Poland Guide
Wielkopolska
Halfway between Warsaw and Berlin, the gently undulating landscape of Wielkopolska may not offer much drama, but its human story is an altogether different matter, as its name – "Greater Poland" – implies. This area has been inhabited continuously since prehistoric times, and it was here that the Polish nation first took shape. The name of the province, and of Poland itself, derives from a Slav tribe called the Polonians, whose leaders – the Piast family – were to rule the country for five centuries.
The relics of the early Piast period can be seen at Lake Lednica, located just west of Gniezno, the first city to achieve dominance before decline brought about the consolation role of Poland's ecclesiastical capital. It was quickly supplanted as the regional centre by nearby Poznań, a burgeoning business centre.
Yet this is predominantly a rural province, and perhaps its most typical natural attraction is the Wielkopolska national park, epitomizing the region's glaciated landscape.
As elsewhere in Poland, there are plentiful trains and buses, even to the smallest outpost, with the former usually having the edge in terms of speed and convenience.
Highlights
1 Poznań Wielkopolska's bustling commercial and cultural capital is also home to the leafy cathedral district of Ostrów Tumski.
2 Wielkopolska National Park This wonderfully tranquil area of forests and lakes tops the list of potential day-trips from Poznań.
3 Stalag Luft III, Żagań A dignified museum commemorates the camp – and mass break-out – that inspired the Hollywood movie The Great Escape.
4 Gniezno An easy-going provincial town which was for centuries the seat of Poland's archbishops, and is still the site of a truly wonderful cathedral.
5 Wolsztyn steam train shed Travel from Poznań to Wosztyn on the last steam– hauled passenger service in Europe and visit the engine shed.
6 Biskupin Take the narrow-gauge train from Żnin to this reconstructed Iron Age village, situated in a rolling rural landscape.