Free tour

Poznań Imperial District

Duration: 1h and 30min
Languages: English
Quality Verified Registered on July 05, 2017

We are Walkative! Our goal is to promote our cities across Poland, Germany, France, Ukraine and Israel and cooperate in promoting our partners across all of Europe - no matter what your budget is! Since 2007 we have guided more than 3 million people. We provide tours in English, Spanish, Polish and German mostly.

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  • Free booking and cancellation
    Free payment tour, no set price, booking and cancellation are free

Tour description

As a result of the fall and partitions of the First Republic of Poland in the 18th century, Poznań became a border city of German Prussia. Transformed into a Fortress City and surrounded by mighty walls around which no new buildings were allowed to be erected, it could not develop. There was only one purpose of the city's existence back then - to stop the Russian Empire. Only the liquidation of Festung Posen and the liberation of the areas occupied before by the forts allowed the city to bloom like a flower or... explode like a powder keg!

The monumental Imperial District, built in a post-fortified area at the beginning of the 20th century, is a phenomenon on a Polish scale. It was designed to raise the prestige of the city and make it one of the seats of the Prussian emperor. Wide and modern for those times, the streets are full of sumptuous public buildings, operas and theaters. The newly created district was to introduce Poznań to the 20th century as a modern city and be an impulse for further development. It also had its own political task - to overshadow the Polish Old Town with historicising and monumental German architecture. Therefore, in the heart of the District, there is a gigantic Imperial Castle, which is perhaps the most modern castle in Europe.

During the tour we will focus not only on monumental buildings, but we will also wander into charming, hidden courtyards. We will talk about Poznań's struggle to keep its Polish identity at a time when Poland did not exist. We will also see the place where brilliant pre-war Polish cryptologists who decoded Enigma - the legendary German coding machine - worked, an achievement that significantly helped the Allies win the war. We will also talk about the tragic history of Poznań June 1956, when the whole city fought against the communist government for decent jobs and a better life. Of course, there will also be the central point of the district, i.e. the Imperial Castle itself, which is now an enormous cultural center. After all, we all know that being in Poznań and not seeing the Castle is like visiting Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. Or visit Poznań without watching the billy goats… 😊

On a tour around the Imperial Quarter, you'll see, among others:

- Imperial Castle

- Monument to the cryptologists

- Monument to the Victims of June 1956

- "Bałtyk" - a showcase of Poznań's modern architecture

- New Theater

- Opera

and a lot more!

ℹ️ ⚠️ ATTENTION - booking rules

Please note that our free tours are designed for individual travelers and small private groups only. Hence, we do not accept parties of 8 or more people on regular free tours and guides have the right to deny participation to such groups. If you travel in a party of 8 or more please book a private tour in advance.


If you show up at the meeting point with the bigger group our guide will ask you for the payment (10 eur/person) before the tour or cancel your reservation on the spot. To confirm your reservation please arrive 10 minutes before starting. We can not guarantee participation when you will be late.                                  

Please note that multiply bookings (under different names) for 7 people who belong to one group will still be treated as one organized group and the guide has the right to deny participation to such parties.

This policy is implied in the best interest of our individual visitors. 

Please respect our rules.     

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  • Meeting point:
    plac Ratajskiego 8, 61-726 Poznań, Po...
    plac Ratajskiego 8, 61-726 Poznań, Poland
    View on map

    In the center of Plac Cyryla Ratajskiego Square . Look for the guide with the yellow umbrella.

How much does this tour cost?

Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end of the tour the amount that he or she considers appropriate (these usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).

Tour opinions

6 ratings
4.8
By category
Professionalism
4.83
Fun
4.67
Expression
5.0
Quality
4.83
Route
4.83
Generic
5 stars
5
4 stars
1
3 stars
0
2 stars
0
1 star
0
Didac 28 Jul 2023
Girona

Verified booking
Travelled alone - Jul 2023
Margret did a beautiful job showing us parts of poznan completely different from the center. She also gave us a lot of interesting info from poznan. I recommend it!!
Jesus 02 Apr 2022
Wolfsburg

Verified booking
Travelled in group - Apr 2022
Alexandra lo hizo excelente, aprendimos bastante y fue interesante.
Show 6 reviews

Who is this tour for?

Accessibility
Suitable for people with reduced mobility.
Groups
Accepts reservations up to 7 people.
Pets
Suitable for carrying pets.

What should you know?

Minimum of attendees
A minimum of 5 people is required for the tour.
Additional costs:
The tour does not require the payment of entrance fees or additional expenses.
Free cancellation
If you will not be able to attend the tour, please cancel your booking, otherwise the guide will be waiting for you.
When do you want to go?
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