The Cathedral in Poznan

The monumental edifice that used to be a residence of the German emperor was built in the years 1904-1910 according to a design by Franz Schwechten, who apparently took on board many suggestions from Kaiser Wilhelm II himself. The castle was a pivotal element of “the castle district” projected as a visiting card of the city and testifying to its supposedly German origins.

The whole structure is dominated by the tower with a clock, originally 74 metres high. Inside it a chapel was made in 1913. In the years between the wars the castle was a residence of the Polish President and a part of it was used by the Poznan University. During the German occupation the edifice was rebuilt as a Hitler’s official residence; it was then that the showy entrance from Saint Martin Street was added. Also the tower chapel was closed and a small balcony built on the south wall. In the small park adjacent to the castle there is a rock put here in 1990 to commemorate the victims of Katyn. In 1999 a monument to the victims was unveiled.

Address: 80/82 Saint Martin Street