Visit to Poznan

I visited the city of Poznan in Poland for work and on that occasion I explored the city of Poznan. I decided to summarize my short experience in this article.

In 2022, I am twice long-term visited Poland and the city of Wroclaw. I had planned to visit Poland again since then, for example in the summer of 2025. However, the timing didn't work out. Eventually, however, I found a loophole in my diary and work took me to Poznan in early October.

It was actually my first extended work trip with my new work laptop Thinkpad P14s.

Trip

Poznan is a city that is already quite far from the border and is located about halfway to the sea. In 2025, after crossing the Polish border, it is already possible to get on the motorway and continue to Poznan. The journey takes about 3 hours from the border. The Polish motorways are in excellent condition and not overcrowded, so the journey is fast and smooth. In addition, most Polish motorways are free, so you don't have to deal with a vignette. Only private motorways are specifically toll roads. State motorways are free. After all, if citizens have paid for them once with their taxes, why should they pay for them again? The journey on the Polish motorway from the border in the direction from Trutnov to Poznan is on state motorways and therefore completely free.
The journey is not on the motorway all the time, as it is necessary to cross between two motorways to optimise the route. Therefore, the shorter section has to be driven in Poland outside the motorway network.

World War II fortifications

On the way, I stopped at the border at the World War II fortifications. This is the border where the German Reich was before World War II. Only subsequently, in order for Russia to have more territory, Poland had to move at Germany's expense. So on today's Polish-Czech border there is a fortification that was supposed to protect Czechoslovakia from the German Reich:

Crossing the border, one could see how the towns and buildings near the border are in a bad state because everything is centralized, making the outlying areas uninteresting and without funding and therefore without investment.

On the Czech side of the border, a motorway is being intensively built to connect Poland with the Czech motorway, which so far ends at the town of Jaroměř.

Accommodation

I usually try to find accommodation on the outskirts or somewhere green. But since I was planning to attend meetups for work and visit a friend to discuss work, I chose a place closer to the center. There were advantages, but also disadvantages. One of the disadvantages was that there was no free parking and there was a tram right in front of the building. The apartment was not ideal, but there was a normal desk and chair so I could work during the day.

I had a TV with HDMI which I could use as an external monitor. By putting the coffee table on a regular desk, I was able to make a standing workstation:

The internet was very slow, but fortunately I have set up my work environment so that I don't necessarily need fast internet. Overall, this makes the apartment in question data to use as an acceptable office for work. And it definitely worked out cheaper than a hotel, too.

Outside of working hours, i.e. in the evening and on weekends, parking is free:

Infrastructure

Poznań is a city that lies on a plain and has a circular structure, like, for example, Hradec Kralove in the Czech Republic or Vratislav (Wrocław)
Almost the centre of the city has three giant areas of nature through which you can get through nature out of the city. The amount of greenery inside the city makes Poznan remind me of Vienna.

You can get around the city using the tram network. Tickets are bought with a credit card. The system remembers your card and deducts at the end of the day, depending on whether you have enough single tickets or if it would be within the day fare.

As is customary in a developed city/country, the infrastructure everywhere is geared towards cyclists:
Even in the autumn weather, many people could be seen using the bicycle simply as a regular means of transport.
This is because using a bicycle allows for high speed movements, as well as flexibility, without the need for a giant infrastructure for cars, which can easily fill up quickly. And I too have used around to explore the city and surrounding areas in my spare time.

The city cares a lot about making sure citizens have well designed outdoor spaces. There are free beaches with lounge chairs at the lakes. On my way there, I completely by chance discovered a workout playground, a place where you can work out using your own weight.

Or an outdoor table for table tennis. On the other side of the road you can see a bike shed.

The brach volleyball court, which is open to the public free of charge, is also an excellent feat:

Buildings

Even in the centre there are buildings in poor condition. The problem is said to be due to the fact that the owner is not fully known. A lot of buildings are repaired and maintained. There are a lot of new modern buildings in the nearby centre. On the outskirts of the city there is abundant new modern construction. I got the feeling that there is actually more building going on there than in the Czech Republic.

Tourism

The city of Poznan offers a lot for tourists, unfortunately I didn't have time to be a tourist.

The illuminated sculpture in the square:

A journey around the site that commemorates World War II:

Centre

The city of Poznan has a beautiful historical centre. Here is the City Hall:

Palmaria

In the city, Meet the palmarium which is actually a greenhouse that houses tropical plants. In addition to the plants, they had many tropical aquariums:

Prices

Prices are favourable in Poland. Similar to the Czech Republic, only slightly lower due to lower VAT.

Meetups

Poznan is a bigger city than Wroclaw. At the same time, October is no longer a holiday month, yet I discovered a smaller number of IT events and other social events. Or maybe you need to search more via Facebook. (I typically use the Meetuo.com app)

Cycling

Unfortunately, I didn't have much time and the weather wasn't ideal for cycling, so I just explored the city by bike. If one would like to use a bike to move around the city or go on bike tours the city of Poznan is ideal for that.

What the city of Poznan looks like from the saddle of a bike:

My GPS route records in Poznan

Summary

It sure would be nice to live and work in the city of Poznan. Mainly due to the good facilities for living, cycling and nature all around the centre.