)



Beside this is Plac Mickiewicz. This used to be called Plac Stalin, but it's name was changed to Mickiewicz as a gerridupye.

When it was called Plac Stalin the first protest against communism in the Soviet Bloc occurred here in 1956. In June 1956 a quarter of the cities population gathered her to demand bread and freedom. It got violent when the troops were sent in on the belief they were pacifying a German riot. It resulted in 76 dead and 900 wounded and this very impressive monument now stands as a memory of this protest:







The square has been renamed Plac Mickiewicz, a far more Polish name. Adam Mickiewicz is the Rabbie of Poland, and this is the Burns Statue Square of Poznan.

He is Poland's greatest poet. I have never heard of him, but a quick wikipedia confirms that he is indeed the beez kneez. Out of interest, this entry isn't that long:

http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burns

Mickiewicz' rather imposing statue is here:



His two most famous poems are:

Dziady and Pan Tadeusz:

"Litva! My country, like art thou to health,
For how to prize thee alone can tell
Who has lost thee. I behold thy beauty now
In full adornment, and I sing of it
Because I long for thee." (From Pan Tadeusz)

He wrote at the same time as Chopin, so I have to assume that they were mates - they were probably both in a magazine called "Dzien Dobry" at the same time etc.

And finally to cap off my last evening in Poland before I go for an early night. I do what is becoming a tradition - go to the club I ended up in the previous night and get a photo: